My first post and I find this group helping and caring and this subject<br>dear to my heart .I live with my 90yr old mother and I am not sure who's<br>taking care of who most of the time I was recently diagnosed with a<br>thoracic aortic anyurism 4.9 cm in size I have been a pretty much healthy<br>active person my hole life I am 60 and until a month ago never even had a<br>family Dr . was never in the hospital in my life. Anyway my mom who is all<br>but deaf is an amazing woman who has been active and worked full time up<br>age 88 I see her now starting to forget things and appear to be somewhat<br>confused and has been depressed off and on I have been able to talk with<br>her about it and I can understand her sorrow .She has outlived most if<br>not all her friends. Not sure why I am posting this now other than I am for<br>once I my life scared thanks for the opportunity to share<br>

Welcome @rjm62. I'm glad you joined us here in the caregivers group. I believe there are a great number of Connect members who find themselves straddling the world of patient and caregiver simultaneously. Feel free to start a new topic relevant to your caregiver situation or experience any time: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/caregivers/

I also want to direct you to the Heart & Blood Health group http://mayocl.in/1XWwPwo We have a great group of knowledgeable members sharing there on a variety of cardiac conditions, including aneurysms. Here are a few discussions to get you started:
- Thoracic aortic aneurysm http://mayocl.in/2bC9oIY
- Infrarenal Aortic Aneurysm Repair Now another? http://mayocl.in/2bVPzKz

Hello @rjm62 and welcome! I am sure you are scared! Fear is a very usual (and I might say from my experience) 'normal' reaction to caregiving.

I was my wife's sole caregiver for 14 years until she qualified for home hospice the last two years.

I think it was the first 'job' I ever held without any training for it, no 'employee manual', no readily available support structure, etc.

I came here because of all those reasons! Caregiving is scary and demanding and there is a lot on the line as we try our best to do our best along a path we found ourselves thrust into.

I, and others here, are open, supportive, honest, and we try and be helpful and nonjudgmental.

Ask any questions you may have --- and thank you for the smile, by the way! My wife often would ask me who was taking care of whom over the years! In many ways we did rely on each other as strange as that may sound. We caregivers need all the support we can get -- where ever we can find it!

Peace and strength

Thanks for you note, Before my husband got his cancer, I was taking care of my aunt. I was her caregiver, conservator to 30 years. One can get burned out caregiving. I also took care of my husbands brother who drank all the time. Tried to save his truck, but he rand a tab at the tavern and of course could not pay so lost his truck. Had a bill at Bank of America for over 6 grand. This was really "fun" to take care of. Seems like I've had someone to watch over for most of my life. I have four children. The boys and one girl. My second son's first wife died of cancer in 1998. His second wife has lung cancer. My third son has his bone marrow kicking out too many red cells and so he is on some kind of caner medicine which makes him pretty sick. He has started taking the medicine in the evening with dinner. Then he goes to bed, doesn't sleep much. I'm not supposed to worry about my family, but I'm a "mom" and I can't help it.
Over the years taking care of someone, I've held a full time job as a "off sett printer" I did that in various places, commercial shops and a couple of school districts. Took off for a couple of years then went to driving school bus. ( Most fun job I've ever had. Rambling today.
Thanks for your comments. Nancy