(#5292) Catching up on sleep and blood pressure back down

      I was really worried a couple of weeks ago when John was still here in the house. I thought it was best for John to be home in his room under hospice care so that the familiar to him would keep him somewhat mollified. But I was wrong. He didn't seem to care where he was because he was too disorientated at times to remember. His constant shouting out our names for help was almost unbearable and when he finally was moved to a care facility we were all at the end of our tethers to sanity. I was especially tired as I was working full time in the parts department for 2 weeks but realized quickly that I couldn't keep that schedule while John was home. He needed so much attention that I was fortunate to cut my hours back down to 3 days a week back as a transfer driver.
     Still though it was a lot for me as I wasn't getting any rest being on call basically 24 hours a day to John's never ending calls for help. By help I mean any little thing he wanted, or needed to talk about, was a massive priority for him regardless the importance of it or the time of day or night. So for about 6 weeks I led a life of little sleep and rest. I was noticing that I was having a hard time keeping my body physically prepared for my work days and my blood pressure had increased too much. Feeling sluggish and driving big trucks for U-Haul was not only a worry but it bothered me to the point of actually considering quitting altogether.
     I need that bit of income from my part time job so I endured up until the time John was readmitted to a care facility. I was relieved and hoped that he would get better care there and I would start to return to some kind of normal previous to John's stroke. As it happened John is doing better in a care home where the help for him is designed on a 24 hour basis and I noticed that after catching up on some rest my physical and mental well being improved. I laugh and enjoy my work again with co workers and best of all my blood pressure has dropped back down to great numbers. I still need more rest but I am finally starting to feel healthier again and that is just what I needed.