Here's a doozy for you.
Last Sunday my father colapassed, And was rushed to hospital, We found out he had kidney stones, Wasnt life threatening , But still very painful. The doctor's keep him over night to observe him, He passed out again, After another CT revealed one of the stone's, Had lodged in his kidney, Which was ready to burst. He went down and had an emergency op on it, And then was left on the ward for two day's, And then came home yesterday.
I have an ill father, and everytime he goes south, my mom is a wreck, so it is my job to hold the family together. The best advice I can give here is to keep your head as clear as you can. I would recommend getting out for a little while, and taking some time for yourself. You will go crazy otherwise. Cell phones are the best invention since the car, in that times of emergency are far less panicked when people can get in touch with you.
The stress made me start smoking, For the first time ever.
If you think you need a crutch, then lean on it. This is a stressful time, and adding withdraw is not going to help. While I would never recommend smoking, even though I do it too, I would not recommend adding the stress of not smoking right now. Once everything gets straightened out, quit, but for now, moderation is key.
Then, Thursday night my uncle (who is more like a brother, 6 year's between us), Tried to commit suicide, He had been low because in the last month, He had lost his girlfriend in a silly argument, Then he was arrested for drink-driving (actually wasnt, But the key's were in the ignition, Because he wanted to keep warm, Police didnt buy it, And carted him off.),
Thankfully, most people, after a failed suicide attempt are less likely to try again. When man is faced with his own mortality, often time, he strengthens despite the peril around him. That being said, keep in contact, and if he repeats the behaviors leading up to the attempt, get him professional help.
Then my dad took ill, Then he lost his job, He opened his heart to me, And told me everything going on inside his head, So I took him to the GP to get some help, Which they did, They set up a couple of counselling session's, And gave him anti-depressant's, Which he took in one go, Around 50 tablets, And now he's in hospital.
We just got my sister's husband home from the same kind of deal. He took too many of his anti-depressants and lost consciousness. The best thing to do is continue to counseling, minus the drugs. There is a lot of stress around the man, and you don't want to leave things that he can hurt himself with in a moment of weakness.
So now i'm extremely stressed out all of the time, I cant relax, I cant sleep, And with me being the only family member that can drive, Mean's that I cant have a drink, And everyone's depending on me to drive them everywhere, Which in turn is making me phsyically exausted.
Alcohol is not the solution to this problem. Alcohol depresses motor skills and judgment, and since you are the one who has to make the split second decisions, inhibiting these abilities is not a good idea.
I know it is stressful to be your family's taxi service, but that is what family is for. Understand that you are temporarily the man of the family, and embrace this opportunity to show your personal growth. Do not let your family see the effects of their needs. They will draw strength from you. Your ability to cope is what is keeping your family together. At this juncture, the best thing you can do is keep your mouth shut. Thankfully it seems as if the worst is over, and you are now dealing with the aftermath. Once your father and uncle have stabilized, you will be able to sleep. That problem will take care of itself.
You might also be stressed in that you have faced your own mortality. Seeing an ill father makes a son change his lifestyle as well. Making these changes for the better, will prepare you for adulthood. For some people this time comes earlier. Learn from everything around you so that you don't make the same choices.
Finally, my advise is merely from experience. I am not a professional, so if this doesn't work for you, seek some counseling on your own. Often times, therapists will help family members for little or no expense in situations such as this.
And pray. I don't know if you believe in God or not, but how would it hurt to open your heart to God. If he's there, he can help, if not, all you did work through the problems in your head, which helps as well.
