Stress can be physical as much as mental. Of course, physical stress is easier to deal with than mental stress. Rest and relaxation can usually get you back to feeling un-stressed. Recently, I became physically stressed in moving my Mom from Tennessee to Massachusetts.
In the last few weeks, my body was pushed to its maximum capacity. With hunting for an assisted living facility; organizing a trip, packing up my mother's possessions; learning how a portable oxygen concentrator worked; making sure my Mom was okay during our car trip into Memphis from her rural location in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee; rolling the portable oxygen concentrator in sync with the wheel chair being pushed by a man with a fast gait in the airport; dealing with the concentrator and wheel chair in the restroom so that Mom could relieve herself before we boarded the plane; and worrying about whether she would have enough battery power to get her needed oxygen, I was worn to a frazzle. I was stressed to the max by our trip, then the furniture and many, many boxes were delivered the next day. Mom was so worn out, I worried about her. Fortunately, they had put a bed into her room, so she laid down until they were ready to move it out and put hers in. By that time, I had located her sheets. After negotiating with Mom over her table that just wouldn't fit into her tiny efficiency apartment, we ended up taking it and about 15 boxes back to my condo. Most of the boxes are still in my basement office. The table is in the middle of my kitchen where I have to dance around it to cook our meals.
The airplane travel was definitely more difficult than I imagined and planned, because they canceled the non-stop flight. Instead of having a three-hour flight, we had a travel time that lasted all day (8 hours). I kept having to plug Mom's portable oxygen concentrator in, so that it would recharge a battery. She had three...we used up one, before we ever got onto the airplane. We used up the second one during the first leg of our flight. To get her off the plane, they had to put up a lift and lower her down. Then we had to make our way through the catacombs of covered walkways and ramps into the terminal.
Of course, the next step was to find an electrical outlet. This was difficult, since people with laptops and phone chargers were vying for space. Mom took priority since it was a necessary life support system. To get her back on the plane, we had to again go through the maze of walkways and have her lifted to the plane. There was a dangerous drop and no hand-holds on the part closest to the plane. I suppose the same situation was there when we went down, but I had hold of my Mom until she grabbed the railing of the lift. Coming back up, I didn’t feel I had a good grasp on her. All went fine, except using the airplane potty was less than desirable, but we managed. It was a tight fit for her to get clothing in the right place. With both her hips replaced, at 91, her movement is a bit stiffer than most people's.
We made it to Boston and into the car when the last battery gave out. I breathed a sigh of relief, because it had a cigarette lighter adapter. I got it all hooked up, but it didn't work. I think I blew the fuse in the cigarette lighter. Mom had to go without oxygen on our little over an hour's drive to the hotel. Then, I was able to plug the portable oxygen concentrator into an outlet and all was well!
The next day at the assisted living facility, her larger oxygen concentrator, plus portable tanks arrived. Now, all I have to do is work on the boxes. I think I've gotten rid of about two now. Oh yes, and the portable tanks don't last long enough for Mom to go down, eat a meal, and return. So, that's another issue that needs to be solved.
One step at a time, one day at a time!
After about a week, I’m finally feeling rested! I’ll feel even better when I get all the boxes out of my office. Clutter equals chaos is not just a saying, it really makes a difference!
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