Medical rants

Enter at your own risk

My MIL: My MIL is what we southerners call “bat-sh&^ crazy.” Is she mentally ill? I don’t think I’d go that far (but I’m not a professional), but she is not a fully functioning member of society. She was never firing on all cylinders according to hub, but after a robbery while she was managing a Public Storage facility 5 or 6 years ago, things really got worse. Since then, she hasn’t been able to successfully keep a job or really take care of things.

After the robbery, she was put on Seroquel – either for sleeping troubles or PTSD, depending on when you talk to her. She’s remained on it ever since. Because she’s never had health insurance, she’s bounced around from one organization serving the uninsured to the next, never staying anywhere more than a few months to a year. She’s on all these different medications, and she’s one of these people that just goes along never questioning anything. She also has a propensity to twist things to support what she wants. As an example, she once went to the doctor and her blood sugar was low (she’s diabetic), so they gave her a granola bar and a Coke. She interpreted that as “granola is an acceptable substitute for my morning oatmeal” and “I can drink sugared Coke any time I want.” Remember the time she ate an entire cake in a 24 hour period?

Anyway, a social worker (who she is now taking medical advice from) came out to evaluate her – she is getting an appointment with a local group that serves the uninsured. I hope she can get all this mess straightened out, but if we’re depending on her to have a conversation with the doctor then it won’t be happening. She has loads of health issues, is on loads of various medicines with no consistent medical review – it’s just a mess. I’m not blaming any of the doctors she’s seen – how can you treat someone effectively when you see them once or twice and they don’t provide you with accurate information?

And then there’s the fact that she’s a total bullshi&^er, and over half of what comes out of her mouth is made up – all designed to make her look good. Given what my mom is going through right now with my grandma, I don’t know how she stays sane.

My grandma: Monie has had Alzheimer’s for over 20 years. She has no quality of life – she doesn’t speak, she’s in a wheel chair. The place she is isn’t taking care of her. She was moved to a different area of the same outfit so she could get Hospice, but so far she doesn’t seem to be getting better treatment. Hello, she’s on mechanical soft food (think toddler food) but you send out a plate of salad for her to feed herself???? If my mom didn’t go over there every day, I’m not sure the woman would ever be properly fed or clothed. It’s outrageous.

Needless to say, the stress of trying to figure out (on her own) what to do in terms of where to put my grandmother & how to make sure she gets the care she needs is wearing my mom out. Add my MIL as a roomie, and it’s no wonder my mom is feeling so stressed out. And I’m really worried about the whole thing.

One good thing is that MIL is now up to #3 on the waiting list for subsidized senior housing, so at least she can be loonie in her own place instead of my mom’s.