An Elderly Parent Can Wreak Havoc With My MCS

Holy Moly, this week has been a wild ride!

I got to mom's to find her laying on the couch watching tv. She was just fine and admitted a few days later to crying wolf. She was just depressed and feeling helpless, and thank the gods, she really does NOT need me here right now.

We had a realtor out again to look at the house. He wanted to list it $20K lower than the last realtor. This put a bit of shock into her I think.

We went to look at the 2 mobile homes she was interested in buying. Upon closer examination, one was not up to her standards. The owner is shuffling his feet on selling the other. So we're back at square one.

I helped mom clean out some of her closets and her garage. We donated a lot of good items to a Church of the Nazarene who is having a rummage sale. She felt good about that and it saved us having a yard sale in mid-winter.

She talked to a neighbor about finishing off her garage. I'm not sure WHY she wants to spend even more money finishing the walls in a garage, but whatever... it's her money.

I'm hoping she's settled in enough now to keep her happy for at least 6 months until I return from Spain this summer. If not, we may have to hire someone to help her because I can't deal with the chemicals in the house.

Yesterday I was in the middle of a full blown MCS reaction. She "forgot" and sprayed her shower with a very strong flower-y scented spray that has permeated the house. Between that, her fragranced sheets and towels, her hairspray, her incessant smoking (outside but the smoke wafts in as she insists on leaving the door open), the febreze clip she put in the car (!!!), the chemically laced food she eats, and the television blaring full blast from 8 am to 11 pm, I'm exhausted emotionally, mentally, and physically. To make matters worse, she's confrontational and angry when I try to explain that I need to sleep in the van to get some fresh air and quiet. So taking care of myself is nearly impossible here without a fight. The fight/flight response of the MCS puts all of my senses on high alert so smells, light, and the loud tv is literally painful.  I need to get out of here, and soon.

My son, Cameron, saved my life last night by sending me a ocean waves meditation and instructed me to listen to it over and over until my brain calmed down. He understands this condition and his advice was really helpful. It eased the pain and anxiety enough for me to make the decision to sleep outside.

Soooo... today I will spend time getting the van ready for departure. I'm heading back to Desert Hot Springs and will spend a night there visiting Joe and talking about the two Camino trips planned for the year. Then I'll head to Quartzite or Parker for the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR), after which I'm planning to go spend a few weeks on a Mexican beach.

Then... maybe I'll start my exploration of Route 66!  Whatever I decide to do, it will be fun.

Love,
Annie