Disclaimer

This is dementia. It's not just a memory problem.
What you read in this blog is purely my own personal experience in dealing with Lewy Body Dementia every day.

This is not meant to offer any medical or legal advise.
I have no professional training in care giving or experiences in formal writing.
I'm just a woman that loves her husband deeply and wants to provide him with the best quality of life he can and chooses to have.
My prayer though this is "Lord, What am I learning from this; how can I use it help someone else and to glorify You?"
If just one person finds comfort in this public blog. I will feel like it was a success.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Another day starts at 4 AM

But not like the first.
One of the features of Lewy Body Dementia is REM sleep disorder.
Hubby acts out in his dreams hitting and punching.
Most people during dreams are in a "frozen" state.
Ever have a dream in which you tried to get away or do something and couldn't move?
Well that's because you can't move. Your body is semi paralyzed.

With Lewybodies the poor dreamer is in a real struggle of falseness and reality.
False thoughts in the form of dreams and the reality of attacking, hitting, punching and/or kicking.
All dreams seem to be violent in nature which at times can be distressful not only for Hubby but for myself when I'm on the receiving end of the nightmare. You would be distressed too if you were waken from a sound sleep with a smack upside the head, I'm just saying.
And I've mentioned before about the poor bedside table.

This morning was no different than any other REM sleep moment other than the jolt awake did just that,
woke me up,
so here I am.

Since our last 4AM fall down Hubby has been doing OK. He is sore more than anything.
He requires more assistance in rising from the bed due to the soreness but other than that, No marks across his face and only minor bruises on his arm where he hit it on something.
He has resumed his sleep pattern of most of the time.
As for me, for some reason, I am just beat.
I think for the last 2 days I have been more tired than usual.
I find myself napping for even 10 mins a few times throughout the day.
I will chalk it up to the dreary cold weather we have had again.

SO I am happy to report that we are in a holding pattern and I'm quite happy with that.
Today Hubby's aide should be here for 4 hrs and I have no errands to take care of or groceries that just have to be purchased so I think I shall call a friend and see if she would like to have lunch with me.
I need a little down time when caregiving is on a back burner of my mind and not a front runner.
I don't get to do that often.

It's a good day, no fooling, and I hope you can say the same. :)

1 comment:

  1. Yay for good days!!!!

    Fortunately, I don't sleep with my mother so I don't get woken with smacks in the head. I don't think I could handle it as well as you.

    Enjoy your time off! I remember before my mom went to day care every day, I had a hard time coping with her illness.

    Now, she goes to "work" and loves it. She comes home exhausted and sleeps through the night. The director of the day program gives her a notepad and pen.

    My mom sits in her office and works with her. I told her that the money she earns goes to help the children that she sees all the time. The money helps them to find their mom's.

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