[trekker]

Hi, I'm known on forums I belong to as trekker. I am a caregiver to my handicapped husband. He had a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in Oct. of 1984. As a result he is a total care quadriplegic with seizure and blood pressure disorders. He also has spasms. He is considered non-verbal but gets his message accross with grunts, groans, growls and eyeblinks. (He does the growls the best...just like a big blond bear LOL!) We live in Massachusetts in an apartment and get help from the state with insurance and aides to assist in his care. We have no children but had a cat until recently. We've also had mice, gerbils, hamsters, birds, dogs and one pet spider that hubby adopted. Hubby used to be an artist and editor of a company magazine. As a hobby he also played guitar and sang.

I love caring for him...it's what God meant for me to do. I am sleep deprived and have been for years. I also have undiagnosed ADD, and diagnosed diabetes (type 2), high B/P, and cholesterol. I am unsuccessfully trying to adjust my diet to address these issues. My hobby is butterflies. I collect things with butterflies on them, things made in the shape of butterflies and things like that.

I also help to care for my MIL who is in a nursing home nearby. Our family is small with one brother for each of us. My brother for the moment is staying with us (along with his cat) and my BIL lives in Lithuania. I am willing to chat about anything that I have written here. I have been a caregiver for 22 years, and have a reputation as being devoted, tough (especially on the medical profession, when needed) and creative on adapting items to keep hubby happy and safe. MY pc is my lifeline to friends, keeping hubbie's records and med lists in order, and for the research I do quite frequently.