Sort of a depressing topic but

does anyone else think about their parent aging and dying. My mom is just starting to age and it's scaring the crap out of me. I hope having a grandchild hopefully next year will bring some pep back to her step but I dread the day she is an old lady and I can't bear to think of ever losing her. I wonder now how will I ever go on without her.

Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

Ever since my mom's breast cancer and dad's open-heart surgery, I do... it's so scary.

Message edited 12/13/2007 8:04:20 AM.

Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

When my dad got cancer, I thought about it all the time.

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my father died when i was 17...then my uncle died two years ago and my cousins are only 11, 9 and 8...so its pretty much on my mind daily.

just cherish each day with them

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i do sometimes and it scares me so much

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I think about it with my Dad ever since he was diagnosed with emphysema. My parents truly are best friends; I don't know what one of them would do without the other.

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I have one parent who passed away after a physical and mental deterioration. I have my remaining parent on Aricept. I am living your fears. It stinks.

I suggest.... think about long term health care for your parents. Get health care proxies and living wills for them. Have their wishes on paper and make sure wills are up to date. My father suffered in a vegetative state for almost 9 months because he did not have a DNR and he was not going to get better. People of his generation did not think about that.

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I worry about everyone close to me dying. It is such a scary thought!!

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Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

Aricept is a medication usually given to slow down the symptoms of Alzheimers and/or dementia. My mom does not have Alzheimers, but her ability to perform certain everyday functions was impaired as well as her decision making skills. She is doing very well on the medication.

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Yes all of the time and it makes me sad to even think about it. I always thought my mom would be around forever...then two years ago she was diagnosed with Cancer...which was a very heavy dose of reality. It scares the crap out of me to think that one day my mommy wont be here.

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My mom is in remission from cancer for over 10 years now and when I was a teenager my dad had a brain tumor removed which burst during surgery, but luckily the doctors where ready for it and he's fine now. I have thought about them not being around and it's something that I thankfully have not had to experience. My parents are young 53 & 54, they better be around for a long time!

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I think about my parents dying and I get so sick to my stomach, I do not know how I will live without either one of them, we are very close

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Posted by stephanief

I think about my parents dying and I get so sick to my stomach, I do not know how I will live without either one of them, we are very close

Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

yes I do....especially after DH's mom passed away 3 years ago...I realized that will be me one day. Then I watched my Dad loose his mom last year...its hard, but it puts everything in perspective.
I cherish everytime I talk to them on the phone and especially when I see them, since I live OOS....that is what always makes "goodbyes" when they visit so hard

Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

yes- b/c I already lost my Mom

so if I lose my Dad- then I have no one

Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

Posted by stephanief
I think about my parents dying and I get so sick to my stomach, I do not know how I will live without either one of them, we are very close

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I can see how time has aged my parents & it definitely scares me.

They're still completely with it & healthy, but physically they've slowed down.

Re: Sort of a depressing topic but

Posted by stephanief

I think about my parents dying and I get so sick to my stomach, I do not know how I will live without either one of them, we are very close

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When I was younger i used to think about my dad dying all the time because he smoked like a chimney and had high blood pressure.

Then he died.

I realized it's much better to live every day to the fullest and try not to think about when that time with your loved ones is going to end.

That's not to say you shouldn't take precautions like Goldi suggests. You should definitely be as prepared as you can for all the practicalities of illness and death.

But I spend so many nights just worrying, wondering how I would go on without my dad, and when it finally happened all that past worrying didn't help me at all.

And as for how you get thru it, well, you really have no choice so you just do. That's the only way I can explain it.

It really does s*ck though.... I hate getting older and watching those around me get old.

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Yup! My mom, aka my best friend, has MS so unfortunatly I think about it all the time. Especially on Sundays when I have the joy of giving my mom her weekly injection! IT $ucks!

Message edited 12/12/2007 10:38:39 PM.

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Growing up I always had this horrible dream that I was at my parents gravesite. I would cry because it seemed so real. I cannot even imagine losing my parents.

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My dad is in long term care right now, so i feel like i've been thinking about it for a while now. My parents always had health problems for as long as i can remember, but now that they're getting older too, it just seems so much scarier.

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I do. My dad passed away 11 years ago and within 5 years I lost my dad and all 4 of my grandparents.

But there is nothing we can do. I just urge my mom to take care of health with love mixed inwith some guilt and I pray for her to have a long healthy life.

Its funny the way people look at death. DH assumes he will be there for DD's wedding and to be a grandfather. I don't. Its what I pray for and I look at every day with her, evey moment wiht her as a gift.

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Posted by stephanief

I think about my parents dying and I get so sick to my stomach, I do not know how I will live without either one of them, we are very close