The days that followed his discharge

The first few days following his release from hospital were spent walking on eggshells, threatening to throw him back into hospital because he just didn't seem to undertsand that he had to take things easy. It was all "I'm just doing....." or "I'm alright!" It frustrated me that I just couldn't get it through to him that he needed to rest or he could end up back in the place that drove him mad. mowing the lawn 2 days after getting out of hospital was a definite no no, but how do you get that across without seeming like you're nagging?

I undertsand that he has just gone through a HUGE transition in his life, not just the stroke itself, but the after effects as well. He had gone from the bread winner, the Man of the house, the protector, the lover, to being dependant, told he may never work again, or drive again. To not being able to open a packet of aspirin. One day I was sitting in the kitchen and I reminded him to take his medication, because his short term memory isn't so good. So he went and got the boxes out and started taking the cocktail of pills he had been given. Until he got the the aspirin. He was fiddling and messing and eventually I asked him if he wanted me to help. My response was the pouch being thrown at me in frustration. I get it, I really do. But sometimes it's hard to just carry on as normal.

I am the kind of woman who doesn't take crap from anyone, and here I was being shouted at and trying so damned hard to walk away and not retalliate. I don't care what anyone says, it's HARD to have the mind set that it's not their fault, and that it's the illness. Thats fine (and straight out of a text book) but even when you know all this, it makes you feel about 2" tall. You bust your gut trying to help, and make things as easy as you can, and they shout at you for no reason. I will probably say this a lot over my posts, but I really do get it, I understand that it IS the illness and NOT the mild mannered, easy going man that I am used to, but that doesn't make it any easier. It doesn't make everything ok. It just means that all my frustrations are kept locked away, slowly eating away at me, until they find their own way out.