Hello

Yes I am still here you lucky people. Thought you might like to know that Yolanda from the documentary as of 15 minutes ago was still with us and fighting.

Things are getting screwery in my world. I know that the computer and calendar say it is 2013, but I am trying to figure out where 2011 & 2012 went. I do not remember them hardly.

We just got back from northern California visitig my daughter her hubby and 4 kids for a few days. My older daughter joined us with her 4, yess Lynn & I got a room for me to escape to. 8 grandkids and their parents is definetly more than I can handle. Extra drugs help but only to a point.

Physically things are still going the wrong way and that includes that brain cell that i have. If Lynn had not told me, I thought that I have been posting regularly, not so Mr. Brain.

I listen to all that they say is happening in research and trials as much as i can and actually i still not heard or remember if they have even come up with a definative cause for Alzheimer's.  Treatment does not seem to moved any further than a shot in the dark still. For me my world seems smaller and lonlier, my brain does not seem to really take in things around me anymore. Sleep and just stareing at the TV seem to be all that hold any interest no matter how hard I tried to pretend that I am with it. Oh well It Is What It Is.

take care until next time.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

Where in the world is joe?

Well he is in Lake Bluff, Illinois. After a much heroing journey through California to the Nevada border and the City of Sin, Las Vegas (actually loss wages), my daughter subjected me to the towering hieghts of Colorado, not only did she try to dump me off the mountains, she had the nerve to even drive through tunnels in them. She tried to get rid of me at 10,361 feet, buy i am a tuff bugger. I hang on for dear life, terrified of hieghts. We visited a wildlife refuge in Ritchfield, Co. Had to rid my sscooter on a 35 ft high ramp to view the animals. What a neat experience that was. Only bad part it was cold and windy as all get out.
We left Colorado and went on into Utah, what a beautiful State and the color of the mountains is just outstanding. from there we went onto Nebraska, got off the freeway to find the zoo we were goinhg to see in the morning, but aliens had removed it from existence, so onto Omaha to spend the night and see the Omaha zoo.
well i will leave it there for now. I and my daughter are both extremely wornen out, but we will survive. I know i left out alot of things but the brain does not want to give them to me to write. Really gets me upset and I miss my home and wife and feel very uncomfortable at this point.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

Hi All!

This week has been difficult. My daughter is down with her hubby and 4 kids, and of course my other daughter and her 4 kids and hubby come over and my son and his sweetie, my wife, mother-in-law and youngest daughter, just waaaaaay toooooo much for me. I have to admit things have been ok, but then i must confess i have used extra meds to help. Monday i completely came apart and i guess i was less than friendly, rather a bastard. So appologies had to be ginen, i hate those things. We were at the Write On, book authors of Oceansided get together yesterday. That was fun, got to ride my new scooter and meet other writers and make some friends. Do not ask me who they are I have no idea.
This disease is a real brain buster, sometimes I feel like i am ok and others i am in another world. damn things switches on and off throughout the day, drives me and those around me a bit batty.my headaches are getting worse, but doc says things are ok, but what the hell do they know, they just practice medicine. I am very drained this week and the kids will all be back today - Oh i can hardly wait. well back to the drugs and some food. Even met more folks who have loved ones with this disease Saturday, amazing how they are comming out of the wood.
Take care of yourselves to the next time.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe
go Mitt

Read More

Alan Arnette Completes 7 Summits Climb.

Climb4AD (The 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer's)
Alan Arnette climbed the 7 Summits of the world in memory of his mother, Ida Arnette, who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease. Help Alan raise awareness of the growing prevalence of the disease and share your memories of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Email C4ADFBWall@biosector2.com with your story.

Support Alan as he has us.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!

joe

Read More

As The Door Closes.

sounds like a soap opera, but that is what is happening to my life. My eldest and her group were here the other day and when I said goodbye to my granddaughert who is 9, she aaid grandpa why don't you call me that name anymore when we leave and i did not know what she was talking ablut and asked her, she said oh it is ok grandpa, you just don't remember things anymore. That kind of hit home as to she understands and can see the changes taking palace. My daughter and I think it was the same day told me she missed me and i was really lost on that one. I just looked at her and she told me she misses how we would jokw around and that i do not do that much anymore but she understood that things were getting harder for me. It almost felt like she said goodbye while she still could. Right now i feel like shit and am not in a good place, which seems to becoming normal. Oh well It is What it Is.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

In The Moment!

As many of you know i have also fought my disease of alcoholism.  The program i joined taguht me to live one day at a time. Taking things as they came and dealing with them without the use of my friend Jonhn Barleycorn. Now I have a disease, Alzheimer's and Frontal Temporal Dementia, which have robbed me of those memories that i was told to keep green, so I would remember my life with JB and the hell that i lived in. Those days and other memories good and bad are all becoming only words to me. They are starting not to carry the pain, joy, saddness, hapiness , etc of my past. Alzheimer's has now forced me to live in only the minute, not even the day, I can do something at 8am and by 8:30am it is gone, not even a memory only a few words exist about it. This is becomming more and more my life. Living only in the moment. I guess that is how we are reallly to live, but this is new and confussing to me. It is about 7pm here and I cannot tell you what I did an hour ago.This fuckin disease really robs you of things and it is taking more faster and faster. But I still have ½ brain cell that refuses to give up, so I can tell you of this journey at least for the moment.

Take care of yourselves.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

GOD'S SENSE OF HUMOR

I got the following from a friend you all know i enjoy all forms of humor, I live with me that explains it.

While creating women, God promised men, that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the World.


And the HE made the earth round.


I have added some names to my In Memory Of page. I only have the names and dates they were set free, no pictures. I will add anyone's name to this list that you send me that past from any form of dementia. Pictures are nice, but any way we can remember these folks is great.


I am still looking for myself, i just keep missing me. Yesterday for the first time that i can remember Lynn yelled at me. I have to say it schocked me and made me sad. I guess I was taking to long to answer a question and kep on taling about other things and her frustration with me jsust blosommed like a flower. Oh well now it begins.


God Bless,
joe

Read More

Happy Holidays are Ringing and Calling You!

short note I am sill alive, wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We were up north in Petaluma, Ca visiting our other daughter, son in law and 4 grandkids as a xmas surprise. I am back home where I am safe. Getting turned around more and more these days. It is amazing to me how quickly one can forget something, just in seconds. This bothers me, because I always remembered things, well forgot what i wanted to say. Take cae=re of yourselves.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

PS thanks for the post contribution Carol. I am aware of the Doctor.

Read More

Have not written you all in awhile!

Yes i am still here, unfortunately. We now use pad on the bed, you know that song Old Man River he just keeps rolling on, well he does we and where he decideds to.Most of my momments are fuzzy now and fewer and fewer clear days. One of our family (this means all of you) recently lost there love one to Alzheimer's. I am still waiting for a picture name and birth date and date set free to post on memory page.  I guess it maybe to hard, believe she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's or som form of dementia just recently what a bitch life can be. Well i guess it is what it is. Have read some new studies that contradict the last 100+ years of the possible cause of Alzheimers. I need to post them for you all. They kind of boost my ego what is ledft of it showing what my doctor and i felt was right that they had the wrong path basically. Problem is I sit down to do thes things and forget why I am at my computer.My days consist of very little since i do not leave the house oftern and I sit down and the next thing you know i am waking pup hours later, i cn not control it I fall asleep while talkin even. Ihave held my own for sometime nowbut the disease is doing its job and catchin me pretty fast now.

I am no longer sending emails to people who could help raise our voice and face to the public, they just do not care my feelings, i get back auto reply emails, wel when it strikes home I guess they will be some of the loudesss to yell, and never look back at the chance they had to hep raise our voices.i will be taking my book off of my site for free shortly nobody really seems to want it either, so sounds like i am on a pitty pot, i guess i am, i have fought and fought and yelled been nice even9that took courage) and still nothing so you will only hear fom now on as i cn remember to let ou know how life is.

Thank all of you for being there for me.
God Bless & Keeep You & Tis Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

My Disease, Alzheimer's is relentless!

I hvae not written lately because I have not been able to.  To this point i have only really suffered some of the affects mentallly of the disease and the physical has gotten worse. Back brace, a scootter chair now, tremors higher dosages of meds for pain and to keep me somewhat calm. Now i ned the wrife to help me use the remote of all fricken things. I still sit at the dinner table and am not sure what I am doing, i am getting lost more and more in conversations. Hell i am starting to gorget to turn this thing on let alone post.

I keep getting sites from people tat want posted on here, but i have to read them and ask Lynn if they fit, i owe that to you my family. Some I have just forgotten this is not a sales site, with once acception MY BOOK. then the money is doneated. I am lucky these days that I can stay awake for part of the day, i just drift and that is that for hours. I am getting to know less and less where I am and actually what I am doing.
Guess it is true some of us stay mentally ok until we start to reach the end of this disease. Then all of a sudden down the hill lickety split and it is over. Not only have most of those in the documentary Memory the loss tapes left us, but a number of those is the other parts that were featured with Alzheimer's have passed since the release in 2009 I think it was. Still I hear no voices for us, only those inside my head now, but they have interesting things to say and they agree with me msot of the time, sometimes they get out of hand.

Till next time you take care of your selves.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

Dr. Joseph Sivak's New Blog

I think I promised to list this. It is on my resource link now. You can click the title of this post and go there. I must first warn you as usual my frind Dr. Sivak, does not know how to keep things short. Well he is a phsch, but a nice person. Since he has one blob I Hate Alzheimer's and of course an auother I guess he thinks he need another blog, I guess it helps him, LORD knows he needs it.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

Alzheimer's, Sleep Apnea, Early Onset Alzheimer's and Medications!

Yes I have Alzheimer's and Sleep Apnea seems to go with it. I was first diagnosed back in the mid 1990s, remember the old times. Had my test again, well now what took place, well went for my findingss or whatever want to call them, appiontment was for 10:30AM as usual had the normal 15 min. delay, that turned to 30 mins. at whch time the wifey got involved as to what was going on, well 45 min after my appt. time taken back had blood pressure, which was rissing, taken and my wieght. Seated right in front of the Dr. office and told it would be about 2 mins. and I was next. Well, he comes out and takes in three people who needed an interpeter ahead on me.  Now you all know the high esteeenm i hold the medical field in, so you can guess what took place, the Dr. was told directly what I thought and so was his entire staff and all the patients heard, you know i hold nothing back. Well with contrite voice and approach the ass called me later in the day and was so apppologitic that I wanted to vomit. I still gave him no respect or quarter. Apparently my SA is not very bad, so time will tell on the front.

Early Onset Alzheimer's diagnosis is a MYTH it does not exist people. Only if they tell you 10 or so years before. One of our family members (part of this family on the blog), husband was diagnosed with EOA from reading her blog and things it seems to me to be about a year ago.  He is now in mid stage, gee from EOA to mid stage in 1 to 2 years no way. We are generally diagnosed in mid stage, because the HealthCare providers do not want to TAG us as one of THOSE people. But if you have cancer, aids, heart disease, herpes, well yeah we can tell you normal folks get those diseases.What I am trying to say in the stage play here, is we are still not to be talked about and I see and hear it all the time.  Everything is to help the caregiver, Time To Listen To Us, we hold the key let us give it to you. Are we not people, do we not cry, do we not feel pain, do we not feel the frustrations of loosing our memories and control over our bodies? Bet your sweet ass we do and are.

I take 80mg of Fluoxetine (prozac) a day to handle my mood shifts and anger, also take 20mg of Crestor to manage my cholesterol ( diet and exercise has never worked, liver is to efficient at producing this little bugger), 300mg of Gambapentin (Neroutin) to manage moods, seizures and the neropathy that I have so I can walk and feel in my hands, take .5mg of Cholozapam (Kolonipin) twice daily to help with my St. Vidas Dance, the tremors and shakes probably will be increased because it helps with sleep temmors and REM Behavoral Disorder.

None of the so called slow the process drugs, sorry tried no help and most people I know have gotten no real benefit from them. Have hadt tow reallly top neurologists say no to them because they have not seen them help anyone in their practices. You know the drugs, Aricept, Namenda, Exerol and the rest. I have written I believe in past posts about these drugs.

Well this is a lot for me, I feel like I am preaching, probably I am and it is to the choir, no one that counts is listening, you all know this is not directed at you.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country Of Ours!
joe

Read More

I think this month will end, I hope!

Crap ass month so far, as some of you may have read my niece died a week or so ago and last week sometimme i lost my two prize KOI and then i am told I have orthostatic tremors, never say what the hellll else will happen.

Many of you know I was honrod to share the silver screen with six other lovely people in the HBO special, The Alzheimer's Project, Memory the Loss Tapes.  I considered us, although i never said anything as The Magnificant Seven.  Well Ms. Fannie Davis has passed on,I was advised today, i still need to get her pic and dates and anothers up on my Memorial Page.  I am glad to tell you that as of this afternoon Ms. Yolanda Sanmartino (the womaninthe mirror) is still kicking and doing well at Cherrywood Nursing Home. Just the two of us left, seems though we are all staying in the 8 or so year time line.

My book has made it to Europe, hopefully it will help someone over there.It humbles a pain in the ass like me that my blog, my story and my book have gotten so much attention world wide.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!
joe

Read More

Holiday Blessings!!!!

  From my family to you and yours. If you do not celebrate this time of the year, let it be known that you are still welcome in my home.

Lately I have been having more days of being in between knowing and not knowing what I am doing or where the heck I am.  It seems to be happening on a much greater scale now. I sleep a lot more now, just dose right off at the drop of an eye lid. It seems the evening hours bring back memories of my past, but not during the day I have a hard time remembering.  I guess i suffer from sundowners from the time I wake up and near the evening I have moon uppers, but I have always done things differently than other people. My in your face attituded.
Lynn is having to remind me daily now on what day and month it is, we are not counting the year, it does not matter anyhow. Have enough problem remmmebering that there are seven days in a week. I am stuck on two, Saturday and Sunday, cann't get past them.

I hope you have a great day tomorrow and all those that follow.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!!!   
joe

Read More

Dr. Joseph Sivak

Well Doc is out here in gold old CA.  He is being dragged around by his wife, that woman must never feed him, hell i make up two of him, probably i am in trouble again, oh well.

Went up to see Doc at one of his book signing, had a pleassant time. For me a very tiring trip, 160 miles round trip, I am toooooo old for that stuff. It was good to see Mr. Skinny with a red face from our sun, that will teach a winter wonderland boy to mess with us.

Nice day for me, tired, woren out but got to spend time with a good friend and met some new people, who I cannot even tell you what they look like now.  But we had fun.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!!!!
joe

Read More

Alzheimer's - The Miss Understanding of Many People

What follows is a statement made of Caring.com by a supposed, i use the term very loosely and with distain, 20yr Professional Caregiver.  Persons words just prove what I have said here, we are not understood and we need a voice, and not from the professionals.  My response to this very ill informed ass and Lynn's is there also.  Pleaase understadn that most of the people on Caring.com are really people who care and are trying to undeerstand and get good information not this type of pure crap and idiocracy.

"it's an illness, it's difficult but it's not ugly, horrible, demeaning, cruel.

i know that no-one i ever look after ever could remember my name, but i remember theirs. and i walk beside them. that's what caregiving is. it's not oppositional, it's walking beside who this person actually is now. it's about forgiving them for their illness."

Frena wrote the above. Well maybe if you had the disease Lady, you might just find out how ugly, horrible, deameaning, cruel and damnable it is. See I suffer from it, so do not hand me that load of crap. And i do not need yours or anyone elses forgiveness for me having this disease. Expert you are not, you do not live in this world. I and over 5 million people at present in thsi countyr of orus do.

Joseph

/this is Joe's wife, Lynn, I am surprised that he was very calm in the response to your letter. This is a disease. It is ugly and horrible. Nobody wants to loose their minds and that is what happens with Alzheimer's. I do not know of anybody that has this disease who needs to ask for forgiveness from you or anybody else. The people who have cancer which is a disease don't ask for forgiveness why should the people who have Dementia. Maybe you need to rethink your profession.

Read more: http://www.caring.com/questions/tell-parent-she-has-alzheimers#ixzz1ITq5Jin3


God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!!!
joe

Read More

Digital Copy of My Book

you can now purchase from my site the digital copy of my book.  Cost $8.00 usd for all.  you will neeed to download :Adobe Digital Essentials this is a free program for viewing digital Ebooks, much like Adobe Reader for pdf files.  All you need to do is click on the link and follow instructions.  Once you purchase my book I will email you a copy of it.  In case you have prooblems downloading the Adobe program I will also enclose the link with the book.  The digital copies are not autographed.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!!!!!
joe

Read More

Alan Arnette The Summit Climbet

Hi Joe,

It was great speaking with you. Here is the picture of me holding my mom’s picture on my last of the 54 Colorado 14,000 mountains. I will take this picture to the top of the 7 Summits as I climb them to raise awareness and $1M for Alzheimer’s research.

All the best,

Alan

 Alan will be attacking Mount Everest is a few weeks. It will be his third summit climb for Alzheimer's Awarness, fund raising and for caregiver support. I hope you all join me in wishing him wel. He is supposed to keep me posted on things and how they are progressing.

Alan has already accomplished what I have tried to for those of us that suffer to give us a voice, am i jealous, YES. He is giving a voice to Alzheimer's via his noterity for the climbs and the companies backing him. He has reached approximately 20 million folks so far, with radio talk shows, articles written and press coverage. He hopes to raise 1 million for Azheimer's Reasearch and the like.

Alan asked me if I would go to the mountains and I told him I did once and it looked at me and said "Fool Go Home"!

God Bless You Alan on your journey.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!

joe

Read More

Brain Decay

Over the last few days both Lynn and i have ntice a dectease in my attention and ability to relate. am developing new language, but poor Lynn she understansd what I am trying to say, what does that tell you.

Also I referred to Alan Rogers,  well good memory joe his name is Alan Arnette, sorry big guy and he is.

Have a new guy Ken with us he has Lewy Body Dementia, maybe we can get him to blog here as well as his own, to help learn about his dementia. After all that is what this site is about.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!!!!
joe

Read More

Old Mems and New Ones

I have found that old memories aer stil there but they have no time stamp you might say, I can tell you about them, but part of the probelm is that two or three may get mixed together, facts are pretty good, but knowing exactly  which memory they belong to, well you have to guess. New memories, I have only about 2 days worth, they do not stay for long at all. In fact have trouble with telling you about this morning even.

The wife colored her hair today, did it this morning so I am told, I did not notice.  Later we were up in our office, that sounds so officey doesn"t it, just a extra bedroom with the computer.  But that makes us Yuppies we have an office. I was looking at this woman in front of me and knew I thought I knew her but something was not right. I had her turn around and finally my mind put back some old color in her hair and I knew it was Lynn. Said you colored your hair, YES, when this morning, oooh i said.

God Bless & Keep You & This Great Country of Ours!
joe

Read More