For many years now, my grandmother has been having some serious trouble with her legs. So much so that she finds going up and down the stairs, let alone walking in general, to be nothing more than excruciating pain. A few months ago my aunt decided to call a company that designs custom stairlifts for all kinds of homes. She has one that leads to the basement so it’s easier for her to get her laundry done. My grandfather helps out as much as he can but at the moment he’s not only dealing with prostate cancer but he’s had horrible knees for as long as I can remember. They both use the stairlifts on almost a daily basis just so they can keep the house maintained. I know relatives go over to help out but when you’re closest form of help is a phone call and about 15 minutes away, anything can happen.
When it comes to the main floor of the house she alternates between her cane and her wheelchair. She’s completely capable of walking around, it’s just that if she does it too long she winds up in quite a bit of pain. Her frustration now-a-days is the fact that she’s now also dealing with arthritis. For many years she’s knitted, sewed and done everything you would expect an Italian grandmother to do. Now she’s unable to hold the needles, or even thread a spool onto her sewing machine in order to get anything accomplished, yet again she’s looked towards outside help.
Her leg problems started many years ago, she’s always had bad ankles and even with surgery to attempt to fix her problems, it only made them worse. The surgeon managed to cut into a nerve that has destroyed all possibility for a full recovery. She’s dealing with a lawsuit on top of the fact that she’s worse now than she’s ever been before, and it ticks me off to no end that this doctor claims he had nothing to do with it.
My grandfather just recently came to find out that he has prostate cancer. His prostate is so enlarged that they can’t even really begin proper cancer treatment on him. They’re giving him some kind of medication to shrink his prostate and then they’re going to work on the kemo and everything else that he would need in order to get himself all ‘fixed up’ as he puts it. Either way I know he’s in a lot of pain, who knows how much more he’ll be able to stand.
The topic of my grandparents is slowly taking it’s toll on me. I realize that they’re not going to be around for much longer and while they have all the help in the world, that still doesn’t cut down the chance that one or both of them may no longer be with us tomorrow.
I can imagine it would be really hard if both of your grandparents are suffering like that, something like that really would take it’s toll 🙁
But argh, prostate cancer, I know how bad it can be, I just hope that the treatment helps your grandfather and that he is in less pain 🙁
It is so hard to have to parent our parents; or, in your case, your grandparents. It may be time to talk to them about getting someone in to help them or to move them to an assisted living environment. Either way, its hard.
Stopping by for Click and Comment Monday. Trying something new. Drop by and see what it is.
the thought of losing someone so dear to you is a fact too hard to accept. well, all we can really do now is to show them how much we love them and how much they will be missed when they’re gone. =(
I know where you’re coming from on the grandparent front, trust me. My grandmother passed away about a year ago from pancreatic cancer, one of the most painful and untreatable.
Look at it this way: you’ve had so much time to be with them and them to be with you. It’s horrible that they’re in pain, but it’s the life cycle. At least they have loving family surrounding them to make life a little more comfortable.
I don’t have any grandparents left, spare my dad’s mom. Who doesn’t live here and doesn’t really visit.