stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jun 12, 2007 9:47:13 GMT -5
Kev- Your brother sounds like he has a electorlite in balance- his blood sugar is probably way off the scale (alcohol and diabieties is a HORRIBLE combination) and he is probably suffering with some OC issues. He needs some Professional medical and mental health help ASAP! You can't do this alone- get him some help! Still praying for him and you and the family!
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Post by cpdad on Jun 12, 2007 22:49:01 GMT -5
im still trying to figure some of this stuff out....he has insulin....but yet no way to check sugar levels...im just learning about this stuff...he just gives hiself shots.....he wanted money to take the bus to the hospital this morning....and somehow came home with prescriptions for more insulin and needles....says he needs to go in the next day or so to get them filled....but yet how does he check it.
a pastor from a nearby church actually stopped by a while ago....someone in the neighborhood must have turned him on to us....he said that the church might be able to offer some help for him...counseling and stuff like that....but he kept saying all of us need to attend the church to get the full benefits of what they can offer....maybe so....but i dont have time to pick my nose right now....that may sound wrong...especially when help might be available....but it is the way it is.
pre op for the wife is friday....surgery tuesday....as much as i hate/ love walmart....they seemed to have covered her with a disability policy....she has to use up her vac and personal time first....which sucks....but it dont seem like we will lose as much as i thought....the big district dude said she would be taken care of.
i hate this stuff ;D...doing laundry....cooking....putting gas in the car....cleaning bathrooms...washing dishes...vacumming...all kinda stuff like that....its killing me...kev.
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Post by deb193 on Jun 12, 2007 23:40:28 GMT -5
Kev - I just saw this. Wow. I think the hunger is becaus of the effect of the crack on th ebrain's pleasure center. He does not get fat because his metabolism is shot. Just passes through.
Anyway, don't forget to take care of yourself while you hold everyone else together. I'll keep you in my thoughts.
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Post by beefjello on Jun 13, 2007 10:24:22 GMT -5
Wow Kev, you've definitely got a lot on your plate. Hang in there buddy, you have a lot of people here pulling for ya.
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 13, 2007 14:39:23 GMT -5
a pastor from a nearby church actually stopped by a while ago....someone in the neighborhood must have turned him on to us....he said that the church might be able to offer some help for him...counseling and stuff like that....but he kept saying all of us need to attend the church to get the full benefits of what they can offer....maybe so....but i dont have time to pick my nose right now....that may sound wrong...especially when help might be available....but it is the way it is. true charity does not come with strings attached, don't get sucked into this religious psycho babble. my father is a diabetic and he checks his blood sugar 3-4 times a day. involves blood and a meter and he has to time it in proportion to when he eats. will your brother's doctor (the one who is prescibing him insulin) talk to you about this? good news about Wally World taking care of cpmom....hope all goes smoothly with the operation. keep us informed of progress! after you finish all the house chores, take a long hot bath....you'll feel a lot better. that is what the Calgon is for.... ;D KD
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Slydog
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 555
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Post by Slydog on Jun 13, 2007 19:43:08 GMT -5
Can't get your situation off my mind--krazydiamind is right. Your brother may have gone to a fre clinic. You cannot just take insulin without checking. The 3-4 times a day checking is correct. That church thing--totally sucks. How dare they place a 'price' on their charity??!!!!!!! Shame on them! Does your brother have a social worker somewhere? Just remember, he does not think (cannot any more) like a normal person. Basically he has untreatable brain damage. You have me worried----still and all, you are a great brother, and every good thought that I have is with you. Your family is in my prayers.
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Post by cpdad on Jun 13, 2007 21:57:48 GMT -5
stefan...daniel...and others if i dont reply to you directly....think nothing of it...im taking it all in. he actually went to the emergency room...i had to ask him after reading here....they gave him the insulin scripts...he gave me the papers after i asked where he got the scripts from....and attached to the emergency papers was a page of doctors that accept medicaid.....apperantly he has that to...i asked him about it and he said he lost his card...so he goes to the emergency room...hes on file this is a bitch to try and figure out....i know he went to the emergency room....cause of the papers he gave me....but i still dont know where the scripts were filled at....maybe at the hospital pharmacy?....he went to sleep...so i cant ask till tommorow. as far as the pastor guy goes...please please dont get me wrong here....he came back this afternoon with 2 other people asking if they could sit with little brother....i said sure whats it gonna hurt...i went and got me a beer ;D....next thing i heard was KEVIN COME HERE....i walked in there and they were dabbing him with rags and chanting some shit...i asked what the hell are yaw doing.....and they said the olive oil would help heal him. all i could say was march your asses right on out of here...RIGHT NOW...and dont come back...it was freaky....nothing like anything i have ever seen....im sorry i thru out religious folks...but it didnt seem normal..kev.
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 14, 2007 8:07:18 GMT -5
my 2 cents worth Kevin, you did the right thing there. you don't need that crap. you have enough crap to deal with already.
if your brother is "on file" somewhere and has Medicaid, this is a start.....maybe you can begin to unravel this situation. you have to find the "healthcare professional" (yeh, right) that is prescibing your brother the insulin!!!!
KD
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RockyBlue
fully equipped rock polisher
Go U.K.
Member since June 2006
Posts: 1,719
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Post by RockyBlue on Jun 14, 2007 8:50:17 GMT -5
Kevin! I`ve been in a situation about like that with my mother,she had no control over her body functions and i just didn`t have the heart to put her in a nursing home,i looked at it like this she raised me up from a baby and i turned out as a decent person so it was the least i could do,so after my dad died i started taking care of her,i had to change her diapers, help her eat sometimes and at times she was a pain in the a-- but i loved her and i did my best ,she died April 21,07 and she is missed,but i think your doing the best you can. I said the Serenty Prayer every day and it helped,but venting your frustrations to us is great thereapy for you,so keep doing it,don`t let everything get bottled up inside till you explode. My prayers are with you..............Rocky
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Jun 14, 2007 10:25:42 GMT -5
I probably would've done the same thing Kevin... No need to make things even more complicated. They must have thought he was possesed or something.... but you both have plenty real demons to deal with...
Glad to hear that he's getting his blood sugar under control.. just tackle the problems one at a time and you'll get through this.
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Post by cpdad on Jun 14, 2007 19:46:14 GMT -5
a little more info...its hard to talk to him because his voice cracks so badly....but he got the scripts filled at a cvs pharmacy...he said it costs him 50 cents for 2 bottles...and the emergency room doctor gave him 6 refills.
i told him this morning he needed to get on the phone and try to get him a new card so i could try to get him to a doctor....i came home and he told me he tried...but they said he needed to call family and childrens services.....and he said he couldnt find it in the phone book....hell i cant hardly local goverment stuff in the phone book....so i will find the number...and go from there.
new problem....wifey went to have leave of absence papers filled out today....no problem she thought.....they told her that under no circumstances will she get near a set of stairs after surgery....not even attempt to be carried up a set......guess what...everything is upstairs.
so now she is going to her moms after surgery...for at least a week...maybe 2....so now brother is alone a lot more at our house....cp said he would watch out for things while im over there...he could take care of it....he has guns ;D...and a few smarts ;D
the preacher guy i found out today was from a pentacostal church...no knocks on those folks...just should have said what they were here for....instead of starting a ritual without saying what they were here for....just ranting....kev.
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Post by deb193 on Jun 14, 2007 22:45:24 GMT -5
Yeah, the ritual was wrong. Good call.
I take my insulin each morning, and I did use to check my levels 3-4 times a day, but I got to where I could more or less tell by how I felt after I ate and whether I was thirsty. I just check in the morning to see what my fasting level is. SOme mornings I skip. If am am home late afternoon and have not eaten in a few hours, I spot check day time levels.
But this involves a lot of awarness of what I eat, and when, and how I feel. I am not sure your brother can be so aware of his body.
Meters are cheap, as low as $60. The test strips can run 60 cents each for the fast ones that only need minimal blood. It would be a hassel w/o insurance coverage for the strips. I have Ultra Fast meter. It works good, but you do hav eto punch in the calibration of the strip. I heard there was a new one that did not need strip calibration.
But the bottom line is that I would not worry about the meter. It is mostly to keep levels in the ideal zone so not too many years get shaved off of end of life. As long as he is on insulin, the levels will not be too high. WOuld be good to limit starch though. Low fat meats, chicken, fish, some citris fruit - not sweet ones, lots of green vegetables. If bread, rice, processed sugar, and orange/yellow vegetables are avoided, the levels will be controled. Maybe not perfect but controlled. Sad to say, but it does not sound like a matter of trying to nudge you brother from 80 years to 87 years. Other things are going to kill him a lot sooner. SO he just needs levels controled enough to avoid infection and wounds from the sugar. He does not need perfect metered levels because the payoff there is 30 years out.
If you want more info, g**gle David Mendosa Diabetes blog. Guy has good info.
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Post by Condor on Jun 15, 2007 17:20:52 GMT -5
Rocky, I am by no means trying to insult you, or dis you in any way, but there is a world of difference in justifying caring for your mother who raised you, and caring for a brother who just might tear a good family apart as a result of his wrongdoing. I understand your empathy, but this situation is very different. Kev, you're in a situation where you are damned if you let him out on the street, or damned if you continue taking care of him and letting him destroy you and your family peacmeal. You are doing all you can, but for how long, and at what cost? Perhaps a timetable might be in order. If by a certain day, there is no one that can take care of him, after exhausting whatever resources you can find, then you might just have to have to let him go, because in the end, your wife and kid will be the ones who will suffer the most. Don't let that happen because if you do, then you will have lost it all.
Condor
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Jun 15, 2007 18:04:21 GMT -5
My neighbors granddaughter came from California to live with her a few years ago. the granddaughter had diabetes real bad. At the end she had no control over the diabetes at all it would fluctuate up and down for no reason and to extreme ends. it was very difficult to watch her to compound the problem she would not check her blood enough and I don't think she ate right or took her meds right. She was 36 when she passed away when they did the autopsy the doctor said that her organs were like an 80 yr old. Good luck to you cpdad I think you will need all the support and prayer possible
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Post by cpdad on Jun 15, 2007 18:29:04 GMT -5
daniel i have been reading up on what he should be eating...when i have a chance that is....and thats 1 of the hard parts to work in....we dont eat bad...but dont eat super healthy either...if i was to whoop up supper and sit down a plate of spinach...broiled fish.....they would start a mutiny ;D....you know what i mean ;D....thats the kinda stuff that is hard to figure out...ya know what helps him....but yet wife and son are gonna look at me like...... what the hell.
condor you may be right.....with a timeline...i have actually thought about that.....but a timeline for what....me to find him somewhere to live...im trying.
just a timeline in general...you can stay here for x amount of time....and if i dont find somewhere for you....im taking you to the mission and dropping you off...ill bring you your money on the 1st of the month....whats he gonna do with it if someone isnt watching.
thats the kinda stuff im trying to figure out....i want to help him...but yet dont have the time to really do so with everything going on right now....it may not have been so bad....but having shit pile on top of shit...the pile just got big at once....and i have a little shovel right now.
cp did tell me that he would like to haul him around...and use him as an example of why not to drink or do drugs...i thought that was a little funny...had to be there ;D.
yaw guys are great...i dont mind hearing anything at all....if yaw get yired of me posting to this thread please let me know....im not really much further along than when i started it...kev.
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 15, 2007 20:41:44 GMT -5
we are here to help you even in a small way, Kev and cp and cpmom and even poor brother....post when you can, when you need to and even when you don't need to....we are extended family in a very weird electronic way.
(ok, i've locked the olive oil in the cupboard)........(holy freaking Linda Blair).
KD
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Post by deb193 on Jun 15, 2007 20:49:16 GMT -5
Not tired. I cam back to check for an update. Care about you.
You don't have to go all spinach and boiled fish. But cut bread & rice way back. Try to introduce some pearled barley. DO have spinach, cabbage, grean beans. SOunds like your brother will eat them even if the rest of the family wont. Also tomato-juice and V8 instead of grape/orange juice.
Oatmeal instead of breadcrumbs in the meatloaf. Thinner gravy with less flour. Cheescake with splenda instead of frosted fudge icing on chocolate cake.
Lots of raman soup. The noodles are so foamy they have very few carb grams, and the belly gets full of hot water. Add cheap salas shrimp from wal-mart frozen case. I have it for lunch 1 a week.
ALso get high-fiber breakfast cereal. I like Fiber-One with Honey Nut clusters. A little skim milk and splenad and I get my daily fiber.
If the rest of you do eat a little more of htis stuff it will only be good for you in the long run.
Take care
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Slydog
has rocks in the head
Member since February 2006
Posts: 555
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Post by Slydog on Jun 15, 2007 21:30:32 GMT -5
Hang in there, cowboy. Keep doing your best. Remember, another set of eyes is watching and recording everything you say and do here--your son. Every bit of this will be used later in his life at decision making points he will come to. You're doing a fine job, keep it up, just be aware as you are doing now.
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karenfh
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,495
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Post by karenfh on Jun 18, 2007 23:21:22 GMT -5
Kevin, I would suggest that you get Power of Attorney for your brother. Have a lawyer explain exactly what that means, draw up the papers, and have your brother sign them in front of a notary (or check w/the lawyer about laws in your state). That will give you access to his financial, Medicaid/Medicare info and medical records. Don't become his legal guardian; that can result in a lot more headaches than you want to deal with, and could also make you liable for some things! Also, if you can, have him put some sort of living will information, his preferences regarding DNR (Do Not Resucitate) etc.on paper, and sign it w/witnesses and a notary. That will give you a legal leg to stand on if you ever has to make tough decisions, or any medical decisions if he is unable to do so. I believe the POA can also give you access to information more easily if the worst case scenario happens. POA basically allows you to be privy to all that 'private' info, and allows you to sign legal documents in his name. Good luck!
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Post by cpdad on Jun 19, 2007 20:10:03 GMT -5
well surgery was today...evrything went well..only took a little less than 3 hours...everything is repaired...doc didnt have to open her knee up...shes only got 4 little incisions....shes at her moms for the next 7 days or so....a nurse told me today that the big thing with the stairs was that eventually she would get bored after a few days and try to go down them...and it most always ends up in a bad situation...said cruthches...stairs...and pain killers dont mix ;D
karen thanks for that info....dont have any extra money right now to see a lawyer...probably 1 of the few kinds of folks i dont know ;D.....but i was told by someone else kinda the same thing... if i can find him somewhere to live to make sure my name wasnt on any thing....or i could be the 1 paying for anything that went wrong....glad you kinda backed that up...kev.
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