I’ve been caring for my mother for most of my life but in the last 5 years her independence is starting to dwindle.   Of course some of this is due to aging and some of her own accord.  She’s 79 years young and some of her choices have come back to pay her a visit in the elder years. Unfortunately she’s not at the age where she could kick ass.  As a child no one messed with my Mom… Not adults, not kids…NOBODY… She even took a baseball bat to some kid who was racist bullying me but now she’s fragile physically.   Mentally though she’ll still whoop you good. 

Of course she knows I’ll be there for her but we didn’t see the RA coming.  As I’ve stated before Lupus made an appearance a long time ago and even though I’ve only had a few flares, those flares had me down on my knees… Now that RA is present, it changes the entire life game. 

My mom, she  still lives on her own and truly believes if she enters a retirement home, she’ll die before her time.  She is quite capable of taking care of herself until she starts over-medicating.  She’s the opposite of me, no tolerance for pain WHAT SO EVER… so pain killers have become her BFF.  This is such a difficult topic and issue to cope with, especially because I know what pain feels like and how prolonged pain affects everything else in your life.  She struggles and needs the medication but abuses it, over uses it and is dependent on it.   It’s tough to watch.  

 As I was sitting in the hospital with her recently, many of the hospital staff looked to me to care for her since they are severely under staffed.    They expect family to assist her with all of her needs and assist her with getting in and out of the bed.   There is also this underlining tone\expectation that her children should be taking care of her in their home.   So of course I have to explain several times over and over and OVER AGAIN that I am disabled myself, that I have RA etc etc…. I think I should wear a name badge… “Hi I’m Natosha, I have RA” or maybe it should just say “Beware I have RA”.  I get tired of explaining why I can’t do things.  I have thought of just saying “I’m not helping my mother because I’m an asshole and lazy as fuck so I’d rather someone else just do it”.   “Can you imagine the reaction?”  Could be amusing…

 I wish I was limited by my own choice and not due a medical condition.   Life would be easier.  I wonder how this will transpire; caring for my mother in last chapters of her life while taking care of my RA.  This shall be interesting.