Hi all,
I am not a caregiver anymore, so to speak, but I was wondering if I could get some advice.
In March, my husband was in a horrific car accident, head on, (other driver's fault) in which he broke his back, his foot, and had a collapsed lung. He was in the hospital for 3 days. He was able to come home after that and sleep in our bed upstairs. He didn't move out of bed that much, although he could walk around. I was constantly caring for him at first and by his side. Helped him with food, clothes, foot brace, house cleaning, etc. As of today, he has been healing ok, able to drive earlier than we thought, etc. He can walk around, his lung has healed, and he doesn't need his foot brace, and only his back brace to drive.
After all of this, I find myself just emotionally drained, and in a small depression. The news was quite a shock. The hardest part was that the accident was almost fatal, and the thought of almost losing him ripped me apart. God spared his life. I don't consciously think about that anymore, as I know it would drag me down. However, from being in 'survival mode' for 2 months has worn me down. I was on constant alert, had to take up the reins and be the 'strong one' while he recovered. I had to take 3 weeks off of work to be his caregiver. I couldn't think about my emotions much but I had my moments each day of crying.
I am just tired. I go to work now and I'm trying to function normally, but I find myself just having not a lot of motivation. Not doing things that would bring joy. Tired a lot, and sad. (I have had depression for 10 years and am on anti-depressants).
I try to look at it as if it were someone else- if their husband was in an accident, I'd say, "Of course you're shaken up, that just happened. Take care of yourself." However, I'm struggling to return to normal and I think I'm being hard on myself, like, "I should have everything figured out now."
As caregivers, do you think this is normal to have this emotional drain? How do you cope? Do you have any advice for me? It would be appreciated. I feel lost. Is this normal?
I have so much respect for those of you who are caregivers. It can be such a hard job sometimes. It can be rewarding, but draining too.
Thanks,
LovedSparrow
I am not a caregiver anymore, so to speak, but I was wondering if I could get some advice.
In March, my husband was in a horrific car accident, head on, (other driver's fault) in which he broke his back, his foot, and had a collapsed lung. He was in the hospital for 3 days. He was able to come home after that and sleep in our bed upstairs. He didn't move out of bed that much, although he could walk around. I was constantly caring for him at first and by his side. Helped him with food, clothes, foot brace, house cleaning, etc. As of today, he has been healing ok, able to drive earlier than we thought, etc. He can walk around, his lung has healed, and he doesn't need his foot brace, and only his back brace to drive.
After all of this, I find myself just emotionally drained, and in a small depression. The news was quite a shock. The hardest part was that the accident was almost fatal, and the thought of almost losing him ripped me apart. God spared his life. I don't consciously think about that anymore, as I know it would drag me down. However, from being in 'survival mode' for 2 months has worn me down. I was on constant alert, had to take up the reins and be the 'strong one' while he recovered. I had to take 3 weeks off of work to be his caregiver. I couldn't think about my emotions much but I had my moments each day of crying.
I am just tired. I go to work now and I'm trying to function normally, but I find myself just having not a lot of motivation. Not doing things that would bring joy. Tired a lot, and sad. (I have had depression for 10 years and am on anti-depressants).
I try to look at it as if it were someone else- if their husband was in an accident, I'd say, "Of course you're shaken up, that just happened. Take care of yourself." However, I'm struggling to return to normal and I think I'm being hard on myself, like, "I should have everything figured out now."
As caregivers, do you think this is normal to have this emotional drain? How do you cope? Do you have any advice for me? It would be appreciated. I feel lost. Is this normal?
I have so much respect for those of you who are caregivers. It can be such a hard job sometimes. It can be rewarding, but draining too.
Thanks,
LovedSparrow
