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.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Highest Praise

Tonight, I just received the highest praise I could ever ask for.

Hubby asked me if I wanted to get rid of him.
My reply was was a resounding "Not at all" then I asked why, was he wanting to get away from me?

He looked straight at me and said, "I'd be in a world of hurt without you".

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Treading Water

Feels like Hubby and I have been treading water for quite some time now.
Although we are still moving along in the Lewy Body Dementia waters at least we are not being sucked into it's undertow.
That's a good thing.

We still have cognition problems.
Just last night Hubby asked SonnyBoy where we were.
Hubby was obviously concerned and SonnyBoy got concerned about his father's state of confusion and obvious fear and relayed it to me.
Since I see this so much I suppose it's a normal question to me.
I went to Hubby and asked if he needed or wanted anything, meaning I give him yes or no questions.
Do you need a blanket? Can I bring you some water? Lemonade? Would you like cheese with crackers?
Are you feeling ok?
Hubby can answer these types of short sweet questions.
He asked me where we were and I assured him we were at our home.
Hubby's response, "That's what I thought. (SonnyBoy) didn't know where we were and I didn't know if maybe we got kidnapped or something."
I laughed and so did Hubby, then I hugged and assured Hubby nobody had been kidnapped and retrieved a snack for him.
All was right with the world again.

Mobility is getting worse.
Hubby struggles more and more with walking but is still able to get to and from the adjoining bathroom. He has limited the number of times he goes though. That reminds me, note to self, buy more laundry detergent.
Sitting up is also very difficult for Hubby. He falls over because he cant sit still.
The Parkinsons type symptoms of his Lewy Body have increased to a frustrating degree for Hubby.
Unfortunately the meds in the past we have tried for Hubby's shaking have not worked.
So he must live with the shaking. In order to combat it, he stays horizontal; even when I wake him to eat.

I think this activity stresses me a little for choking possibilities and I have expressed my concerns about it so as a compromise, Hubby lays on his side to eat and drink.
I even tried to get him to let me raise the hosp bed for him but he doesn't like the bed up, sigh.
Since there is no serious issue, pick and choose your battles with dementia.

I feel fairly confident to say that we may have been able to get Hubby's back pain to a manageable level with the increase in meds. He still has pain but at least he isn't complaining as much.

Hubby hasn't been trying to figure out ways to get away and his attitude toward me is softer. Even very dependent at times. There are times I will hear him call out to me in a distressed tone. I will hurriedly go to him only to learn he didn't know where I was and got concerned. My presence eases his distress for which I am thankful. Of course that isn't to say he doesn't get cross and suspicious, just not as much.

So here we are, treading water, staying afloat for the time being and every now and then, I can touch the bottom and stand up to rest.