Dealing with Aging Parent

Last summer my 90 yr old mother was suffering from TIA's (mini strokes) & then suffered a broken femur from a fall. The stress of dealing with all that entails( I live 12 hours away) - lead to lots of stress eating - fast food, sweets,etc. I gained at least 20 lbs on top of already being overweight which help lead to the decision to have VSG. She did recover from her broken femur.

I had planned a fun Mother's Day visit which has been ruined by me finding her fallen on her apartment floor- she has a broken wrist & broken hip. This time I 'm handling the stress much better- I don't know if eating healthy has helped me deal better.

After 36 hrs with no sleep, I did go to grocery store to get healthy food for me- my hotel has a fridge. I also got some RTD protein shakes & quest bars. There is healthy food in the hospital cafeteria when I can sneak away from waiting for a doctors visit (they always come when you leave!).

I did get on the treadmill at the hotel last night- I'm determined to not let this big bump on the road ruin my progress! Life always has bumps and we have to learn how to handle the emotional eating. Today I'm OK. I am feeling the restriction more this week which is helping & I have healthy snacks to eat when I am hungry. Big difference from last summer with my out-of-control stress eating.

I am sorry that you and your mother are going through these trials.  We cared for my father-in-law in our home until he passed away at age 84, so I can relate to the stress.  In our case it was 24/7 because my husband's sister did not help in any way.  I think I gained about 35 pounds during that time.  Before we moved him in with us we were running back and forth to the nursing home, which was about an hour-and-a-half round trip each time.

What I learned -- very late in the game -- was to accept as much outside help as possible, especially with providing for your relative's personal needs.  Think outside the box, and explore all avenues.  In our case we ended up hiring a home health aide who helped a great deal with my fil until hospice took over. The last thing that occurred to my husband and I was that we needed to take good care of ourselves during that time, because the kids and my fil always came first.  I'm still recovering emotionally from the turmoil, and those +/- 35 lbs didn't help, either.

Hoping for the best, and hoping you don't make the mistakes I made.