4 months ago I was really mentally ill. For various reasons I couldn't tolerate living with my family anymore and moved out after I lost my cool a couple times. I moved out on a bad note. I didn't visit much.
I had a cat for 16 years there. He was too old for me to take to visit at my new place and I barely visited him. He was the only thing I've ever loved unconditionally. Always stuck to me. Now in the past week, he's really gone downhill. He isn't the same cat anymore. He went senile and I missed the decline. He also has early-mid kidney failure. I just left suddenly. I don't think he remembers me.
How do I cope with how things panned out. I could have had four months longer with him and no regrets.
Tl;Dr want to hang myself because life is stupid
There was this thought-provoking browser game i remember playing a while ago where you're an old person struggling with senility. The game takes place in your small house, and people deliver groceries to you, and you walk very slowly. And there's always the option present to commit suicide. And the point of the game is that, eventually, you make that choice willingly.
I think the game got attention in the late 200Xs, maybe early 201Xs.
Does anyone know what i'm talking about? I really want to play it again.
So I thought I hadn't seen The Thing. I couldn't remember anything about it. I watched it today...and I'd already seen it. Except I forgot and knew what was going to happen at the same time. And I don't remember if I saw it when I was a kid or not. Senility comes early to some of us.
Also the sfx were still fantastic.
Hello,
I recently posted to /r/legaladvice about my parents signing a contract which guarantees a rent free lease to a stranger for three years. It seems that the rules forbid links here, so just look at my user profile, if you're interested. There might be a legal remedy to this particular problem, but that process is long, and I don't think it'll get me what I want. I want my parents to be comfortable and happy, and I'm not sure they can do that for themselves.
Last year my father didn't renew his license and then was cited twice for having an expired license. He also failed to make necessary repairs to one of our family properties, which resulted in it being condemned by the city (it was electrical issues, but still, failing to call an electrician even when instructed to do so by the city isn't reasonable). He also was a professional chef, but his cooking is dramatically worse when I visit now.
And I'm not sure if my mother is much better, even though I haven't noticed anything specific about her. She's been a strong woman throughout her life (she was a large company's CTO at one point), but she's allowing this behavior. I mean if she's totally with it, she must be in agony watching it, so it has to stop.
I want advice about how to have a conversation about 1) that they seem to be losing some of their mental faculties and 2) what do they want for the last decade or two.
Has anyone ever had a successful conversation about this?
tl;dr: My parents seem to be losing their mental faculties. I need advice on how to have a productive conversation with them about what they want.
I made a post about my dog Cosmo before for another matter. But this time, I return with questions.
I ask because just an hour ago, he was laying on the couch watching what our other dog was doing when he heard a noise outside.
Now, like most dogs, he usually barks at sounds or looks out the window to see what it is. He didn’t do that.
Instead he started that low grumbling and his eyes went blank while he scanned the room for the danger (even though it was clearly outside) until he looked at stepdad as if he just remembered that stepdad was on the couch.
Cosmo started growling at stepdad. Not viciously but that low growl like he was unsure of himself. I did call him off stepdad and he looks at me while I talk but he had this unfocused look while still growling.
I took a stern tone to make him stop which only made him get up to pace the room until he noticed his cat, Grey, that he helped raise from a kitten. He did this small bark at Grey like he had no clue about him.
He went back to normal afterwards but it’s still worrying.
My question is; Is my baby going senile? And how do I get him tested?
I have a 14 year old mutt named Walter who is most likely a beagle or dachshund mix.
I rescued him 5 years ago and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I love this dog with all my heart.
Being a rescue, he came with some psychological baggage. He trembled a lot, would paw at me sometimes for no apparent reason, destroyed things when I left the house, and was a bit more fearful of storms/fireworks than your average dog, I believe.
All of these things could be managed to a certain degree - usually with the passage of time.
Of course we just had the 4th of July, and our neighborhood goes big on the fireworks. That was tough for him. He stayed at my mom's on the 4th because I knew how hard it would be for him, but he still had to endure the fireworks in the days before and after. He was definitely on edge, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary considering the environmental factors.
But something has changed the last couple of days. His anxiety has been considerably worse, but there are no fireworks or thunderstorms. I'd say the last 2-3 days he's been pretty anxious 75% of the time - major trembling, mouth and eyes wide open, heavy and fast breathing. It looks like a bad panic attack.
It's hard enough to see him like this, but the worst part is that it seems to get worse around me. It's a strange paradox because he's very close with me, and is my shadow when I'm home. It's just me, my wife, and him at home, but it's clear he prefers me and has the strongest bond with me.
When he starts to panic now, it doesn't go away. If I leave the house he will calm down over time, but when I return it's back to the major anxiety. If I'm in the house and he's not around me, he's usually laying/sitting on one of his beds - alert, restless. Ears pinned back like he's listening hard for something, or expecting something bad to happen. If I approach him in this state he will follow me but begin with the heavy panting, shaking, etc.
It's hard to describe how low of a feeling it is to see your dog that used to gaze at your longingly, now tremble in your presence. I don't get the sense that he has forgotten who I am or that he necessarily fears me, but he is not comfortable around me.
He's had some mobility issues the past few years due to old age arthritis, so walking him is something I never have consistently done with him. He has a heart murmur as well which can get him out of breath quickly, which has also contributed to his lack of exercise. That said
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They're getting old, knowledge fades away, and new tricks are few and far between. What little clues are you getting that your parents' bodies are going to outlast their brains?
