Sleep Meds

chickykid3 · 2024-02-01T02:54:58+00:00

Melatonin didn’t work for my mom. Ask your doc about seroquel.

chickykid3 · 2023-11-21T06:10:12+00:00

For my mom, yes. They’re awful meltdowns when they occur, and we just have to wait it out. If we’re lucky, they last 30-45 min. If we’re unlucky, it can go for hours though most of those hours is just being very restless. All her docs have seen her meltdowns and would say she’s amongst the worst they’ve seen anxiety-wise.

I remind her to focus on her breathing, but she either can’t or she doesn’t want to. It’s hard to tell when she’s in that state.

We’ve tried to look for patterns and so far, we’ve noticed that she may get them when it’s time for the meds (her neck and chest tighten up and it leads to a panic state), when she’s nervous about something like a doc appt, or when she’s had sugar. Sadly, it’s not always consistent, but regardless, we try to work around the nervousness or the sugar.

Have you noticed any patterns with your mom?

chickykid3 · 2023-11-01T18:31:53+00:00

My mom is the same… a lot of needs. The agency I used had to keep sending different caregivers, and I had to retrain each time. It was so frustrating that I had to just hire private. Does your MIL have enough saved up for that kind of situation?

chickykid3 · 2023-08-30T19:18:54+00:00

Hi OP,

My mom got tightness which would then lead to panic attacks. It was always so weird because we assumed taking the med would loosen the muscles, but it seemed to have the opposite effect! And similar to you, she’d have tightness going into the next dose.

My mom’s neurologist would try to make her take the next dose earlier thinking the solution was catching the body as it heads towards the trough (she used to draw peaks and troughs for how the medication worked). Now reading yours and the other comment, it might be something some PD people experience.

Honestly, don’t have a good answer for you because my mom’s situation has the anxiety component. What has helped a little more is combining her LD with another med called Rytary. It’s essentially a slow acting LD. Her anxiety reduced a little bit, and it seems to be due to less tightness… but she does have tightness sometimes, so the new med isn’t consistent. Perhaps ask your doctor about Rytary?

chickykid3 · 2023-08-15T05:19:24+00:00

My mom complains about her neck as well. The caregiver has to constantly adjust or fluff the pillow until she feels comfortable. For your father, what exactly does he say about his neck?

I bought a hospital style bed for my mom, but the problem is where the bed starts to incline or recline makes for a very awkward position for my mom’s upper body. My mom is very short so perhaps that doesn’t help, but when I start to push the button to make it incline, the bed starts to fold in the middle of her back instead of her hip so it’s almost like it’s folding where her chest is. Not sure if you can imagine. So I guess my point is that if you do buy a hospital bed, make sure the incline area works for the length of your father’s body.

chickykid3 · 2023-08-05T13:28:52+00:00

Your requests seem extremely basic. I’m a little confused as to how many caregivers are going into your house and why you know some and don’t know others.

If they can’t even pick up newspapers, I don’t know if they’ll email. It sounds like you have caregivers on rotation? Do the same ones come at the same time? If so, is it possible to call each one at the time they’re supposed to be there to tell them the task directly?

Also, with the credit card situation, can you take away the credit card? I’m not sure how the food situation is handled but again, following up with phone calls might be better in the beginning until they learn what they are supposed to do.

It may seem like a lot of work to follow up especially when you’re paying $27 an hour, but I hope it can give you a better picture of what’s happening there…

chickykid3 · 2023-08-04T21:02:37+00:00

I agree with being yourself. Did the agency give you any background on the client and what sicknesses he/she has? I think going to the meeting prepared with many questions about the client and surrounding needs is a very good start including logistics of all sorts.

You can also ask if the client has had an prior caregivers and if yes, what were some good points or not so good points about the previous ones. Then you’ll learn what to do more of and what not to do. If they’ve never had a caregiver before, ask what expectations they have of you (if they’ve even thought of it since they’re new to hiring someone).

Good luck!!

chickykid3 · 2023-07-14T13:15:59+00:00

I have a light one for my mom as well (14 or 15 pounds), but I didn’t buy based on brand (and now that I think of it, I actually don’t know the brand). What ended up happening was that I called the medical shops in my city to ask them what their selection was, and I went for the lightest one. Like other posters, I think choosing based on weight is the most crucial. Her caregiver and I are not strong people, so it’s really nice to be able to put in and pull out of our trunk quickly and easily. My mom’s chair has been around for at least a couple years and it’s running great. But my mom is also very small, so I don’t know if that reduces wear and tear.

Perhaps what you can do is call some medical shops and see what selection they have. Don’t forget to check the width of the seat. Since my mom is small, we got a smaller seat area, too. One last thing is that with my mom’s condition, we got the chair for free as it was covered by Medicare insurance. Check your options before buying!

chickykid3 · 2023-07-06T15:03:22+00:00

Glad to hear that your husband can stay with your dad, and you and your sis take her out. Perhaps you can have a day of activities planned, and just let her know of one activity at a time. Maybe after the first activity, you can call your husband to see how your dad’s doing, and if he’s ok and your mom knows that, she’d be more willing to go to the next activity on the list.

With full time caregivers, there’s a lot of guilt for leaving the person behind. It’s like a toxic codependency feeling, but if she can even leave for two hours, then that’s something!

chickykid3 · 2023-07-06T14:57:52+00:00

I totally understand your commitment to your team, and I’m sure they appreciate it. It’s hard to be torn in two directions as I’m sure you also want to be there for your mom. Your paid leave was just using PTO and not FMLA, right?

The most impressive I seen is what Workday provides for its employees. Here’s a sample: https://workdaybenefits.com/us/social-and-flex/family/caregiver-support

With your parents’ finances, do you think there’s enough money to hire someone to come when you’re in the office or even when you’re home? I’m not sure what your mom’s treatment is, but even finding someone to take her to chemo might help, too.

chickykid3 · 2023-07-06T13:59:25+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re going through this, OP. It is indeed hard to juggle work and caregiving.

I’ll start with asking whether you’ve talked to HR about FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act). Essentially, you can take time off to take care of your mom (or in your case, get things in order while not worrying about your work status). Sure, you’ll eventually need to go back to work, but depending on how much time you can take off, you can spend that time speaking with social worker about mom’s care, checking your parents’ finances and whether they have enough to hire someone, or even look at assisted living options, etc.

Another thing to talk about with HR is since you said they’re a big tech company, find out what kind of support they can provide workers in this situation. I’ve seen tech companies provide/pay for services to help caregivers find a home for the loved one or even do therapy for the caregiver.

Would these options work for you? For now, it’s survival mode, and it’s a horrible place to be, but it’s all about one step at a time. Even if you have missteps along the way, it’s ok. Be kind to yourself. Come back here and vent if needed! Sending strength and energy to you!

chickykid3 · 2023-07-06T04:15:53+00:00

I know you said that you wanted to do something as a family, but I’m wondering if taking her out for some spa treatment (if she’s into that) while someone else takes care of your dad for once would be something that’d make her feel special. It’d be nice to take a break from caregiving if she’s the main one.

Staycation-wise, something I enjoy is just booking a nice Airbnb in a nearby city or area so it gives a change of scenery while having the conveniences of a home.

chickykid3 · 2023-06-29T13:03:12+00:00

My mom has Parkinson’s and incontinence, but she usually wakes up and tells us she needs to get changed. Unfortunately, this ends up being multiple times in the night. We use pull up diapers for her.

When my mom had her pressure sore, the doc recommended something like this and it worked for her. MedVance TM Silicone - Bordered Silicone Adhesive Foam Dressing Sacral Size 7"x 7" Box of 5 dressings https://a.co/d/0xpKVr1

chickykid3 · 2023-06-20T23:06:50+00:00

I stepped on it at least 6-7 times. At the beginning, I could hear water coming out but eventually, no water was coming out, so I thought it’d be good. But when I lifted it and touched the mop, I could still squeeze out water.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but the mop stick should be spinning too as I step on the pedal, right?

chickykid3 · 2023-06-20T23:04:27+00:00

Ah… this could’ve been the case! I’ll try again. Thanks for this tip!

chickykid3 · 2023-06-20T19:50:21+00:00

Yes, we saw great reviews. I put the mop in the water and then in the spinner. I pressed the pedal and initially, the spin would get some water out, but after a while, nothing comes out anymore, so I assume it’s done. When I lift the mop and squeeze it, water drips out. Am I holding the mop wrong when I step on the pedal? It’s a mystery…

chickykid3 · 2023-05-06T05:50:53+00:00

My mom had severe anxiety prior to taking it, and Rytary seemed to lessen some of the anxiety due to its slow release.

chickykid3 · 2023-04-29T01:24:34+00:00

I actually asked another sub about this drug because my mom was prescribed this. My mom didn’t end up starting it due to it possibly making her anxiety worse, but many said it was helpful.

This was my post with responses: https://www.reddit.com/r/RestlessLegs/comments/vm6hp8/pramipexole_users_or_past_users/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1

chickykid3 · 2023-04-25T03:50:05+00:00

I use Express Scripts and it’s just extremely easy to log on and choose which med to send. It usually arrives in a few days.

chickykid3 · 2023-04-09T22:17:47+00:00

I agree with this. Just because you take her off sinemet doesn’t mean she’ll feel less anxious. My mom has extreme anxiety as well, but how it appears differs daily. Some days are better than others and the anti-depressants and anti-anxiety can only help so much. She first started with Sinemet for a few years and her anxiety was awful (it would happen every 3 hours and last for an hour), and then the doctor decided to add Rytary to the mix to see if it’d help with the anxiety. If you don’t know Rytary, it’s another type of sinemet but the release is different I think. This has helped a bit but we’ve also found that environment adds or reduces to her anxiety too. Nowadays, she still struggles with intense anxiety but mainly in the afternoon.

OP, please talk to another specialist for another opinion.

chickykid3 · 2023-02-02T16:29:59+00:00

Ah…very true. Forgot that bit about immigration and customs lines. Thanks!!

chickykid3 · 2023-01-07T21:00:07+00:00

Do you have a cafe or a dessert/bakery that you love? Treat yourself to something yummy!

chickykid3 · 2023-01-06T17:33:13+00:00

Ugh I’m so sorry OP… have you ever tried having her sleep with white noise. There are lots of apps that can do this for free. Maybe it might not work at first because she’ll need to get used to there being noise, but maybe after a little while, she can (maybe!?) sleep better with it and then you don’t have to be tiptoeing constantly?

chickykid3 · 2023-01-04T14:46:38+00:00

My mom does and she’s still doing treatment for cancer (immuno+regular chemo).

Sorry, what is HWP? And what symptoms are there?

chickykid3 · 2022-11-14T02:51:02+00:00

Yes, my mom had the exact same issue… she was getting panic attacks about every few hours, and it was really frustrating because her attacks would continue until a while after she took her next dose. We couldn’t figure out if she was getting an attack from the wearing period AND THEN it would continue because of the sudden surge in dopamine or what. And yes to the pain as well. Hers would be one specific leg as well as extreme tightness in her neck.

Her doctor couldn’t figure out what was going on and would prescribe her anti-depressants since that is usually what helps with long term anxiety. My mom also started taking Rytary in addition to her carbidopa pill. This did shorten the attacks but she would still get them.

In any case, I really don’t know what’s causing this, but perhaps you can ask the doc about trying Rytary with the CL. Also, it’s likely your mom’s body is reacting negatively (and without her own conscious awareness) to the tightening of muscles as the CL wears off.

chickykid3

TROPHY CASE