Browsing the Blogs

Spent some time on Sunday and again this morning looking for blogs about caregiving. Started by searching on Google for "caregiver blog." Looked around at the sites that came up on the first 3 pages of results. Of the blogs I found, almost all were stale, with the latest post often more than 6 months prior. Found one "caregivingly yours," see link to the side, that looks like it's pretty current and regularly maintained by a husband whose wife has MS. From his site, I started prowling around Blog links from the other side of the caregiver/caregivee equation -- those with MS.

There are a LOT of blogs from folks with MS. Lots are very current with active posters. Even more importantly, the content was interesting, and I'll be visiting a number of these again. I've added some to my blog roll in case you want to check them out.

Skip doesn't talk much about herself or what she's experiencing with her MS. She's intensely private, even with me. Reading what others are going through doesn't tell me what is going on in her head, but it can give me some insight into how it feels to have MS.

I'm trying not to draw too many conclusions about the plethora of active blogs from those with MS versus those who give care (regardless of the malady of the caregivee). I'm sure there's an element of availability/time to it. The blogs I've been looking at from those with MS seem to be written primarily by individuals who no longer work. And, caregivers often work at paying jobs in addition to the non-paying caregiver job, so probably have less time available.

I wonder if there's something else at work, though. If you have MS, it's not your fault, it's externally imposed on you. Nothing to feel guilty about. I bet lots of caregivers have mixed feelings about their roles and how they "do" in them. I recognize that my caregiving to Skip is a huge gift to her. However, I still have feelings of guilt (for getting cranky, especially), anger, resentment, etc. that I harbor. A real mixed bag. Not something you necessarily want to expose to the light of day. I'm sure I'm not alone in the caregiving world. Just go ahead and Google the phrase "caregiver anger," to see the truth of what I'm saying.

If you read this post and are aware of some active caregiver blogs, please add a comment and point me in their direction. Thanks!