Exhaustion / Frustration / Challenges / being Late / no life

Unless you have lived it and looked after a loved one with dementia full time, no one understands the challenges and utter exhaustion.

For many it’s a very painful journey with loss of friends and family, unjust criticism and very little understanding.

I would go to sleep exhausted and wake up just as tired.

There are days where you can do absolutely nothing.

I have never known such overwhelming exhaustion, from being endlessly patient, having to think for them, do everything for them, run their lives.

The only way I could keep going was eating large family blocks of Hazelnut chocolate, in one hit, several times a week, to keep my energy levels up. Of course I put on weight, but was too tired to exercise as well.

We are all far more sensitive, as we are all so very tired.

There is no time nor energy left for you to have a life, being a full time carer.

Dementia caring sucks the life out of you.

You come last and you will run out of clean underwear, don’t care what you look like, have no energy to enjoy life anymore.

You won’t have time to do your hair, you will be too tired to eat well and watch what you eat.

You will always be late for everything and everyone. As you have no control over your time and life. As looking after a loved one with dementia is all encompassing.

No matter how hard you try, it is just your life of being a full time carer with dementia. Being Late !

You will be too tired to exercise, to go out, see your friends, to do what you want to do.

You just have to accept, your life is not your own whilst being a full time carer.

Many carers enjoy their gardens, balconies, window boxes, indoor plants. I love going to the Bunnings (biggest hardware store in Australia) to buy plants to plant in the garden, or for inside my home. Gardening is so very relaxing and rewarding as you switch off from everything. The garden always rewards you for all your hard work.

Feel like it is contagious, my words become muddled up, you do become resentful

Overwhelmed we feel like the walking dead, being a carer sucks the life out of you

I am worn out running her life. As they can do less n less, you have to pick up what they can no longer do.

I am too tired to cook, to ring my friends, to go out. I am constantly worn out. By the time you do all the looking after. There’s nothing left for you to have a life. It only gets harder as time goes by as they deteriorate. At times am too tired to sleep at night.

A friend with no understanding said to me “now you’re having a break, you need to exercise.” I replied “Impossible, beyond exhausted feel like the walking dead”. Need to recharge and do nothing. My partner looked after me, as my energy levels were minus 200% I watched tv and slept for a week at his home. I was so blessed I visited another friend in the country, who took care of me

I reminded myself every single day, no storm lasts forever and one day this will be over.

I would escape with Pinterest and gorge myself on beautiful places, photos and making up many boards. It’s like online shopping without the price tag. I would also watch my 600 lb life, Air Crash Investigations as watching disasters always makes me feel better.