This blog is MOVING...

I have encountered a blogger glich and need to move to a new url.

Please clic here and you will be redirected, I hope.

See you there!

entry 41

This last week has been a difficult one.

Mom seems to have accepted that she has Alzheimer's.  

The realization  makes her very sad and she cries.

On another note...

We were driving around - I'm stopping and taking pictures of turquoise "things"

 {she likes doing this - "It's fun"}

And she says she feels a great sense of relief.

I ask what about, but she can't really verbalize her thoughts.

I press and she finally says that she's praying for relief from this affliction.

I suggest we get her exercising her mind and her body along with nutrition... 

and then she says the funniest thing...

WELL, I'm not going to do this all by myself!  

I laughed and say...WELL  if you don't exercise your mind no one 's going to do it for you, mother.

We laughed, together!

entry 40

Same Day, different post!

Things only went down hill from that appointment on!

First I stopped at Great Harvest and got us some comfort food...

next...

We went to the Alzheimer's Association for the support group.

Today mom will go into the cognitive learning group. 

She and I are only separated by a single wall.  

But she freaked out.

They came and got me.

Mom, her face flushed and in a frenzy insisted I take her out of there!

She was crying and having a tantrum.

I didn't know where you were.

I thought you left me here.

I felt stupid, there were so many men,  I couldn't do what they were doing.

These words don't flow easily from her mouth.  

She cries and cries the rest of the day and night.

Please don't tell Jackie about this.

What, the Alzheimer's meeting?

NO, that I have Alzheimer's.

Coming to grips with mortality! 

That night I have a horrible dream. 

 I dream that I am in a house with John and I can see the waves of the ocean swell - a tsunami. 

The water is is rising and flooding the house We are being lifted up to the ceiling.

  I am able to see out a whole in the roof.

I can see the water is starting to recede.

I awoke in pure panic.

entry 39

Meeting with the Dr to review tests.

No new revelations, merely establishing a baseline.

Dr. is relating the test results to both of us but  mom keeps

 randomly bringing up the huge snow storm in the East!

The Dr asks her where she lives...

without thought, Virginia!

It was like mom didn't hear a word the Dr. was saying.

 I ask the Dr what's up with this?

It's the disease.

Were were given much information about how to proceed.

We are told
Now is the time  to acclimate mom to any major life changes, 

while she can still remember. 

The resting reveals she remembers and responds  best to visual simulation
and I am given different suggestions on how to help keep mom stimulated.

The brain stays "plastic" until death.

She can still build new brain cells and somewhat maintain what she has now with specific exercises.

But...there is no cure for Alzheimer's. 

Boy, is this going to be a CHALLENGE!