Dad's Back Problem....He is Driving Me Crazy!!!

by chococat
(Bama)

Thank you for this site. I see myself and my dad in so many of these posts...helps me to realize that my feelings are normal. I had to move from the West Coast to the South 3 years ago and am hating my life as the 'chosen one' (the only daughter, single, no kids).

Anyway, my 79-year-old dad has been complaining of back pain for a few years now. He will not follow doctors' orders or those of his physical therapist or home nurse to exercise, wear his back brace, cut back on sugar (sweet tea and sodas) and salt (snacks full of that crap), and lose weight, which will also alleviate the radiating hips and legs pain.

No matter what I do or say (I do not buy junk food, he brings it into the house....I cook healthy), he does what he wants to do (95% of the time).

So when he complains about his back pain, though I am sympathetic, it is getting harder and harder to feel sorry for him, even though I do because I don't like seeing him in pain. He takes a pain pill when he needs to.

He is supposed to drop at least 40 pounds, and his big protruding belly is causing a lot of the problem, as well his degenerative joints (he has several other health problems).

He has been told to lose weight several times, but that falls on deaf ears. Now he was upset with me earlier this evening for not getting him an entire pint of ice cream when I went to the store for some personal care items for him. He is lucky I got him a Snickers Ice Cream Bar at all, but says it wasn't enough. WTF?

On the one hand, I want him to get healthier. On the other hand, at this point in his life, why bother trying anymore.

I could write a book here on my experiences the past 3 years, but I would likely cry and scream my way through each post.

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