Hi all,
Posted ages ago in the new members section, and have just not had any time to actually post again.
I care for my Mum who is aging terribly. Her memory is going, affecting her functioning, but worse than that, she has fibromyalgia, crumbling spine, and has recently become almost entirely immobile and in agony due to a hip problem, currently diagnosed as hip bursitis.
This was diagnosed on Tuesday and again yesterday, Friday by two separate visits to A&E via ambulance. She's now had two failed steroid injections into the hip.
I am at a loss to what to do, as her GP is a useless turd, refusing to prescribe any stronger painkillers, despite the fact that dihydrocodiene, paracetamol, dicloflex and tramadol all taken together are not touching the pain!
I called the Community Nurses and left a message on weds as she urgently needed a commode, as she was screaming in pain by the time I'd half carried her to the loo in her ancient old house, but no one called back, so bought a commode on ebay and drove 5 hours to get it while a friend kept an eye on Mum.
I've called her Social Worker for an urgent review of her care package (currently 3 hours a week for domestic and shopping), who said she's on annual leave from this weekend, so will make an appointment in about 3 weeks or so! That's an eternity!
I've called my own social worker for a review of my assessment, and will have a phone interview in a week - And I don't even know if they'll be able to do anything to help, and I don't even know what they CAN do!
I've pushed and pushed for a referral to the pain management team, which will come through in 4 - 6 weeks, again, another eternity.
I just don't know what else to do for myself and my Mum. Myself because although, luckily, I only live 2 doors away, I'm now at Mums all day every day. Luckily at the moment, my 7 year old son is away, but he'll be home soon, and as a single parent, I will have to tend to him too, and school starts next thurs. My own home is like a bomb site - in 3 days I've managed to do a half bowl of washing up! - and there's no food or clean clothes for when my boy gets back. I've just not got time to go shopping, for both Mum and me. I haven't had a bath in days!
I just feel that there MIGHT be some help out there, but I don't know where! Like most carers here I guess, they didn't 'choose' to be carers as a career path, my expertise is in computer science NOT social care, hospitals, doctors, medications etc! I'm so confused, so tired, and just don't know what to do apart from sit down and cry on occasion!
If anyone has any idea who to call, how to get some help, or any advice at all, please please let me know, I'm at my wits end! They absolutely WOULD NOT admit her to stay in hospital.
I'm sorry if I've rambled and moaned on (I'm usually quite a positive person!) I just don't know what to do...
Thanks in advance,
Carolina
Posted ages ago in the new members section, and have just not had any time to actually post again.
I care for my Mum who is aging terribly. Her memory is going, affecting her functioning, but worse than that, she has fibromyalgia, crumbling spine, and has recently become almost entirely immobile and in agony due to a hip problem, currently diagnosed as hip bursitis.
This was diagnosed on Tuesday and again yesterday, Friday by two separate visits to A&E via ambulance. She's now had two failed steroid injections into the hip.
I am at a loss to what to do, as her GP is a useless turd, refusing to prescribe any stronger painkillers, despite the fact that dihydrocodiene, paracetamol, dicloflex and tramadol all taken together are not touching the pain!
I called the Community Nurses and left a message on weds as she urgently needed a commode, as she was screaming in pain by the time I'd half carried her to the loo in her ancient old house, but no one called back, so bought a commode on ebay and drove 5 hours to get it while a friend kept an eye on Mum.
I've called her Social Worker for an urgent review of her care package (currently 3 hours a week for domestic and shopping), who said she's on annual leave from this weekend, so will make an appointment in about 3 weeks or so! That's an eternity!
I've called my own social worker for a review of my assessment, and will have a phone interview in a week - And I don't even know if they'll be able to do anything to help, and I don't even know what they CAN do!
I've pushed and pushed for a referral to the pain management team, which will come through in 4 - 6 weeks, again, another eternity.
I just don't know what else to do for myself and my Mum. Myself because although, luckily, I only live 2 doors away, I'm now at Mums all day every day. Luckily at the moment, my 7 year old son is away, but he'll be home soon, and as a single parent, I will have to tend to him too, and school starts next thurs. My own home is like a bomb site - in 3 days I've managed to do a half bowl of washing up! - and there's no food or clean clothes for when my boy gets back. I've just not got time to go shopping, for both Mum and me. I haven't had a bath in days!
I just feel that there MIGHT be some help out there, but I don't know where! Like most carers here I guess, they didn't 'choose' to be carers as a career path, my expertise is in computer science NOT social care, hospitals, doctors, medications etc! I'm so confused, so tired, and just don't know what to do apart from sit down and cry on occasion!
If anyone has any idea who to call, how to get some help, or any advice at all, please please let me know, I'm at my wits end! They absolutely WOULD NOT admit her to stay in hospital.
I'm sorry if I've rambled and moaned on (I'm usually quite a positive person!) I just don't know what to do...
Thanks in advance,
Carolina