Hi all.

I guess this is my first thread on this sub-forum explaining my own personal caregiver role (which is grossly overshadowed by my role as someone who receives care!). I also have concerns regarding that latter role as a patient with dementia (see next post down on this thread).

First off, just to get this out of the way, my own conditions include a body-wide infection whose biggest symptoms are a parkinson-like disorder, hydrocephalus, verbal-cognitive issues, and, well, one hell of an attitude problem. At this time, the infection is in the process of diagnosis and timely treatment (but was allowed to progress unnecessarily for 15 months due to a misdiagnosis at a previous clinic. There's a reason the clinic is "previous"). I also have major depressive disorder, which I've had since the age of 9 (i.e., 1993).

But back to caregiving... my mother has severe generalized anxiety disorder (it's bad enough that she has had a history of crying out of pure panic). She also had some sort of explosive disorder when she was younger (say, 24, which is my age now -- I was 5 at the time!). She also has some form or other of pain disorder (perhaps RSD or other CRPS issue/s) that started when she unwittingly fell on her tailbone while playing ping-pong with me several years ago. Interestingly, she no longer plays that game.

In any event, I am able to give care to my mother partially since we are so close in age (not quite even 20 years apart!). I'm also more familiar with my mental illness (I admitted to myself that I was mentally ill in 1993, and she didn't do so herself until about ten years later). I have always had the opportunity to talk to her quite a bit, on the phone when I lived away, and now in person since I'm at home and unable to work for the time being. As far as caregiving, of course, I get to talk to her about her illness and how it affects her functioning, and sort of function as an ad hoc therapist when she can't see one (which is unfortunately all-too-often, her work hours don't jive well).

Back to my story... I do have issues with my caregivers (who at this time include Mom and Dad), and for this, I feel terrible. In my next post on this thread (call it a 'self-reply'), I'm going to talk about those and ask how y'all, as caregivers, deal with people who act as I do.

(P.S. - I would put everything into one post, but it'd get a bit lengthy and difficult to read, and even more difficult for my verbally-impaired mind to proofread!)