I'm relatively new to this website but have noticed something that makes it nearly unusable for me. Nearly all of the discussions are based on caring for aging parents. I am caring for an aging husband who has Alz and has had a disabling stroke which left one leg nearly useless. He Must now use a walker at all times. I think caring for an aging, disabled spouse is much different than caring for parents. Does anyone have thoughts on this?
I am so grateful for you and your family that your husband died peacefully in his sleep. He sounds like a wonderful man, and I am sure he will be greatly missed. I think you are doing the right by getting some rest without worrying, and find out who you are. Bless you, and I hope you come back here.
Shirley B
Inertia can be a reaction to the huge, huge changes in your life now that you are a caregiver. It can also be a form of mourning the losses you are experiencing. It MIGHT be clinical depression. I urge you to consult a therapist. There are treatments for depression that can help you feel more like yourself.
And your doctor is right (although I think his advice is much too simplistic) getting out in the fresh air and sunshine would be good for you and for your husband, too. Even sitting in the back yard folding the laundry on the picnic table can be therapeutic.
If you like to read, try "Loving Someone Who Has Dementia" by Pauline Boss. She gets it, and understands the mourning symptoms even while our loved one is still alive.