If I ever become a bitter, hateful, and confused old woman like my grandma

[XemaSab]

just shoot me. :(

[Arkansas Granny]

1. I had one of those and I have told my kids and grandkids the same.

She was just a hateful, spiteful old woman who loved to make people feel bad about themselves. I don't know what made her that way, but after talking to some of the older family members, she was like that even when she was young. It sounds terrible to say, but there wasn't a lot of mourning when she passed.

[XemaSab]

3. That's sort of the deal here.

I probably shouldn't have posted this thread, but she just went on a 15-minute vitriolic rant against her daughter-in-law who she lives with, and she accused her of stealing her things, trashing her apartment, all this shit.... the kicker is it's impossible to say what's real, what's misinterpreted, and what's totally made up. :(

[Ellen Forradalom]

5. Was she always that way?

Or has she become unwell (Alzheimer's, dementia?)

Has she been evaluated by a doctor, psychiatrist or neurologist?

[XemaSab]

6. She's kinda always been like that

but she's getting more overtly cranky. :(

[Ellen Forradalom]

7. Hmmmm

Folks like that are nigh well impossible to drag to the doctor; a shame, because it sounds like she should have been evaluated for a mood disorder or other problem ages ago.

If you can get her in, please do.

[XemaSab]

11. She's been to a brazilion doctors

She's on more drugs than a republican, including three for mood disorders. :P

Here's an example of the bitchy: Every afternoon she watches General Hospital. It's her raison d'etre, and she spends all morning asking how long before it's on. Then it comes on and she bitches that it sucks nowadays. :banghead:

[idgiehkt]

13. my experience is

that some doctors that care for the elderly alot of times just don't seem to care about how the drugs they are taking all react with one another. I have direct experience caring for my grandmother for the last 2 and a half years of her life and it seems they would just write a scrip for anything without taking into account what might happened. Sometimes I felt like what they were thinking was "who cares, she's going to die anyway". It sucked. :hug:

[Ellen Forradalom]

14. In that case

I have nothing to suggest.

[Roon]

9. Being old is not fun

It hurts, it gives you nausea, and it makes you weak. That is enough to make anyone cranky.

[skygazer]

10. That and having to live with other people

Who usually don't want you around.

[Roon]

12. Yeah...

That would do it too.

[IndianaJones]

2. cool...a bash your own grandma thread. nt.

[Book Lover]

8. You sound like a fortunate person

who had a lovely grandma. As someone who did not, I feel the OP's pain. There is something peculiarly awful about having an hateful person for a grandma.

[skygazer]

4. My grandmother was like that

My grandmother had a college education back when women didn't get college educations (early 1900's) and worked in NYC before marrying my grandfather. During their marriage, she went into business on her own and imported furniture and collectibles from the far east but lost it all in the Depression. Her husband died in his 50's of cancer and she had a stroke in her 60's that limited her ability to live alone.

So this intelligent, independent, strong-willed woman had to live with her kids - who didn't want her there and shunted her from house to house - give up her freedom, be treated like a child half the time, and eventually be left to rot in a nursing home.

I'd be bitter and hateful, too. I think one of the worst things that could possibly happen to me is if I had to be dependent on someone else. And I have no idea what your grandmother's situation is - I'm just thinking of mine. :(