Disease progression – this is our life

In the end

I wonder, pretty much in vain, what drove Burt to take to his bed. It was definitely not an improved quality of life. He did have what he needed, food, drink, change of clothes. Health concerns crop up for the bedbound, such as tending to or preventing bed sores. We took care of those. RegularContinue reading “In the end”

Redundant

My takeaway from the discussion was that the brain protects itself by holding redundancies. Well, that was one of the points I gleaned from Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk with Daniel Levitan (and Chuck Knight) on music as our first language. Why redundancy? It would be a way for the brain to keep and store informationContinue reading “Redundant”

Here’s where the focus shifts

Burt is having more interactions with hallucinatory visitors these days. He experiences delusions and a good deal of confusion. This lessens his involvement and connection with those of us with him; the ones actually in the room. For instance, when I told him I was his wife and I was home with him, he said,Continue reading “Here’s where the focus shifts”

I did it again

Oversharing, longer answers than the question called for is the hallmark of my current convos. A neighbor asked how I was doing. She was sincere, but I tried to be brief. Midway to just saying, “we’re ok, thanks.” I proceeded to add, “we just got him a hospital bed, so that’s a whole new levelContinue reading “I did it again”

Grateful

It’s easy to find little annoyances that “ruin” our day but honestly it’s just as easy to find gratitude. I am heading to meet some fellow caregivers at a party. Alzheimer’s Association 6th Annual Caregiver Appreciation Event will be our first in person meet-up. Those of us who’ve been answering writer prompts will also shareContinue reading “Grateful”

For better. Or worse.

BTW, I found the errant marriage certificate in an envelope in this bag today. A helpful neighbor who stopped by to move Burt into a better position in the bed said, “You might not notice, but I see a huge decline in the last 3 months.” I did. Notice that is. The route’s been downhill,Continue reading “For better. Or worse.”