I started noticing a few years ago if we were in the car going somewhere and my mom got hungry or needed to use the bathroom that she wanted food or to stop NOW. She'd be more and more irritable with every passing moment until she got what she wanted, kind of like a grumpy baby that missed their nap.
She just had a knee replacement about a week ago and I feel like I'm dealing with the neediest person alive. She has a commode and doesn't want to walk to the bathroom. I got her to walk there twice today because I've been telling her she needs to get up and walk so the knee heals properly. I just went in there and she didn't flush the toilet. The knee does not impact her ability to flush the toilet. So she comes out sits back down and starts complaining about being hot. Of course she's hot, it's only the second time she's walked all day. It's like she has no awareness that she's feeling hot because she walked fifty feet after sitting or lying down all day. I guarantee in about 15 minutes she's going to start talking about being cold and not connect that she wanted me to turn the heat down.
She wants pillows plumped, positioned and new ice packs continuously, they arent even in the freezer long enough to get cold before she wants new ones. She lays on the couch moaning (she won't sleep in her bed) and she's on quite a few meds to manage the pain. The doctor said the worst pain would likely be over by day 3- 5, I'm starting to think she expects to have no pain from this?
I took a week off of work because I figured she would be recovered enough by then to be alone during the day, I just asked for a second week off and she's already starting to make comments 'I hope I can be alone by then....'. You better be ready by then, Princess, I don't have anymore PTO.
Thank you for letting me vent!
Again, I will repeat commenter Beatty's expression: "No other solutions will be found if you continue to be all the solutions".
He had no idea how accurate that statement would be. The behaviors that go along with diaper age are often a bonus, too.
Do not enable her, but do keep an eye on her, make sure she is ok...Can anyone visit while you are at work?
Go back to work as soon as you can, and leave her to her own devices; teaching to fish vs giving a fish and all