mr. furley
Footballguy
last day of summer school yesterday
let's see how late the kids sleep in today. o/u set at 2:45.
let's see how late the kids sleep in today. o/u set at 2:45.
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
GM's Thread About Everything/GM's Thread About Nothing (18 Viewers)
- Thread starter General Malaise
- Start date
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Once again, I would rather light my crap on fire in front of these deal seekers.
BeTheMatch
Footballguy
And they would pick it up and take it home if it was free
mr. furley
Footballguy
allegedly blowing out of here starting tomorrow
but if someone doesn't put up a series of giant fans at the border to keep the Canadian wildfires at bay, i can't guarantee it won't come back :(
urbanhack
Fight The Power!
<insert wife joke here>last time i posted something on FB Marketplace it was a smoker that wasn't getting the use it deservedLesson learned is to never play the waiting game. Post it for free and say it’s first come first served and put it out front. Playing the game of people not showing up, wanting it delivered, asking to jump the line, giving sob stories, etc is a given I’d you don’t do that.Now some woman wants us to deliver the free dog beds to her
No, but that feels like a missed opportunityTaking any interesting trades?
had a much older fella ask about it, show up the same day and haggle me down $20. his wife said to me "he doesn't need this thing. he has 6 of em already! but he couldn't pass up the drive and the chance to haggle you down a few dollars. he loves a great deal."
made his day and mine, too
rockaction
Footballguy
Of course you referred to the manifesto.
LOL.
The inevitability of you looking at the manifesto is what astounds me. Ever wonder when things burn out in the sky how many light years it takes to reach us mortal fools with normal vision? Do you ever think about what has happened in the intervening years?
Of course you looked, foolish mortal. We all follow our lodestars.
LOL.
The inevitability of you looking at the manifesto is what astounds me. Ever wonder when things burn out in the sky how many light years it takes to reach us mortal fools with normal vision? Do you ever think about what has happened in the intervening years?
Of course you looked, foolish mortal. We all follow our lodestars.
Last edited:
rockaction
Footballguy
Enjoying jelly beans from Ireland that use real fruit concentrate to enhance -- or in this case, detract -- from flavoring. They're terrible. I looked at all the varieties on the back of the jelly bean pouch and there were about fifty flavors, none of them whiskey-flavored made from whiskey concentrate.
I consider that an overarching and unforgivable error.
Anyway, just checking in late night. I have a haircut tomorrow at nine and drank a sixteen ounce Red Bull about two hours ago. I'm wired to the gills and am wondering if I'll sleep at all tonight. The magic of taurine and caffeine has me dancing around like a Grateful Dead bear with binging bells on.
So pet peeves aisle ten -- I've got clean-up duty on those, too. Nothing but mistakenly-flavored jelly beans could bother me tonight. Peace, stalwarts of a once densely populated thicket. Hold it down (and count to ****).
I consider that an overarching and unforgivable error.
Anyway, just checking in late night. I have a haircut tomorrow at nine and drank a sixteen ounce Red Bull about two hours ago. I'm wired to the gills and am wondering if I'll sleep at all tonight. The magic of taurine and caffeine has me dancing around like a Grateful Dead bear with binging bells on.
So pet peeves aisle ten -- I've got clean-up duty on those, too. Nothing but mistakenly-flavored jelly beans could bother me tonight. Peace, stalwarts of a once densely populated thicket. Hold it down (and count to ****).
belljr
Footballguy
Since we are speaking of parents getting older.....
My dad asked for my daughter's softball schedule for this weekend.
Each week they have a team graphic with the schedule on it. I text that to my Dad. (he is 72)
He texts back - do they put little belljr in any of the pictures?
She is literally in the picture I sent
GB him
My dad asked for my daughter's softball schedule for this weekend.
Each week they have a team graphic with the schedule on it. I text that to my Dad. (he is 72)
He texts back - do they put little belljr in any of the pictures?
She is literally in the picture I sent
GB him
kevzilla
Footballguy
This has gone about as expected. I've been helping out all weekend, and the old man found his two-month supply of medication about ten minutes ago. I'll be at the bar.
El Floppo
Footballguy
El Floppo
Footballguy
Ok... Old parents. My dad lost to cancer 16 years ago at a very healthy and young age of 72. Had lots of years ahead of him.
My mom is kick ***. Yoga daily for 60 years. Still jogs 2x/week and hikes (Mt Tam... Not to the store type of hikes) 2x week. Son and I went hiking with her last spring...couldnt keep up with her. still teaches at the local CC and still is co-running a poetry publishing company that she co-founded. She's 88.
Except... 6 or so months ago, things started really slowing down for her. I noticed a slur in her voice (had her get tested for a stroke... Nothing, just old) and her balance started to go. Fell and twisted her ankle in October when she last visited NYC. Now her knee is popping out. She can't run or hike for now... And I worry what that will do to her state of mind. For the first time ever, every time I see or even talk to her, I worry it might be the last.
So... Old people, amirite? Just enjoy and appreciate them while they're here.
My mom is kick ***. Yoga daily for 60 years. Still jogs 2x/week and hikes (Mt Tam... Not to the store type of hikes) 2x week. Son and I went hiking with her last spring...couldnt keep up with her. still teaches at the local CC and still is co-running a poetry publishing company that she co-founded. She's 88.
Except... 6 or so months ago, things started really slowing down for her. I noticed a slur in her voice (had her get tested for a stroke... Nothing, just old) and her balance started to go. Fell and twisted her ankle in October when she last visited NYC. Now her knee is popping out. She can't run or hike for now... And I worry what that will do to her state of mind. For the first time ever, every time I see or even talk to her, I worry it might be the last.
So... Old people, amirite? Just enjoy and appreciate them while they're here.
Yup. Hang in there GB. Hope your mom gets more back to her normal self soon but the reality is the "new normal" shifts in those older years. I lost my mom a few years back and I can see definite changes in my 81 year old dad. You're 100% right though in old folks are a treasure. Appreciate them while we have them.
I had a unique experience recently as there was a very old frail gentleman at our church. I'd only seen him for a few years and for all the time I knew him, he looked the same. Very thin, frail and had trouble walking without assistance. He died and I went to his funeral to pay respects.
They had pictures of him from when he was a young man.
This guy who I'd only known as a frail thin gentleman looked like Mr. America as a young man. Pictures of him with his Navy uniform and he could have been on the cover of Men's Health.
I of course knew he didn't always look the way I knew him. But seeing that difference was something else.
With my parents and even myself as I get older, I've started to try and show a lot more grace towards old folks. Most of them are doing the best they can.
They had pictures of him from when he was a young man.
This guy who I'd only known as a frail thin gentleman looked like Mr. America as a young man. Pictures of him with his Navy uniform and he could have been on the cover of Men's Health.
I of course knew he didn't always look the way I knew him. But seeing that difference was something else.
With my parents and even myself as I get older, I've started to try and show a lot more grace towards old folks. Most of them are doing the best they can.
Last edited:
mr. furley
Footballguy
kids regular school year ends first couple days of June
3 weeks of summer school
back in school first week of September
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
right there with you. My dad took a fall at my house on Saturday. He was standing up to shake hands with my daughter‘s boyfriend. Lost his balance and fell in slow motion. Just the worst. So embarrassing. He took it well and wasn’t hurt. Boyfriend handled it well also.
Last edited:
El Floppo
Footballguy
Thanks gb.
Fortunately my mom has been really proactive about getting ready for all of this aging junk. Had grab bars installed in her shower and anti-slip treads on the stairs... Not long after my dad died when she was still a looong ways away from this. She also cofounded an aging at home community with support (based on something started in Cambridge MA). She's had an amazing attitude about all of it... But it's her physicality I worry about, and any potential ties these changes might bring to her mental/emotional state.
McBokonon
Footballguy
This past month has not been fun. Yesterday we said goodbye to Sophie, or more accurately she said goodbye to us after her little old body of nearly 16 years gave in. Not quite a month after Sancho took his leave, Sophie apparently decided she missed him more than she could bear. You hear of those couples who are married for 60 years and then they die within a short time of each other. I like to think that’s what happened here. Sophie knew no life without that chihuahua, and she decided they were a team until the very end.
What to say about this one? She was definitely a daddy’s girl. Especially in the last few years, she really clung to me and I to her. Our primary ritual was bedtime, where she would wait excitedly while I brushed my teeth and all that other nighttime stuff and then raced me into bed and pushed her head into mine, noozling for minutes on end, and then scrambled under the covers and attached herself to my side until morning.
Unlike Sancho, she never fully trusted that strangers were friends and so she barked at them. And barked some more. Bark bark bark bark and so on. But when you were around enough and she finally trusted you, you had the best snuggler on the planet at your side.
She loved her walks and her med schedule. She was my 5am alarm for years. She would put 5-6 food nuggets from the kitchen into her mouth, carry them into the living room, drop them on the floor, look up at us proudly as if she had just hunted some fierce game, ate the nuggets, and repeated this 5-6 times. It was never not hilarious.
The house is quiet.
Happy 4th - tell your dog I said hi.
i'm sorry GB. I think you're right about the dogs missing each other.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
My mom went 76 years without needing to use a computer. Now I receive 2-3 phone calls a week. Whatever the issue of the moment happens to be, she's sure someone is hacking into her bank account.
"This message says my onedrive is almost out of space. Is that because you took me off that unlimited plan?"
"No, mom. You're still only using 1/2 GB of data a month. On your phone. Not your computer. And that has nothing to do with the 10k pictures of nothing that are stored on your computer."
"Well, what if it's a scam and someone is trying to get to my bank accounts?"
"By making you delete files?"
"Well, I don't know. If they lock me out of my computer I won't be able to access my bank account to know."
I'm remembering the point in time my dad decided the way to transition my mom to taking responsibility for the bills was to revert everything he was paying online back to paper bills and having her write checks. Some moron talked him out of that. "She can learn to do it just like you did," that moron might have said.
Bob Sacamano
Footballguy
Unrelated: I assume the software the help desk uses to take control of a computer remotely would be available for individual consumption. Anybody in the know have a recommendation for a reliable yet affordable version of that?
Regards,
A moron
Regards,
A moron
Hawks64
Footballguy
Teamviewer is free for personal use, or at least it used to be. Super easy to use.
Osaurus
Footballguy
Still is
Well, I pulled the plug on the Footballguys Championship contest. https://forums.footballguys.com/threads/important-note-on-footballguys-championship-contest.808771/
It's personally embarrassing but that's life. It was an interesting thing personally for me weighing out the ego part vs the right call for the business. It's not comfortable, but it was the right move.
It's personally embarrassing but that's life. It was an interesting thing personally for me weighing out the ego part vs the right call for the business. It's not comfortable, but it was the right move.
-fish-
Footballguy
Sounds like you made the right call, even if it sucked to make that decision.
Thanks GB. I think you're right and that sums it up well.
It was an interesting few days as my 25 year old self probably would have (immaturely) handled it different. I would have not wanted to give the critics the satisfaction of being right and probably thrown good money after bad to try and save face. Instead, it's the smarter move to put the ego back a bit and do the right business thing.
GroveDiesel
Footballguy
The only way to never fail is to never try. Failure sucks, but it’s also a sign that you’re trying to do things.
If there are people gloating about this, that says way more about them than it does you or FBG.
Even in failure you’re handling it with class and trying to do right for your customers.
facook
Footballguy
DA RAIDERS
Footballguy
Don’t sweat it.
Corporation
Angry Bovine
This isn't a personal failure or something to be embarrassed about, I think it's just where the economy is and what people are spending their disposable income on. No need to be embarrassed, something didn't work and you stood up and did the right thing. Wishing all the best for you and the team in the future!
El Floppo
Footballguy
just got off the phone with her. she was diagnosed with ALS on monday.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Damn dude. So sorry.
Hawks64
Footballguy
Damn, that's awful, so sorry GB.
BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Settling in back in Minnesota for 10 days or so now.
The most notable cons were ones I knew about already: mosquitoes and road construction. And my father-in-law.
Everything else has been a pro, for the most part.
However, there was one big exception yesterday that had me wondering if I was back in dysfunctional Oregon:
Trying to get the DMV sorted out. Need to transfer titles on a few vehicles and get our MN licenses, etc.
I'd been conditioned by two years in Oregon to assume the DMV is never open, even when it says it is. And that there is never more than one person there working. And that the lines are around the block and you have to spend a whole day there. And that the reservation system says it works but really doesn't. Etc.
So I go online and make an appointment for myself to get a new license. As part of that process, it has you fill out a pre-application online to streamline things when you get there in person. So, it at one point asks me if I currently have OR HAVE PREVIOUSLY HAD a MN license. So, I say yes and even have the old DL # that I was able to input. So it recognizes that and asks if I'll need to change my address. Yep. Then it asks if I currently possess a driver's license in another state. Yes, I say. Oregon, I say. And I enter that DL #.
So it doesn't kick me out of the system. It approves all of that info keeps me going through the process until I eventually get a confirmation saying I'm all set, that when I get to my appointment, all this info will be in the system and I'll be good to go.
Now, that appointment was a couple weeks out, but I figured, hey, this isn't Oregon. Government actually functions here. So I'm going to go down to the local DMV right when it opens in the morning and just see if there's a huge line. So I get there and what a sight to behold: It actually opened when it was supposed to!!!!! Are you listening, Oregon????
There is a line, but most of them are kids there for their road tests. And they've got a separate line for them!!! Hello, government efficiency!!!! Are you listening, Oregon????
So there's only one guy in front of me and he finishes up in a couple scant minutes. So I walk up with the printout of my pre-application and its corresponding confirmation number just beaming with Minnesota Pride.
"Wait," she says. "You have an out-of-state license?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Then you have to retake the knowledge test. And you have to make an appointment for that online."
"That can't be right. The online application system let me put in all my info, including that I was a past MN license holder but a current out-of-state license holder, and it approved the application."
"Well, that's how it is. You have to go online and make an appointment to take the test."
So I walk out. I go home, thinking I'm in Oregon. I get online, and the soonest I can get an appointment to take the test is Aug. 11. Now, I KNOW I'm in Oregon. No way. This can't be happening.
So I call the state DMV line and get a live person within 60 seconds. So now I'm reassured that, no, I'm definitely not in Oregon.
I explain my situation, and she says:
"Well, you historically have had to retake the knowledge test, but there's a new law that goes into effect on Aug. 1, and that allows anyone with an out-of-state license to get a MN license without having to take the test."
I'm gobsmacked. So I AM back in Oregon.
Well, I've got nothing but time to kill, and I can't let this aggression stand. We are a state of laws. This isn't Oregon.
So back to my local DMV I go. No line. Walk right in. Right up to the original lady at the counter. I see the flash of recognition wash over her face like so many other terrorized people in my past.
"Remember me?" I ask.
"Yeah."
"So, interesting nugget. Were you aware that there's a new law going into effect in less than three weeks where I wouldn't need to take the test?"
"Yes."
...
...
"You were aware of that when talking to me a half hour ago?"
"Yes."
...
...
"Well, that seems like some fairly relevant and helpful information that you probably should've relayed to me."
"We're not allowed to disclose that fact. They told us not to."
"Is it a secret?"
"No, it's not a secret."
"Well, your colleague on the state help line had no problem filling me in on the whole thing."
"The other thing is that the law says you have to get your license within 30 days of moving here."
"So? I don't recall you asking me when I moved here. So you just assumed I moved here more than two weeks ago?"
...
...
"OK, bye then. SEE YOU AUGUST FIRST!!!!!"
The most notable cons were ones I knew about already: mosquitoes and road construction. And my father-in-law.
Everything else has been a pro, for the most part.
However, there was one big exception yesterday that had me wondering if I was back in dysfunctional Oregon:
Trying to get the DMV sorted out. Need to transfer titles on a few vehicles and get our MN licenses, etc.
I'd been conditioned by two years in Oregon to assume the DMV is never open, even when it says it is. And that there is never more than one person there working. And that the lines are around the block and you have to spend a whole day there. And that the reservation system says it works but really doesn't. Etc.
So I go online and make an appointment for myself to get a new license. As part of that process, it has you fill out a pre-application online to streamline things when you get there in person. So, it at one point asks me if I currently have OR HAVE PREVIOUSLY HAD a MN license. So, I say yes and even have the old DL # that I was able to input. So it recognizes that and asks if I'll need to change my address. Yep. Then it asks if I currently possess a driver's license in another state. Yes, I say. Oregon, I say. And I enter that DL #.
So it doesn't kick me out of the system. It approves all of that info keeps me going through the process until I eventually get a confirmation saying I'm all set, that when I get to my appointment, all this info will be in the system and I'll be good to go.
Now, that appointment was a couple weeks out, but I figured, hey, this isn't Oregon. Government actually functions here. So I'm going to go down to the local DMV right when it opens in the morning and just see if there's a huge line. So I get there and what a sight to behold: It actually opened when it was supposed to!!!!! Are you listening, Oregon????
There is a line, but most of them are kids there for their road tests. And they've got a separate line for them!!! Hello, government efficiency!!!! Are you listening, Oregon????
So there's only one guy in front of me and he finishes up in a couple scant minutes. So I walk up with the printout of my pre-application and its corresponding confirmation number just beaming with Minnesota Pride.
"Wait," she says. "You have an out-of-state license?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Then you have to retake the knowledge test. And you have to make an appointment for that online."
"That can't be right. The online application system let me put in all my info, including that I was a past MN license holder but a current out-of-state license holder, and it approved the application."
"Well, that's how it is. You have to go online and make an appointment to take the test."
So I walk out. I go home, thinking I'm in Oregon. I get online, and the soonest I can get an appointment to take the test is Aug. 11. Now, I KNOW I'm in Oregon. No way. This can't be happening.
So I call the state DMV line and get a live person within 60 seconds. So now I'm reassured that, no, I'm definitely not in Oregon.
I explain my situation, and she says:
"Well, you historically have had to retake the knowledge test, but there's a new law that goes into effect on Aug. 1, and that allows anyone with an out-of-state license to get a MN license without having to take the test."
I'm gobsmacked. So I AM back in Oregon.
Well, I've got nothing but time to kill, and I can't let this aggression stand. We are a state of laws. This isn't Oregon.
So back to my local DMV I go. No line. Walk right in. Right up to the original lady at the counter. I see the flash of recognition wash over her face like so many other terrorized people in my past.
"Remember me?" I ask.
"Yeah."
"So, interesting nugget. Were you aware that there's a new law going into effect in less than three weeks where I wouldn't need to take the test?"
"Yes."
...
...
"You were aware of that when talking to me a half hour ago?"
"Yes."
...
...
"Well, that seems like some fairly relevant and helpful information that you probably should've relayed to me."
"We're not allowed to disclose that fact. They told us not to."
"Is it a secret?"
"No, it's not a secret."
"Well, your colleague on the state help line had no problem filling me in on the whole thing."
"The other thing is that the law says you have to get your license within 30 days of moving here."
"So? I don't recall you asking me when I moved here. So you just assumed I moved here more than two weeks ago?"
...
...
"OK, bye then. SEE YOU AUGUST FIRST!!!!!"
Last edited:
Aw Man. I'm sorry, GB.
How is she handling that?
Do you have a sense for future stuff yet?
Hang in there.
Last edited:
El Floppo
Footballguy
thanks all for your thoughts and support.
she said she was actually relieved to get a diagnosis of any kind- as the slurring and loss of balance were distressing to her. she's outwardly had an amazingly healthy and strong outlook on life and death and expressed little concerns about this. But I know it's going to be awful... for her and for us.
she's out in CA in my childhood home by herself for now. she started making it more accessible for herself (grab bars in the shower and no-slip stair tread) after my dad died 17 years ago when she was super duper healthy- and started wearing a life-alert whenever she's home alone. there are stairs there- so either she'll have to add lifts or she'll have to move. either way, she'll need assistance- which she has covered in her insurance.
she and my brother (who lives in the town next door and sees her at least 1x week) are scheduled to see the Dr together next week to start planning next steps. my wife very astutely (and she was the only who first wanted her to see a neurologist) wants her to get a 2nd opionion.
one of my current clients was diagnosed in the last year and his decline has been very evident. we've been designing for it... but almost too much- as certain spaces that I started to go overboard about being accessible, he just wanted to be normal for the long term after he was gone. I've mostly dealt with the wife who has been a rock... and wrote an email to her asking for advice- but feel like it's crossing a professional/personal line as I don't really know them and this is very personal stuff. this is a guy basically like Randall was- young professional with a young daughter and wife. it's all just heartbreaking. :(
BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Worst-kept secret
And apparently she wasn't even right about the 30-day requirement to get your license.
SWC
Bromigo
i try try to keep it in mind every day that we all used to be somone else take that to the bank joemigo
SWC
Bromigo
sorry to hear it el floppo i wish you all the best
Thank you GB. I can see how having some clarity with a diagnosis would be relieving in some ways.
You're a good son. I'm thankful she has you and your brother and family.
Cowboysfan8
Footballguy
So is Pa.
Golf tournament tomorrow at 1 pm. Forecast of 90 with a dew point in the 70s
Mr.Pack
Footballguy
I am so sorry GB. She will be in our thoughts and prayers.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Nope, no way. Oregon is just the worst most dysfunctional state in the union. Definitely nothing redeeming about it.
coopersdad
Footballguy
No where else really to vent and write, so I'll lay it all out here...............
About 4 years ago, we had my mother (at that point in time 74) tested to see if she should continue driving. Needless to say she failed as she hit a "few" things. 18YO son found some humor in it and said "that's not that bad, just think of all the things YOU COULD HAVE HIT."
So we needed to take her car away. She was always independent. Living alone in her house for the past 20 years since her 3rd divorce. Drove to all the kids sporting events, getting her own groceries, doing some lawn work (I've mowed for her for the last 7-8 years), so she had a shock to her system.
Sister and I took her to get groceries bi-weekly, and since I was recently divorced I had a bit more time on my hands so we spent a bit more time together.
Fast forward a year and we notice she was having troubles w/ tremors and forgetting things. Went and had her tested and turns out she was at the onset of Parkinsons.
We sign her up for physical / mental / emotional therapy classes that last 6 months. She's doing really well, but soon we determine that being at home alone was not the best for her, so we work with her and decide to sell her house and move her into a retirement "village" where she would be able to "graduate" to different levels of care. She would start out in an apartment, but would have all the benefits of the the village (events, field trips, dinners, football watching, courtyard activities. etc).
She was there for about a year and a half and had made many friends and told me that she liked it there (although she would also admit that she missed having a "house").
Fast forward to this past April. She fell in her apartment and broke her knee cap. As she had to walk with a walker/cane, she came down and stayed with me since I was WFH. For 2 weeks she stayed w/ me and we played card games, scrabble, monopoly, and had many great conversations).
We took her back the dr to check on her walking and her knee. He said it was healing fine, and that she was doing great w/ walking. She was eager to get back to her friends.
2 weeks later she falls and breaks her hip. She has major surgery on her hip, and immediately after the surgery we notice that she's not the same mentally. She's seeing things, talking about things that have not happened, thinks my youngest has had a grandson (oldest did). Dr. says that anesthisia has a really bad effect on a lot of Parkinson's patients.
We move her to a rehab facility where 2 weeks later she proceeds to try to get out of bed to "catch the bus" and fall again. Rebreaking the hip. Another major surgery.
After a week in the hospital, she goes back to the rehab facility. A week in she gets out of bed again in the middle of the night and breaks the other hip. Another major surgery.
We move her to another rehab facility. She's been there about a month and is progressing physically to be able to help the nurses get her in/out of bed and bathroom and she goes to physical therapy daily. Mentally she's getting very emotional. Does not comprehend time. I'll miss a day of visit and when I come back she wonder why I was gone for a week. It's almost like dealing with a toddler part of the time, but then we can have a nice long conversation about stuff that happened in the 70's and 80's.
s
Over the weekend we moved her out of her "village" and got rid of / stored a lot of her stuff. We moved her bed / dresser / recliner and pictures of kids into her new place where she'll be in a managed facility that has rehab but also specializes in parkinsons. She'll be in a complex that has a "living area" with 8 hallways extending from it. Down each hallway are 2 rooms (one per resident) where she'll have her own tv, fridge, chair, bed, and it will be "home". She just wants OUT of the rehab facility.
Hopefully she'll like it there. Her hip dr. says that she's probably got a year.
To go from a healthy mom who was going on 8 hour road trips this spring to watch her grandson play college baseball to this in less than 4 months is really a shock.
Hug em while you've got them. You never know what can happen.
Thanks for reading and letting me vent.
About 4 years ago, we had my mother (at that point in time 74) tested to see if she should continue driving. Needless to say she failed as she hit a "few" things. 18YO son found some humor in it and said "that's not that bad, just think of all the things YOU COULD HAVE HIT."
So we needed to take her car away. She was always independent. Living alone in her house for the past 20 years since her 3rd divorce. Drove to all the kids sporting events, getting her own groceries, doing some lawn work (I've mowed for her for the last 7-8 years), so she had a shock to her system.
Sister and I took her to get groceries bi-weekly, and since I was recently divorced I had a bit more time on my hands so we spent a bit more time together.
Fast forward a year and we notice she was having troubles w/ tremors and forgetting things. Went and had her tested and turns out she was at the onset of Parkinsons.
We sign her up for physical / mental / emotional therapy classes that last 6 months. She's doing really well, but soon we determine that being at home alone was not the best for her, so we work with her and decide to sell her house and move her into a retirement "village" where she would be able to "graduate" to different levels of care. She would start out in an apartment, but would have all the benefits of the the village (events, field trips, dinners, football watching, courtyard activities. etc).
She was there for about a year and a half and had made many friends and told me that she liked it there (although she would also admit that she missed having a "house").
Fast forward to this past April. She fell in her apartment and broke her knee cap. As she had to walk with a walker/cane, she came down and stayed with me since I was WFH. For 2 weeks she stayed w/ me and we played card games, scrabble, monopoly, and had many great conversations).
We took her back the dr to check on her walking and her knee. He said it was healing fine, and that she was doing great w/ walking. She was eager to get back to her friends.
2 weeks later she falls and breaks her hip. She has major surgery on her hip, and immediately after the surgery we notice that she's not the same mentally. She's seeing things, talking about things that have not happened, thinks my youngest has had a grandson (oldest did). Dr. says that anesthisia has a really bad effect on a lot of Parkinson's patients.
We move her to a rehab facility where 2 weeks later she proceeds to try to get out of bed to "catch the bus" and fall again. Rebreaking the hip. Another major surgery.
After a week in the hospital, she goes back to the rehab facility. A week in she gets out of bed again in the middle of the night and breaks the other hip. Another major surgery.
We move her to another rehab facility. She's been there about a month and is progressing physically to be able to help the nurses get her in/out of bed and bathroom and she goes to physical therapy daily. Mentally she's getting very emotional. Does not comprehend time. I'll miss a day of visit and when I come back she wonder why I was gone for a week. It's almost like dealing with a toddler part of the time, but then we can have a nice long conversation about stuff that happened in the 70's and 80's.
s
Over the weekend we moved her out of her "village" and got rid of / stored a lot of her stuff. We moved her bed / dresser / recliner and pictures of kids into her new place where she'll be in a managed facility that has rehab but also specializes in parkinsons. She'll be in a complex that has a "living area" with 8 hallways extending from it. Down each hallway are 2 rooms (one per resident) where she'll have her own tv, fridge, chair, bed, and it will be "home". She just wants OUT of the rehab facility.
Hopefully she'll like it there. Her hip dr. says that she's probably got a year.
To go from a healthy mom who was going on 8 hour road trips this spring to watch her grandson play college baseball to this in less than 4 months is really a shock.
Hug em while you've got them. You never know what can happen.
Thanks for reading and letting me vent.
Last edited:
