To start I have to say if you have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy in any way please know you are in my thoughts and prayers. I have been following the pictures of the devastation and flooding on twitter today and words can’t describe it. It is truly unimaginable. 

Weather is interesting in that regard. The storms of the weather and the storms of our personal lives. I think I could describe my family’s relationship with MS in that way. We go from blue skies to a turbulent thunderstorm in a split second. As I mentioned, Friday evening we were going to celebrate Mom’s 60th birthday with a nice family dinner. After Husband, Sister K and I arrived home we quickly changed clothes and got ready to leave. Husband left separately to go pick up Grandpa and meet us at the restaurant. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, until the rest of us needed to get in the car.

Getting Mom into the car has become a very stressful exercise. I think Dad is more used to it because he is around it all the time and deals with it everyday, but to be honest it unnerves me. I have to shut my mind down and exit the situation. Not allow myself to think about what is actually happening: Mom holding on to the car and struggling to angle herself the correct direction to sit down. Mom plopping/falling/finding a way to seat herself in the front seat of our family Camry. Then comes the real challenge of getting Mom’s legs into the car. Dad is bent over grunting as he lifts Mom’s legs and tries to swing them into the car. Mom yelling at him at certain points because it hurts, he is doing it wrong, etc. Dad getting frustrated. Mom getting frustrated. Feelings of distress and irritation at the situation. Then they have to do the other leg. Sister K stood by frustrated because she believes Mom isn’t trying to assist Dad and could do more. I just zoned out. Then it’s over and we move on as if nothing has happened.

But it did happen. I watched the entire thing play out. I could try to assist but sometimes it almost makes it more difficult. Mom gets more frustrated. We don’t know the “routine” involved. So we wait and let them do it. Then we move on until the next time. And then the same thing happens again.

I don’t really know what to think about all of this. I know families have their own routines of dealing with various things like this. Mom and Dad seem to have theirs figured out. But the fact that Mom’s ability to get in/out of the car doesn’t seem to be improving bothers me. It bothers me that my parents aren’t taking the SUV they were so proud to drive. It bothers me that these struggles extend beyond the car. It bothers me to watch Mom really struggle walking around the house, having issues picking up her foot just to take a step. Basically I feel like none of this is getting better because in all honesty, I don’t believe it is. To other people I give my canned fake answer that Mom is improving, doing physical therapy, she’s doing great. I say it all with a smile. But here, I can tell the truth and the truth is I don’t believe it’s getting better. I honestly think it may be getting worse. And it bothers me..for so many reasons I can’t put into words…and at the same time can’t figure out how to handle all of this. Because Saturday evening after dinner I got frustrated watching Mom walk around the living room and had to go upstairs. I had to leave the room. It appears my current way of dealing with this is mentally or physically escaping. I know that is wrong, but I don’t know what is right.

Do you think there is a better thought process I should have in these situations? Do you ever struggle to put into words things that bother you? Do you think it’s tough to admit that sometimes people aren’t getting better? Have you been impacted by Hurricane Sandy?