One of Our Family Needs Your Help

I got the following comment the other day, you all need to help this lady. You know me, it would be so what the hell do you think he is going through, toughen up and deal with it he has to 24/7. But I know you all will give her the guidance and advice she needs on her side of the fence.  Many of you probably know I am 66 and the old gal i am married to is a robust 50. So i hope she also replies to this. Enough of my ranting and carrying on. Help this lady!
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "When is it time?":

Hello all

My husband was diagnosed 4 years ago with mild memory loss. We were doing fine until 6 months ago. all of a sudden he started packing boxes and telling me he has to go home. He was home. It continued to go down hill from there. So fast. That is what is so confusing to me. He is in a nursing facility now. The doctors advised me to do this. The big question of the day is, Do I feel guilty. The big answer is yes. we had our 35th wedding anniversary in January 2011. He was there and I was at home. This is so difficult. I look for a support group regarding early onset Alzheimer but there is no group for spouses. He just turned 69 years old. I'm much younger and very empty.
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This is a good family here and I am glad she found us.

God Bless & Keep You & This Country of Ours!

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First time to post...

First, THANK YOU Joe for inviting me to post on your page! I've been a big fan of yours since the HBO series came out...as soon as I viewed it, I knew I had to look you up on the big wide web.

A bit about me: I've been a nurse for 17+ years and have a very special place in my heart for the geriatric community. I've been an instructor for 8 years at a Technical school. I teach adult students in different allied health fields. After beating the floor for several years, I felt that it was my calling to pass on what knowledge I have to others. I believe that every person living in a nursing home or receiving home health care deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. As far as I am concerned, there just is not enough of that these days. It takes a very special, and patient person to care for elders, regardless of what disease process they are going through.

In my Certified Nurse Aide class, I have my students do a research paper on Elder Abuse and another on Alzheimer's Disease. Part of my teachings over Alzheimer's involves the HBO documentary - The Alzheimer's Project. And you, as well as the others that are and were inflicted with this monsterous disease. In case you haven't been told yet, thank you for allowing your story to be told.

Today after I took the students on the Alzheimer's Brain Tour, I showed them the documentary. I am always amazed at comments the students make. "I didn't know that this disease was that bad" or "What a horrible disease to get". My answer every month is always the same: Yes it is, on both accounts. There is no cure for Alzheimer's as of today, but my hopes and dreams is that there will be... soon.

A couple of weekends ago, I was on a flight to Houston, reading your book when the lady sitting next to me commented on the book cover. She said that it was an unusual picture, but it had a catchy title. I explained to her who you were and during the conversation, she informed me that she has a mother who has the dreaded disease. I gave her your website and I hope that she has had a chance to log on and look you up. The experiences and emotions that you are dealing with IS helping others out here Joe. How can it not? No one knows what a person with Alzheimer's is going thru or feeling unless someone tells us. You are doing that for all of us. Thank you for that.

I will post more in the coming days and as always, I look forward to reading your blog. Thank you again for inviting me to post.

Hug Lynn and hug yourself!

Judy

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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

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As The Present Fades

I am still amazed at this point that I can still converse with you and tell you how things are going in my journey or battle if you will. In the beginning and still now i am prepared for the mental walkings and goings but I was never prepaired for the physical problems.  Walking with a swagger, actually kind of a stumble and hunched, feeling icky most of the time, getting exttermely upset around people and sweaty like a pig, shaking like i do, not able to hold things all the time, just not ready for this crap.

I find my world in fading in and out now. I recognize family and people and suddenly they start to become someone else. Same person standing there but my brain seems to switch off and step back and say who the fuck is that. I am finding this to be happening more and more, I feel like i am fading away from Joe and going somewhere and I cannot stop it anylonger. I really wish I would hear from others in this world of mine and what they are going through and how they feel. It is really a lonely place, yes I have people around me that care and help, not the same, they are not here with me, in my reality such as it is.

I must go now my mind is confused and i am getting very angry.

God Bless You & This Country of Ours!
joe

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Asking for Help & New Link Added.

I have added a new link, Nursing Home Abuse, for those of you that may have problems with a nursing home or need help in finding and how to look for one.  Do hope that this will be of help.

I am glad to see the comments of help going back and forth, this will help you I think and hope. This is what this blog has been waiting for.  Out of the avg of 179 people that visit each day, I think some of you have great wisdom to offer each other. For me, getting better is not taking place, getting worse is and will till it kills me.

You all know I just love the medical profession and researchers with great and profound moranity. I got a mailer the other day, Alhzeimers cured and the cause, medical book supposedly. AD caused by lack of insulin in other words diabetes of the brain. The gist is that extra insulin can halt or even reverse the damage. A lot of quacks out there, amazing that this one dr. has found this out and has not shared it with the medical community but is with the world.  I think I will go have to cokes so the caffine stops my AD.

I need some help or at least to know if any one with AD out there or caregivers have noticed this happening:
For a cpl of months now I have been experienncing pain in the brain, this is not a headache or migrane as one knows them to be.  It is like someone with really big hands is reachin inside my skull and just squeezing the hell out of my one brain cell, trying to make it smaller. This can last for hours to days, even longer once it is gone I notice that more of me is gone.  I guess the details I follow because of my employment was in the field of computers and data gathering and details, still with me to a degree. Have talke to my shrink and pyhsycologist about this and get a dumb look. So you folks my family if you have any info on this I sure would like to know about it, I feel alone enough now without being the only one with this bull shit.

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To You Who Care For US!

This is my Thank You to all of you that give care for those in this World I live in.

Strange this may sound, but when we are set free from this disease, something really wonderful happens, YOU TO ARE SET FREE. The great burden you shoulder with us on a daily basis, which can be unbearable at times, is lifted from you. You once more are blessed to live your life. Maybe caring for another, or just getting a very well deserved rest for your heart, soul, mind and body.

From thos stil in my world and those that have been set free: THANK YOU11

God Bless You & This Country of Ours!
Joe

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