not all about Ray
A page in the diary "Sue's thoughts on life"
Written by suew Sunday, 7 March 2010 22:29
I've just had Ray in respite, I bring him home tomorrow. I use respite now to space out caring, I used to use it when I was desperate, now I use it so I don't get desperate.
I had a phone call tonight to say they had "run out of tablets" and would I bring in some more? Nope, there was a fortnight's tablets taken in so he should have had enough. I will take a breakfast dose in with me tomorrow though so he is not way off the rails!
This time I used the time to catch up with my study. I have also been scanning in photos for Mum's powerpoint presentation at her funeral, older son who is in the funeral business wants 100 slides! I have done 45 so far, so many memories of better times, it has been a real trip down memory lane. We decided I should do this while mum is still hale and hearty, imagine trying to do it in the couple of days before the funeral!
It has been nice being on my own, Trev has always been coming and going before. This time it was just me. I could eat when I wanted, sit on the verandah at dawn and sip tea as the sun came up, eat chinese straight from the carton in front of the tv, go for a walk, have a long bath, so many things I don't do when Ray is here.
I don't think I slept particularly well but I never was a good sleeper. I didn't have any emergencies thank goodness so life ran fairly smoothly. I did some cleaning up and cleaning out so do feel better about life again. Long may it last!
So tomorrow Ray comes home and life goes on. The nurse who rang said that Ray is a lovely man and it has been a pleasure having him there. Hmmmm! Lovely one day, "blah" the next is the thought I had. Like everyone else though nursie can go home and others take over, for us as carers it is 24 hours a day for the one person, no extra staff!
Hope you are all coping okay, if not get some respite and if they won't go, YOU go.