A “CAN DO IT” WOMAN

Posted on May 9, 2020 by oneta hayes

amy

Mother was a mastermind of creative ingenuity

along with common sense, and endless energy.

And guts.

I’ve decided to relate why I added “and guts.”  After daddy died, she became addicted on Valium which had been prescribed by her doctor.  The other siblings and I were greatly concerned at how “zombie-like” she had become.  She was very protective about the issue, always saying she wasn’t taking any more than the doctor prescribed which was probably true.

One day Karen walked into her house and boldly said, “Mom, that Valium it killing you.”  Mother looked up and said, “You know, Honey, that’s just what I was thinking.”  She took herself in hand, called the County Nurse and committed herself into an institution to get off that stuff.  That’s guts!

She did get off and within a few years she remarried and was even named the Spirit of Baca County or something like that, getting to ride on a float even.  She became recognized as a historian of note because of her historical articles published in the local newspaper.

Now I don’t want to fail to thank her Lord for answered prayers in this story.  But with God’s help she did it!

About oneta hayes

ABOUT ME Hello. To various folks I am Neat’nee, Mom, Grandma Neta, Gramma, Aunt Neta, Aunt Noni, Aunt Neno, and Aunt Neto (lots of varieties from little nieces and nephews). To some I’m more like “Didn’t you used to be my teacher?” or “Don’t I know you from someplace?” To you, perhaps, I am a Fellow Blogger. Not “fellow” like a male or a guy, but “fellow” like a companion or an adventurer. I would choose to be Grandma Blogger, and have you pull up a chair, my website before you, while I tell you of some days of yore. I have experienced life much differently than most of you. It was and is a good life. I hope to share nuggets of appreciation for those who have gone before me and those who come after me. By necessity you are among those who come after me and I will tell you of those who came before. Once upon a time in a little house on a prairie - oops, change that lest I commit plagiarism - and change that “house on the prairie” to “dugout on the prairie.” So my story begins...
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29 Responses to A “CAN DO IT” WOMAN

  1. shoreacres says:
    May 9, 2020 at 9:37 am

    Here’s the very short version of my own mother’s very long story: we thought she was afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia, as she couldn’t remember a thing, and kept falling. We moved her to her sister’s home a couple of states away, where she found a new doctor. That doctor discovered she was on about 25 medications, all prescribed. Her previous doc kept prescribing, but never stopped any medications. Once we got her down to a blood pressure pill and a couple of others, her memory became sharp as a tack, and she stopped falling. The doctor? After being reported by several patients, he lost his license and ended up in prison for a while.

    Reply
    • oneta hayes says:
      May 9, 2020 at 11:36 am

      I guess this story is still being repeated many fold. I think it is more apt to happen when the “patient” has money enough that the doctor thinks it would not be too hard to prescribe this way out. A postscript to top story. Mother after returning from the institution, had some issue in which she went to the same doctor and he prescribed the same thing again. Mom even bought it; then went home realized what she was about to do so she threw it down the toilet. I’m glad for your mom’s happy recovery.

      Reply
  2. atimetoshare.me says:
    May 9, 2020 at 9:49 am

    Your mom passed those guts down to you along with a good dose of spunk. I think we carry more than genes from those who mother us. It all leads to how we’ll turn out in the end.

    Reply
  3. Rebecca Moon Ruark says:
    May 9, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    What a wonderful story of guts, with God’s help. At a time when few questioned their doctor’s advice–and even fewer admitted to being hooked on any medication–your mother did, and did something about it. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Julie (aka Cookie) says:
    May 9, 2020 at 3:10 pm

    In 1967 when my grandfather died, my grandmother was bereft. As in totally lost and not one for independence—not at the age I am currently now.

    And so she was given sedatives…and then prescribed “uppers” to help offset the zombiness of the sedatives—it was a vicious cycle and one I can vividly recall as she was very “drunk-like” and would slur her words and simply fall asleep when she’d come to visit (driving herself over).
    I can remember the day my dad and uncle took my cousin and I with them over to Nany’s.
    Nany was in the bed, zonked out, we were left in the kitchen while they cleared out the house of every and any drug.

    This was pre-Betty Ford days and so Nany had a cold turkey experience.

    Later as she got older and developed bad arthritis, she was prescribed valium, of which she’d take one a day, religiously…one and one only—as she would love to tell me that ‘a valium a day keeps the doctor the away’—I think it was more like, just one a day kept dad and my uncle away!

    Your mom and my grandmother were women of a different time–tough old birds that I can only hope to be like.

    Reply
  5. oneta hayes says:
    May 9, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    Our stories seem to be far too common. My kids are on their way in, so I’m hopping out of blogging for a while.

    Reply
  6. Sheryl says:
    May 9, 2020 at 5:46 pm

    It can be so challenging. It’s wonderful to hear that she was able to get off the pills.

    Reply
    • oneta hayes says:
      May 9, 2020 at 11:03 pm

      It happens much too often, and not many can pull themselves out of it. Even she had to admit she needed help and ask for it. Thank you, Sheryl, for the comment.

      Reply
  7. calmkate says:
    May 9, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    Thanks for sharing the story of your strong brave mother … conquering addiction is never easy!

    Reply
  8. pranabaxom says:
    May 9, 2020 at 6:52 pm

    A great post for Mother’s Day

    Reply
  9. Glenda says:
    May 10, 2020 at 7:39 am

    She was amazing, so talented in so many ways!

    Reply
  10. Michele LaFollette says:
    May 11, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Guts is a good trait for all of us to possess, but I think especially women. It is, after all, the mothers who are called upon to provide so much. Happy Mom’s Day!

    Reply
  12. sharmishtha basu says:
    May 14, 2020 at 2:36 am

    that certainly is a brave and inspiring woman!

    Reply

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