One of the first things new caregivers are advised is, Keep a journal. Record drugs, events, actions, so that you have a record to share with your doctor and case manager.
And, I would add, that record is very revealing for yourself too. Glancing over my journal for the last four months, I was startled to realise the number and intensity of what I am now calling “Blow Outs” (Guess that’s the oil and gas influence!), a BO being a fit of rage, intense fear or delusions, waking nightmares, and general calling out of we the caregivers. We all really appreciate being called whores and liars. Makes for a lovely day. several of these incidents are chronicled here, but there were, according to the diary, many more.
Oh sure, there is the week in January and another in April, where surprising calm and gentle peace prevailed, to everyone’s surprise and enjoyment. But along side those good times, there are 3 BOs in January, 7 in February, 4 in March, and 6 in April. I haven’t gone through the caregivers’ day books, so there may be even more. That’s a lot of stress for everyone and much more than I realised as I run-in-one-spot to cope with daily life.
CaringCV 