Mum isn't coping and I don't know what to do

My nan was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 2016 and passed away a few weeks ago. Mum has been okay since, sad obviously but okay however since the funeral she has not got out of bed and is taking sleeping pills continuously as soon as she wakes she takes another. She suffers from depression but I don't think she is taking her medication. I am so scared she will do something stupid. We have tried talking to her but she is just abusive towards us. I have two children who she adores and my little girl is begging to see her nan but I can't let her see my mum in this state. I have tried telling her the kids miss her and want to see their Nan but she says she doesn't care. My grandad has lost his wife now has to deal with this. I don't know what to do she won't listen to anyone and just shouts at anyone who tries to talk to her. She says because none of us are behaving like her it means we don't miss nan or love her as much as she did. I am literally heartbroken and don't know how to help her. 

  • Gosh, I am so sorry.  Your story resonates with me because a few months ago I was pretty much in a similar state to your mum.  My mum died quite suddenly in January and looking back on it I can see now that I really lost the plot.  I don't really remember how I spent my days.  A lot of sleeping.  A lot of crying.  I dropped my son to school at 08:30 and went back to bed immediately afterwards and only got up to go and collect my son later from school.  I just had no energy.  I was exhausted.  I had very few meals.  I forgot to eat.  People might say this is depression but as I understand it depression does not simply go away by itself.  I would say I was grieving.  I needed to look after and cook for my son in the evenings and at weekends and of course I did and I was sociable with him so I think that saved me from sliding completely into oblivion 24/7.  But when he was not at home I was a total recluse.  I did not open my front door or answer my phone or meet friends or go out.  After several months of this weird behaviour I became very worried that I was mentally ill or something.  My son was away on a school trip for a week so I booked myself into a yoga retreat while he was gone.  I was afraid that if I stayed at home I would be in bed the whole week.  I promised myself that I was going to be normal when I got back home.  It was a huge effort but I managed to do 4 or 5 yoga classes a day and a 6 mile walk every evening at this yoga retreat.   I was on the go at 06:00 each morning.  And the strict vegan diet of no animal products, no bread, no sugar, no coffee, no alcohol, etc was nutritionally exactly what I needed.    I think I arrived there malnourished.  I went home bursting with energy and I have been absolutely fine ever since and my life is back on track.  I have not had a single day of relapse into the narcoleptic state that I was in before.  

    I think your mum is grieving and she will be back to herself just as soon as she can.  Grief affects different people in different ways.  It hit me like a freight truck.  I was absolutely knocked down.   Some people throw themselves into their work.  Some people go to pieces.  I cannot explain my own behaviour.  I am ashamed of it, really.   But my mum was a huge influence in my life, she was mother and father to me and my best friend.  I had no time to adjust to the situation.  One minute she was 100% well and then suddenly diagnosed with cancer and dead 10 weeks later.  Total shock.   I remember also that I could not relate to my brother who seemed to be able to carry on as if nothing had happened, he did not even miss a day off work and was far too chirpy and upbeat even at our mother's funeral.  I was devastated by that.  People all around me kept telling me over and over that I should pull myself together and move on.  Even after only a fortnight.  It seemed indecent to me.  Highly insensitive.  It hurt too much to be continually subjected to that so I withdrew completely from family and friends.

    I suppose I am defending your mum's behaviour.  It is still very recently that her mum has died.  So I think she is allowed to go to pieces.  The thing I worry about is her misuse of sleeping pills and not taking her regular medication.  Her GP should know about this.  

    Your mum will be back to herself.  She just needs time.  She is not choosing this behaviour.  Nobody would.  But if she has already a history of depression and now is dealing with grief and is not taking her regular meds then I think her GP must know about this straight away as she may need some help getting back on her feet.

    I do hope your mum will soon be back to the mum you are missing.  She is lucky to have you worrying about her and asking for help and advice.   Your mum's own friends who have also lost their mums might come forward now and visit your mum and talk to her about this shared experience since your mum feels that nobody in the family understands what she is going through.  It always helps to talk to people who have the same shared experience.  The sleeping is a problem.  The more sleeping you do, the less energy you have.   It's a vicious cycle.  Somehow she needs to get out for fresh air and a bit of exercise. It makes a huge difference.  I feel for you because I was exactly lying in a heap like that myself and I just could not muster the energy to do anything.  It was like having M.E. or something.   You must be so worried.   I really think her GP needs to know the full story on this.  

    Best wishes, Danielle

     

  • Thank you. I have booked mum a Drs appointment for today so dad is going to try and get her to go. It's so hard as my uncle is really upset too but he is self employed and has had to go back to work otherwise he wouldn't be able to pay his bills etc but my mum sees this as him not caring which isn't true even when I say why don't you talk to your friend who also lost their mum she just replies I don't care about them they didn't love there mum like I loved mine so they don't understand. It's literally like she thinks no one else has ever experienced loss like she has. I do agree that she needs to get out but she just refuses at the minute. I have two young children aged 3 and 3 months which has meant I can't nope about as have to look after them. Don't get me wrong I miss my man like crazy and cry most days but I have to think about my children. I was taking them in to see mum every day which was helping her but then she just started the sleeping pills and I don't want my three year old seeing. Her like that she is lready really upset about the death of my nan. I have even said to mum she needs to stop the sleeping pills otherwise I can't bring the kids to see her but she just says she doesn't care
  • Good for you booking her in to see her GP. This all sounds very challenging and of course your uncle needs to go to work and you have your children and there is your poor Dad as well. I didn't have all of these other family members around me when I was lying in a heap so I got away with it. It is terribly self-indulgent behaviour. I can see that now myself but at the time I felt the same way as your mum. There is no logic to it. You are doing the best you can. Look after your children and your mum will find a way to cope again in her own time. You ought not to worry too much about her. Once she is back on her regular medication she will probably start to feel a bit better. I got fed up with the lying around and realised that I was letting my son down. And he was all that I had left so that was the wake-up call for me. That was what snapped me out of it. Your mum will see that herself shortly. That she needs to support her Dad now and be a grandmother to your children and a mother to you. You are all in this together. Just going through a bad patch at the moment. Better times are ahead.