..and in my father-in-laws case the all the tests show that he has Vitamin B12 deficiency.
All G.'s symptoms - extreme fatigue, irritability, depression, character changes and loss of memory and understanding - have come from his very poor diet. He's fallen into a cycle of being quite aggressive about avoiding food too.
Fortunately, we understand that this can be treated with injections and supplements.
We hope that the injections may trigger his appetite again and there won't be too much long term damage. (G. ate an entire Weatherspoon's big breakfast AND apple crumble while he was on holiday with us in November, so there's hope!)
Mark and P. are also talking regularly, which is keeping the 'bigger picture' of family relationships calmer too. As a result, I feel a lot less anxious and stressed about this area of our life!
It's been a bit of a crazy week though...
- My beloved Series 2 Discovery is ill again. (Solution - borrow Dad's sporty old Nissan 200SX and enjoy the twin turbos... Woop, woop!)
- I spent four hours at Accident and Emergency yesterday afternoon with a friend who had major heart surgery 18 months ago. (Outcome - the pain wasn't his heart, just the muscles/bones in the chest cavity... what a relief!)
- Dad's asthma is really bad again and he's spending a lot of time at the doctors. (Positive - he's finally working with a doctor at the surgery who seems prepared to put a more systematic review and long-term action plan in place. Now I've just got to encourage Dad to be honest about the challenges of being Mum's carer and the correlation between her 'bad days' and his own health)
- We're having the conservatory replaced next week. I really need to start clearing it...
In the meanwhile...
- I want to send niece L. back to uni with some 'pocket warmers'. I haven't started them yet and I'm having a coffee with her late tomorrow morning. She goes back on Saturday. Eeek!
- I'm somewhere over halfway through the lacy knitted scarf that I'm making for my friends birthday... next Tuesday. Eeek, eek!!!
- I've also been enjoying loads of lovely social chats. I'm off again in half and hour to pick up the Nissan and drive to Redditch for a gossip with an ex-colleague.
How did I find time to work???!
Jx
Ha ha, it's funny how our days soon fill up, isn't it? You sound very busy. Have the doctors investigated why your father in law is deficient in vitamin B12? It isn't always down to diet. My own B12 deficiency is due to the operation I had to remove a tumor from my bowel, there's only one part of the bowel which absorbs B12 and this is the part which was removed, but it can also be down to pernicious anemia or problems with the stomach lining too.
ReplyDeleteOh Jan, you've got such a lot on your plate. I am glad to read that a treatable cause has been found for your father-in-law's difficulties, and that Mark and his brother are communicating better with each other. What a blessing it is to your parents to have you close by - and what a blessing to you, car wise! I am glad you are finding time for social chats, now crack on with the crafting! Take care. x
ReplyDeleteI too often wonder how I ever worked with a hubby who was away a lot & 3 kids, but we did it. Now, I'm quite sure someone has taken some hours out of the day, but maybe it's just age catching up with me & having too many things I want to do. Hope with getting some of your problems sorted, life may be just a little more gentle for you both. Take care.
ReplyDeleteYou are busy! I'm glad that there are so many positive outcomes.
ReplyDeleteI am B12 deficient, and despite getting more than the necessary daily amount of B12 through food, I have injections every 3 months ( the initial loading dose was 5 or 6 within a couple of weeks). Even with the 3 monthly injection, and getting enough through my diet, last month I was able to do very little in the 2 weeks before the injection was due because of fatigue. No cause for my deficiency has been found, and I was also very deficient in Vitamin D, for which I received 50,000 units and now take supplements. Apparently it becomes more difficult to absorb B12 as we age, which may apply to your FiL, but probably not to me as I am 52. It is amazing how ill vitamin deficiencies can make us; I wouldn't have believed it until I experienced it myself.
So much happening, and they are all lucky to have you as support and carer. Wow, does bad diet do a number on humans. We all need to pay attention to that more.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this I think I need to pay more attention to my own diet, hope your FIL is sorted soon. I totally concur with your statement regarding work, time management is top of my list to sort right now! Don't forget to look after yourself whilst racing around after everyone else xx
ReplyDeleteYou have had lots of things to think about and worry over in the last week. Glad some of the health issues are being dealt with for both your father and father in law and also that your friend was ok, we have a friend who has just undergone heart surgery and was due to go home yesterday. I hope you find time to finish all your crafting projects, I sympathise on the conservatory, we had an old leaky one replaced about five years ago, such a mess at the time but well worth it. Take care:)
ReplyDeleteYou have such a lot going on, so glad to hear you have some pleasant social time as well as everything else. Take care.
ReplyDeleteSooooo much going on in your life! I am glad you are getting some time for enjoyment with colleagues as well as doing so much for other people. Hope your Dad gets his B12and the benefits back up again.x
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