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I really had every intention of keeping this going in a normal fashion, but things have turned out differently. In early October, my husband's favorite aunt was out in the hospital. We were put in charge of her dog and found out after day 2, she wanted her at our house. We have not had any animals in the house since we moved here last year, but an exception was made. All turned out pretty well, but we were glad when she went home.

Our aunt got out of the hospital the day before her 71st birthday. She was not ready by any stretch of the imagination. All she wanted was to go home and we respected her wishes. We brought the dog back and waited for the first signs of trouble, it didn't take long. A few hours after we got her home she called and wanted us to come and get the dog. We kept her for about a month. She is now back at her house and all is well with the dog. The aunt on the other hand is iffy right now.

Two days after she got home she realized she couldn't do things by herself. I had went over on her birthday, a Sunday, and made her an offer. I told her if she was willing to help me with my upcoming student loans, I would help take care of her. I told her to think about it and let me know. She called the next morning and wondered where I was. I jumped into action.

Some days I wonder if I got in over my head, but then I feel good about what I am doing. I have found myself doing things for her I had never thought I would do. We haven't always been close, but I finally grew on her. I have seen such major improvements in the last month in a half, but now she is starting to worry me again. She has had a sore throat for a few days and now is coughing up mucous. I initially thought it could be her sinuses, but I'm beginning to wonder. She seems extremely weak today and actually had a fall. This was the first fall in almost 2 months.I'm going to worry about her all night.

The only problems I have is I sometimes feel taken advantage of a lot. Once she started feeling better she started loaning me out to her neighbor and her best friend. I don't feel right taking money from a 73 and 84 year old lady. They are sweet and lonely. One of them more so than the other.

I guess that is not really the only problem I'm having, but its the biggest. Some days are very difficult for me because of my multiple sclerosis. The stress of the day-to-day needs of these women can be overwhelming.I feel as if I am constantly chasing my tail. I can't afford to have an exacerbation at this time. It makes me realize to need to take a few minutes for myself, but trying to find a good time is hard.