I've been exhausted lately. Of course, the fact that I sleep really poorly isn't helping, but I've slept really poorly for as long as I can remember, so that's nothing new. I've decided it must be because of all the pain I've had lately.
I don't sleep well, but I've been napping or dozing a lot. It's usually not a sound sleep, but I lie on the couch with my eyes closed and drift in and out for an hour or two. And I do that a couple times a day. Because I'm exhausted. So exhausted I have trouble keeping my eyes open, sometimes.
I have little bursts of activity, but those exhaust me further. Like, today I drove over to the home of Isaac's friend K, to see if she and her mom can walk Isaac for me on Thanksgiving since I will be at the community kitchen volunteering all day long, and then I went to Kroger to pick up a few things. So few things I didn't even need a cart. And that wore me out. I came home and lay down for 45 minutes.
Just coping with the pain is exhausting. Just existing with the pain takes a lot of energy. Let alone doing daily tasks.
That is beyond awful. I wish it weren't so. Why aren't you entitled to get a personal care assistant? My friend Joy has someone who shops for her and cooks for her and does household tasks. It's paid for by the state and taxpayers. You sound more physically challenged than she is and your life would be so much better if you didn't have to do tasks that aggravate your extreme pain. This is frustrating to me. Every state is different as far as disability benefits and PCA benefits but it seems that you are the best candidate for a PCA if there ever was one. I'm sorry you have to live like this.
ReplyDeleteIt may depend on what type of insurance someone has or if they can afford to pay out of pocket for an aide. I have Medicare. Medicare will pay for a home health aide if you need skilled nursing care, which I don't, as long as you are homebound (I'm not). They will only pay for an aide to assist with personal care, like bathing, not for things like cleaning or shopping. When I was recovering from pneumonia and lung surgery, I had a dressing that had to be changed daily. An RN came to my house to change it and I also had an aide that helped me take a sponge bath until I was able to shower. But currently, I don't qualify for Medicare to pay for an aide, and I don't need help with bathing, anyway. I can't afford to pay out of pocket for someone to help with housework or shopping, unfortunately.
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