Hello everyone, been awhile

Well this has truly been a day from _______. The worse day I have had in forever. My 29 year old is still living with me and now has a new baby which is 4 days old. That is the good part. The bad, we had the worse blow up in 13 years. We had really been getting alone so good. I approached him about a situation that I felt he did not truly understand about me, my diabetes and alzheimer's and the diet I am suppose to be on. He has taken over the duty of buying groceries and cooking, when he is here. The groceries are not things I can really eat. Sweets and starches. I cannot remember what I buy once it is put away, out of sight out of mind (what is left)LOL! He pulled out things in my refrigerate freezer and started telling me I needed to bend down and look and see what I had in them and how the children were starving while food I put in the freezer was ruining and me not cooking it after I bought it. Well, to begin with everything in there was not things I could have and the things I could have had been pushed to the back, (we have a side by side). The vegetables he found were on the bottom shelf in the back. Then to try and explain I forgot I bought them, well, needless to say the whole thing went downhill very fast. Here it is 7:07pm, he is not here and supper has not been started. The kitchen is a mess because he felt he needed to pull out all the can goods also and they are still on the cabinet. He put them there so he can put them up. I really don't know how to get to him and get him to read material on how to handle situations better and how alzheimer's steals my memory in different areas. He told me last week I needed to quit using alzhiemer's so much when I would be approached about something I forgot. I thought he was picking but now I have come to believe he really thinks I am using is for an excuse and I really don't have the problems that come up. What to do? I ran off several things this afternoon that would really help him if he would just really read them and try to understand. Sorry my first day back in awhile was a downer. Hug someone today and let them know you care. Sue

Med # 3

It like I turned a curve and started going rapidly downhill. My memory hasn't gotten so bad lately that my MD now has me on Aricept 5mg hs, Namenda 20mg hs and an Exelon patch every morning. Plus the B+ vitamin that is suppose to help with Alzheimer's. Other than that I am doing fine. Just can't afford to loss any more memory.

Winner

I joined this support group, DailyStrength.org, hoping to find others with early onset alzheimer's. Seems I am always looking for someone to be my "online pen pal" if you may. Anyway, the owners put together a contest. You had to write in your journal and then they would read and judge the journals and determine 2 people with chosen charities for a $1,000 donation. Well it turns out they had so many that they ended up giving 4 $500.00 donations and I was one of the four for the Alzheimer's Association donation. Yea, I am so excited. This is my entry........

Friday, October 26, 2007
Hi, my name is Sue. I am 56 years old and I have vascular dementia and early onset alzheimer's. I was diagnosis in 2004. I don't go by stages but by what I can still do and accomplish. I have 5 children with my youngest one going to boot camp next Monday. I have so many grandchildren that I quit counting and 2 great grandchildren. The youngest great grandchild is the apple of my eye. I would like to see Doug donate to the Alzheimer's Association Research to find a cure or at least to stop or slow down Alzheimer's. Mainly not for me but for my kids and their kids. I have a very loving a devoted husband that thinks for me sometimes, finishes what I say or start when I can't or get sidetracked. He is so supportive, I could not be doing as good as I am without him. It makes me sad sometimes to know that he is going through his own nightmare with all this. I have always been the strong one in this marriage now he is having to take over that and many other roles. I have helped start a support group for people with early stage dementia in my area. People still don't want to come out and say they have Alzheimer's and dementia because of society's take on it. We are not losing our mind just our brain. Meaning we are not crazy you do not have to be afraid of us. Yes sometimes there is violence. See I was a nurse for 30+ years in nursing homes. I have worked with people and families who have had to deal with this. I have tried to make all the transitions easier for my family than some people I tended to. That's not to say they are going to have it any easier dealing with me forgetting who they are or what life has meant to us as a family. I try to live every day like it could be my last because no one knows for sure when that day will come. I say I try, yes I get discouraged and depressed at times. I really try hard not too though. It is called life, you have to take the good with the bad. I would love to communicate with anyone that has early dementia or alzheimer's. That is what brought me to this site to begin with. In search of people going through what I am going through, to encourage each other.

Hope you enjoyed it. May they find a cure or at least a way to stop Alzheimer's in its tracks.

Time

It seems like just a couple days ago I wrote in my blog then I look and see it has been 10 days since I wrote in my blog. We had our memory walk last week and everyone said it was bigger and better than last year. We raised over $5,000.00. I found another web site www.ouralzheimers.com where I meet Leah. She has vascular dementia. In her journal she could have been speaking for me. It hit the nail on the head of where I am at right now with my life. My memory has not gotten better buy worse. It took me hours last night to remember my youngest daughters sons names and then I could not remember how to spend them. It was a little scary and a little sad both. Well, I will close for now. Hug someone and let them know you care. Sue

Depression

Well, this last week has been the worse in a long time for me to have such depression. I cried most of Saturday night. My confusion and thinking process was the pits. My memory is getting is worse but when I am depressed or upset it bites bad. Jesse and I went to lunch after church Sunday and then to Wally World. It helped getting out of the house some. It seems I am staying to myself alot lately. The memory walk is this week-end, I am excited. Wish we could make up some brochures or something for people with early onset Alzheimer's or dementia to know there is a place to come and talk and be together. So much for today. Hug someone and let them know you care.
Sue

How time flies

I did not realize it has been so long since I have been here. The baby is getting bigger, longer I should say. She gives me purpose in life. I sew and play with every chance I get. My house runneth over right now with my kids and grandkids. I have been staying to myself alot lately. I guess they think I am unsociable but I just can handle it all it I keep my distance. This morning was super bad with the confusion and losing money and keys at garage sales. But after a long nap I am good as ever. Made my granddaughter a pair of shoes. My son gets a little jealous when I make my great granddaughter things and not his daughter. She is eight months old and has not been around me alot in her life and she cries when I try to hold her which in turn upsets and confuses me when I am trying to get her not to cry. Hunting season is coming up and Jesse and I have decided that we will take the camper and park at a state park not far from where he hunts so I can do my thing during the day and he can come there at night. It is going to be fun I am sure. We have started a support group for people with dementia. The group is small right now but I hope to see it grow. We are doing weekly meeting right now to get some subjects taught then we will see where we go from there. Our memory walk in Oct 20, 2007. We have our team ready to walk. Well I hope to get back here more often. Thanks for the comment I received. I am glad it helped. So far now hug someone and let them know you care.
Sue

Its been awhile

Well, I did not realize how long it had been since I last got on here. Lets see I am sure I cannot reamember everything that has happened but the most important change in my life is my new great granddaughter, Jessalin Bailey, Jessie for short. She is the apple of grandma's eye. They say she is a little spoiled. But I don't believe them. She just loves her grandma. My anniversary is coming up next month. No big plans it seems. I go to the doctor Tues. we''ll see where that leads. I have spent the last 2 days at the Alzheimer's office rearraging and setting up there library to be more friendly free. I am proud of it if I do say so myself. Fannie our state social whatever is suppose to put an ad in the paper for a Alzheimers support meeting starting in Sept for PWD. My daughter has agreed to help with it. I am excited. Guess that is all I can remember. Take care hug someone and let them know you care.