Studies have shown that wives of PC survivors are often under a lot of emotional strain. And the wife’s mental state apparently affects the health of the man. So I asked myself, “Why are we ladies so stressed out”? Often because we are what one article I came across (Minnesota Public Radio, April 17, 2008 by Nanci Olesen ) refers to as “sandwiched-in caregivers.” These are “women in their forties and fifties, who are “sandwiched” between caring for their own kids, caring for their elderly parents, and often holding a full time job.”
I can totally relate to this article because I’m in my forties and, although my husband had a stage-3 melanoma some years ago and has had a recurrence of PC, by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do is care for my elderly mother.
I’ll start at the beginning. My father had a severe stroke on his 80th birthday four years ago, and he spent a year in a hospital (mostly in ICU) before he died. He was in very bad shape, tethered to a ventilator, but unfortunately for him, conscious and aware of his situation.
Because the care he got in the hospital was substandard, my family decided that we would have somebody staying with Dad *at all times*, 24-hours a day, seven days a week. S