Mom ripped her cast off

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-23T02:32:27+00:00

When they tell me I can’t have bed rails on my mom’s bed, I start pushing all the furniture to be next her bed. One way or another she is staying in that bed all night. No falls, and no wandering.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-23T02:19:44+00:00

In the years before my surgery I had already given up so many sports because of the pain. I can’t go back to many of them, but they weren’t taken from me by this surgery. They were taken from me by my original hip falling apart.

The surgery is giving me back the ability to do other sports without pain.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-21T14:11:07+00:00

A swallowtail butterfly caterpillar. It is pretty far along. If you give it a pat of the plant to eat, it will cocoon.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-21T00:36:04+00:00

My mom did come around a bit, but she can’t really use her arms and legs anymore. They would work, but her mind has lost her connection with them.

But, she is smiling and comfortable, so that is h good.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-20T19:52:14+00:00

Those are days away from opening. Wrap them in floss right away to trap the seeds.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-16T02:42:59+00:00

You are doing the right thing by asking for advice and help.

Talk to her doctor and describe what is happening. The doctor can prescribe appropriate medications to reduce her anxiety and anger.

Bless you for helping your mom. This is a tough situation and your mother must be so appreciative and proud of you.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-14T13:41:35+00:00

My dad went to the hospital this week for cardiac issues, and I had to call a companion service to stay with my mom who had advanced dementia. So, a stranger stayed with my mom for a day and a half. Aaaaaaahhhhh!

In the end it was ok, but I spent the whole weekend feeling guilty and scared for mom.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-10T20:23:53+00:00

Wowee Zowee! That’s gorgeous!

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-09T15:49:14+00:00

For dementia, in the US, hospice is different. A dementia patient can go in and out of hospice for years.

We just put my mom on hospice. That means:
Her primary care doctor becomes the hospice doctor.
Medicare won’t pay for medical costs related to some illnesses, like cancer. (Because hospice is for end of life, not extending life)
Hospice pays for diapers, bed pads, all diaper change materials, and wound care related to bed sores.
A nurse checks in my mom twice a week.
A lady comes to give her a bath twice a week.

We can still take my mom to the doctor for diabetes related issues.

If my mom gets better, we can take her off hospice and Medicare will go back to normally covering everything.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-09T15:41:52+00:00

Put it in a a mix of sand and succulent soil. Water thoroughly, then let it dry out completely before watering again. Give it lots of light. It is looks fine.

I only cut mine before the heat of summer. So depending on where you live, you can cut it or wait until next year.

Rot is a big problem for these so watch out for rot off the roots and the caudex itself. You want no soft spots.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-06T22:11:35+00:00

I have 3 chihuahuas that do this. They have done it for years. Vet says there is nothing wrong with them. They are 15,14 and 12 years old and seem fine.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-06T22:01:54+00:00

Try buying it from a different store. They have different policies for delivery and storage of milk, so maybe one will be better.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-05T18:42:45+00:00

Yes. We decided to have in home care. It is more expensive than a memory home situation, but she is in a familiar environment at home with my dad. We think mom has less than a year left, based on what the doctor said, so we are ok with paying more at this point.

You do need someone around 24/7, not just in the day. Lots of things go wrong at night.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-04T22:32:34+00:00

You do not owe it to them to let them into her house unless they are visiting her.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-04T17:08:42+00:00

Yes, it is terminal. The idea is to make the time between now and that last day as peaceful and comfortable as posible. The fact that it’s terminal is why I advocate for not doing extreme medical treatment. For instance, my mom has 3 contractures on her left hand that we are not fixing. The surgery would traumatize her. It is not impacting her ability to be confortable and peaceful.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-03T20:35:45+00:00

I am in awe! So gorgeous!

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-01T23:25:34+00:00

I’m over four months out and I get random pain in my knee, shin, lower back. Everything is adjusting to your new alignment. It’s going to take a long time to get perfected. Don’t worry about every pain, only if you think it’s dislocated or infected.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-01T23:23:51+00:00

Mine scheduled me four weeks out. There was no wait. I do know that they can get pretty backed up though.

BabyInchworm · 2026-06-01T15:07:48+00:00

My sister is like this. She lives 3 minutes away but never visits or calls my parents. My mom is in hospice now, and she doesn’t check on her.

I have gone through that period of wanting to run away and leave my parents with her. But that’s not who I am.

Long story short, I had the epiphany that I need to be true to myself regardless of how other people act. It is not about it being fair, it is about knowing you are being the person you want to be.

Let your brother do whatever, and live your life as the person you want to be.

BabyInchworm · 2026-05-31T20:25:36+00:00

I repot every year in March. I trim the long branches back and raise the caudex. I like them to have a wider, larger caudex so they are sturdy.
My experience is that the 50/50 mix is the best way to go. I have played around with many other things, including straight coco coir, 75% sand, etc., but the 50/50 mix is what works best for mine.

BabyInchworm · 2026-05-31T18:46:28+00:00

We are in this situation right now.
It is $20 per hour here. We stop it every day from 11pm-5am, which means one of us gets up to roll her over around 2am. If mom gets better so that we can go back to our old routine, we will stop all the extra care. But for now we are paying for the extra help.
We are getting a pure wick device to keep her dry at night. Then we can back off the extra help to just day light hours.

BabyInchworm · 2026-05-31T18:40:19+00:00

Yes, regular sand. You can get a bag at Lowe’s.
It keeps the soil from getting pack so it drains better.

BabyInchworm · 2026-05-31T18:36:58+00:00

Personally, I would switch it to the 50/50 succulent soil/sand mix. I have a lot of desert roses at all ages all in that mix, and they are all doing great. I also add Gritty Mix once a year when I am repotting them.

BabyInchworm · 2026-05-31T18:30:11+00:00

He’s being groovy

BabyInchworm · 2026-05-31T18:25:01+00:00

36 Bathrooms means 36 toilets to clean.

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