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Meet fellow Caregivers - Introduce yourself
Caregivers | Last Active: Nov 12, 2023 | Replies (707)Comment receiving replies
Hello @colleenyoung and everyone! I am happy to introduce myself and I welcome this new caregivers forum with open arms and high hopes!
As a bit of background, my name is Scott and I was the primary caregiver for my wife during her 14 year journey with brain cancer. After a phenomenal fight, she passed away this past July 7th.
I agree with Colleen as she says caregiving is rewarding, demanding, and certainly can be extremely isolating. I also believe caregiving is a unique journey for each caregiver because each of their patient's illnesses and their journey is also unique. This said, I also wonderfully agree with Colleen that a group like this can be a true blessing to anyone living the life of a caregiver.
Sharing our experiences, needs, glories, frustrations, and questions here will be wonderful for any and all who choose, or are thrust, into a caregiving role.
I enjoy sharing about my caregiving jouney and answering questions about it.
My desire is to be honest and open about the realities of my caregiving journey.
Peace and strength to each and all
Replies to "Hello @colleenyoung and everyone! I am happy to introduce myself and I welcome this new caregivers..."
Yes, it was. Stage II until it suddenly went to Stage IV for her last 2+ years. She fought an intense and amazing battle.
Our's began as a Stage IV. Just praying that it doesn't return for quite awhile
Indiana Scott, Thank you for your posts and for being here as a mentor. I see much of my upcoming situation with my husband's Stage 4 cancer has already been experienced by you and your wife. I will be following you for support and guidance. My husband just turned 65 and has been given months to a year to live. Hopefully they are wrong and we're talking more like 'years'. I hold on to that hope, however misguided. I am just 60 and therefore we have financial concerns surrounding all of the medical costs. Not sure how I will manage all of that. But, I don't want to be so distracted by day to day concerns that I don't get any real quality time for my husband or become so tired and cranky that I can't be the caregiver I'd like to be.
Hi again @cindylb Thank you for the kind words. Keep the faith! In my wife's case the doctors gave her 7 years maximum and she fought for over 14. When she was prescribed hospice care they gave her 6 months or less. She was in home hospice for 14 months! I will hope for the same 'math' for your husband!
I know love can be an unbelievable fuel for the engine of us caregivers! I could never do what I did for my wife for someone simply for the daily pay. But my love for my wife was more powerful than my exhaustion, frustrations, and feeling of being overwhelmed. Not everyday and not every hour, but for the long haul.
At times my wife had to call me a couple of times before I came to her bedside some days when other demands interfered. It always seemed like she needed me most whenever she heard the bathroom door click shut 🙂
Caregiving comes with no employee manual, no pay, no training, etc., but at least it comes with the benefit we get from those periodic smiles that spread across our loved one's face when we meet one of their needs.
By the way....tired and cranky come with being a caregiver! But then again whispering "I'm so sorry I'm a bit tired and cranky today, honey" seemed to be a pretty good balm!
I look forward to staying in touch as you move along though your and your husband's journey. Good luck with the second opinion.
Strength, courage, and peace!
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Scott was your wife's brain cancer a glio? If so, the 14 years you fought gives me hope since the prognosis stinks.