How do you stay awake and alert?

He is ok but now I take care of him. Its only his first day out of the hospital and Im already exhausted! He broke his femur, so he cant barely even get into bed, none the less walk to the bathroom and stuff like that.
I have to work ALOT in order to pay for the bills while he is out of work.

What can I do to stay alert? As Im sitting on the couch I find myself just falling over asleep. I have to play the role of the housewife and mother and nurse and work full time. Besides taking drugs, what can I do in order to stay alert and awake so I can take care of him? I dont want to fall asleep at the wheel like he did!

If 'he' was driving he is old enough to know that you are overworked and need your rest.

Call on family and friends to come 'sit' with him while you are at work. Talk with the doctor about getting him home health care (and see if your insurance or the state will pay).

coffee help me

Energy drinks are the best because they combine caffeine with other herbs such as guarana to keep you alert. The only problem is they tend to wear off quickly.

sit on a chair and don't wear warm clothes or use a blanket

wait do you consider coffee a drug 0_o

Cafine
Try looking for bed pans so you dont have to carry him to washroom and what not. Or put diapers on him, and keep him in bed. The time saved up from all this, YOU rest. Let him know that you are tierd and need to rest.

Coffee is the answer

COFFEE!!!

1] buy a plastic urinal - at CVS, etc.
2] why do you need to stay awake? He can certainly pee by himself, especially with a urinal.
3] get him ready for bed -
a] brush teeth, wash up, clean jammies, pee; and dump out everything
b] give him fresh water, pain pills, etc. Make sure he can reach bedside light, and give him a bell or buzzer for emergencies. Leave a book/ remote/ or whatever if he's wakeful.Put phone where he can reach.
c] put night lights in hall and bathroom, for safety sake
d] buy him a bunch of pull on baggy shorts, and take apart side seam on injured side. Sew in velcro strips, so he can be 'decent' yet dress fairly easily.
Get a long pair of athletic pants and velcro them for trips to the doctor, etc.
3] both of you need to eat well: lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lots of water - you don't want him to be constipated.
4] both of you take vitamins with minerals - this is stressful!
5] change his sheets 2 - 3 times a week, since he's in bed most of the time. Straighten out wrinkles, etc., while he is in bathroom.
6] starting 1 week after incident, get him out of bed and in a comfortable chair with a footstool, at least 2 - 4 times a day.
The activity will do him good, and exercise some muscles.
7] then put him to work!
Things to Do in a Chair:
a] fold clothes
b] peel veggies [ give him a container for peels, and one for peeled items ]
c] pay bills
MAKE SURE he always has a portable phone or cell when you are not around, and charger by his bed.
FRIENDS who want to help:
Tell them to bring food, and what night should you sign them up for; or
ask people to come and visit with him while you are at work.

You said it girl. You don't want to fall asleep at the wheel. There is really only one thing you can do without drugs(by the way,drugs will hurt more than help), YOU MUST get rest for yourself. If you don't you will fall asleep at the wheel.
If you want to help him, you cannot do it unless you have enough rest for yourself.I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's the way it is. Good Luck!!!