Loss of both parents 6 weeks apart

I just lost both of my parents 6 weeks apart, my Dad suddenly had a heart attack, he was my Mums carer as my Mum had advanced Alzheimer’s and then my Mums Alzheimer’s accelerated and she developed a heart condition, was admitted to hospital, immediately had pneumonia and due to her dementia she was difficult to treat and the pneumonia got the better of here, I live in Australia, my parents lived in the UK and I was on holiday with my husband in the US when my Dad passed, we immediately rushed to the UK and were there for 8 weeks while this all unfolded and to attend to the funerals. I am back home in Australia now, dazed and confused, sad and sleepless. I’m struggling with finding to capacity to grieve for both parents and the completely different ways that they passed. I have 2 siblings, but because of the immense pressure and our different ways of coping, we have parted on bad terms. I know I’m going to feel sad for a while yet, and I’m at a loss as to how to cope. I’m putting one foot in front of the other and dealing with the day to day things, laundry, shopping, cooking, but that’s it, that’s all I can do. I just wanted to join this online community and connect with people that have been through the same.

 

Hi Sundog, I’m so sorry to hear about your losses. That’s a tremendous amount of stress to be dealing with. I lost both my parents when I was younger (only in my mid-30s now!) and have recently put the brakes on my relationship with my only (emotionally abusive) sibling. It’s incredibly difficult. It took me a long time to find a therapist that I felt comfortable with but I know I would be even worse off if I hadn’t tried one more time. I hope you find a way to grieve that is right for you. Let me know how you’re doing.
-C