Who Shot J. R. Ewing?

APR (left) PWR(right)

We spent a long day at the opthamologist  in Alamo today. Left the condo at 9:30 for a 10:15 appointment.  We were a few minutes late.  The work-in lasted until nearly 1PM.  The good news is that my mother's vision has stabalized. When you're dealing with macular degeneration (dry), that's a very good thing.  She has dry eye.  I could have told her that, but does anyone listen to me?  Noooooo!

It was an exhausting day.  Finally, this evening, it dawned on me that the days of just sitting in an office, waiting for appointments is over.  APR did great, was right on track today, well with it, but it's still the responsibility that is stressful. 

Logistics are now different.  You can't leave him alone.  Today I discovered that he needs his cowboy books with him.  He has one of those, and we're great.  He didn't today.  He spent an hour leafing through an old People.  Saw an article in it about the new Dallas.  He read that, then asked if I recognized certain cast members!  This led to a discussion about the show.  So, he's keeping up, a little.

Recently, he had not been asking about taxes as much. Oh, he still does, but not every day, several times a day.  He's now trying to find his brother and his mother.  So, while were waiting for my mother, I pulled out my wonderful Samsung Galaxy Tab 7, and went to ancestry.com.  I pulled up the entry for Gram, complete with all the social security information.  That satisfied him, for today.

This upsets my poor mother.  He'll just keep asking about his mother and his brother, and not accept our answers.

How do you deal with that one?




All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Hondo Kitty R. I. P.

Hondo Kitty 1999 - 2012

Cathy was here for the anniversary, which was a decidedly more muted affair than it was a year ago.  When I called to check on the parents this morning, APR told me that my mother was upset because the dogs killed Hondo.

I figured he was not firing on all thrusters. 
Why hadn't anyone called me?

He couldn't find her.  She was in the garage hanging up laundry.  Yes, a pair of neighbors' dogs had killed Hondo the night before.  Fortunately, Cathy and Juan were still there.  Juan dug a grave for Hondo, there with the other family members in the little cemetery. 

Hondo barged his way into their lives in the summer of 2000, when they bought the Gene Green House.  He was a full grown cat, then, so he had to be at least 13 or 14.  

Everyone, including Sadie and the other cats went through a serious mourning period for him.  The parents are so upset.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Faith, Hope, & a Couple Cute Doggies

APR, Sadie, and Rumsfeld

I sent part of this to a friend tonight. 

The reason Paul had the thorn in his side was because it was to  keep him humble.  What if the trials and tribulations some of us go through as Christians is not "breaking" but that old thorn in the side?

What if the biggest hang-ups in our lives - via unanswered prayer - are those thorns?

I am reading the most incredible book on the role of women and the church.

Christ told the male that he was to protect and cherish his wife as Christ did the church - in other words, die for her, be tortured for her, give everything for her....

That works for me.

What is so wonderful about my father, he may not know if he is to go to church tomorrow, but he is still firing on all thrusters with his faith.  He looked at me....  "And you think that is a revelation...any man who is married knows that the wife comes first, no matter what..."  It was said a bit sarcastically, with just a bit of that humor he still has.

This week I have noticed that APR is quite with it when it comes to matters of faith. The other day I was talking to him on the phone.  MD asked if I would talk to him.  He was having a "bad" day.  She wanted to see if I noticed if he was comprehending as badly as she thought he was.  Got on the phone, had a fantastic visit about the Lord.  He came up with a line that surprised and shocked me.  I want to use it as a title for a book.  "You know, the Devil is deceptive." 

What a book title!

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

UPDATED: Oh, The Weather Outside Is Frightful

Left to Right:  Paris, David, APR, Uncle P, Jim

Monday morning my mother called.  "Your father is getting dressed to go outside.  He has put on his coat and hat.  He swears it is very cold outside."

It was about 96 outside.  She talked him out of the coat and hat.  He went outside to feed the deer.  She made him come in, it was just too hot.  This was all in the same ten minute conversation that included her telling him that it was too hot to wear the coat!

She called last night.  We were talking.  I heard her tell him it was time to go put on his pajamas so he could go to bed.  "No, you have on your t-shirt and your pants."

"Those aren't my pajamas?"

"I've laid out your pajamas.  Go put them on."

She noticed the look he gave her.  "I swear he knows what he is doing and is just trying to antagonize me."

According to my sister, that may be exactly what he is doing, at times.  Seems he told her he likes to do things that will cause her to worry about him.  "She needs something to worry about!"

Little stinker!

That's the problem.  We aren't quite sure just what is the Alzheimer's, his hearing loss, and just being 88 years old.  My sister thinks it is a mixture of all three.  I'm inclined to agree with her.

FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE:

MD called this morning.  "I told your father to go out to the garage and bring in the electric griddle."  He did.  He washed it for her.  "Do you want me to wash the chord!"  She said she shrieked, told him no.  He looked her.  "Thought that would get you!"

So, some of this is for effect!  Now, we just need to know which is which.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

The Dog Ate My Hearing Aid

I'm the Cute One in Pink

My mother called Monday morning.  Sadie had snacked on APR's hearing aid the night before when he took them out and put them on the coffee table.

The following is from the letter I wrote, for my father to give to the hearing aid company to send in to get his hearing aids repaired.  What can you say?

 July 25, 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

 On the evening of July 22, I removed my hearing aids and put them on the coffee table.  The following morning I discovered that my Bichon Frise, Princess Sadie, had snacked on them during the night.

 My wife rescued them, hoping they can be repaired.
Sincerely;
A. P. Reidhead

With luck, this worked.  They think the hearing aids are repairable.

This illustrates the larger problem - he's just putting things down - doesn't matter where.  MD is required to go around, after him.

We also stopped at Verizon.  The fixed his phone.  He's happy about that.


All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Foggy Day in Hondo Town

Birthday Boy, June 11, 2012

We need to face the fact that APR is failing.  This morning, he thought it was still evening.  He argued with MD over putting oil in his new lawn mower.  It is just one thing after another.  He must now be followed.  She can't let him out of her sight.  The responsibility is beginning to show, take its toll on her.

When we were in Tombstone, she rested.  I couldn't get over the difference in her appearance.  Now that we're back home, she's exhausted, again.

I feel so sorry for her.  You don't know what to do.

When he needs to go to the bathroom when he's out - she must make sure there is no other way out.  Big challenge.

He does better when he's slept, eaten well, and has some mental stimulation.  He doesn't follow television well.  There are times when he is in his own world.  Not having hearing aids makes it much worse.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Food Fight

Ricky Ricardo or APR?

Getting APR to eat is becoming a problem.  The morning of July 3, Cathy and I decided the problem was the fact that his taste buds have changed.  We've noticed that if he  eats something savory or spicy, he eats.  If not, he doesn't really do more than pick.

He also eats things that are sweet.

We've been "guiding" food selection, helping him decide to eat savory, spicy, or sweet and it is working!  He's beginning to gain back a little of the weight he lost.

Another small battle won, for now.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

On the Road Again - Part II

Cathy Has Never Changed

We went to Tombstone on July 2.  Instead of stopping overnight, my mother thought we would try APR in one long day in the car, see what happened.  This is contrary to the way you are to travel with Alzheimer's.

He did fantastic.

By the time we reached Wilcox he was tired, sundowning, and doing his usual directional thing.  I stopped and got him a couple maps, which he used, obsessively.  The following day, when we were driving back from Sierra Vista, he decided to fold the paper map.  It was hilarious.  He was loud, fussy, and obsessive.  After 10 minutes he had it folded, perfect!  Cathy reminded me that he was always that way about folding maps.

That night we had dinner with Marge and Steve.  I had to push the parents to get them to leave before a heavy rain set in.  Didn't work.  By the time we reached the Larian, he had to go to the bathroom.  After a battle, he just got out in what was a 2 inch rain, getting soaked, to go to the br.  Gordon helped him into the room.  MD and I sat in the car for nearly 15 minutes waiting for the rain to stop.

He had a blast!

The more stimulation the better.

On the 5th, we went to Tucson.  He went to Mimi's for chicken pot pie.  My mother and I went to Louis Vuitton.  She bought Baby Cate her first piece of LV.

We've decided not to tell him about Cate until she makes her way into the world in November.  He would fret too much.

We drove back in one day.  He did fine!

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

It's My Party

5/10/12 Rachel, Grandfather, and (not visible yet) Baby Cate!

What a miserable party for the ultimate Birthday Boy!  Ruidoso was hit by a massive fire, the worst natural disaster in the state's history, with nearly 250 homes. So many of the people who were to attend the party were unable to do so.  Cathy and Dustin did not get in until the morning of.  Things were so bad, the smoke was so bad, we would not let SJFR outside during the party.

My Durango was in the shop.  All of his birthday presents were in the back.  He was very upset because he did not get anything for his birthday.  I managed to get my car back on the 15, so I did some quick shopping for his birthday and Father's Day.

I met the parents' at The Great Wall for lunch on Father's Day, bringing with me a load of "presents".  I soon discovered it was like dealing with a little kid.  I've learned what worked better than other things, so that I took him cowboy books, a portable shoe-shine kit, and little things.  It helped - lots.

At least he's still reading his cowboy books.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

On the Road Again

Sober

When we left Roswell, on the trip to Memphis, a stop was made at Starbucks. They had two large expresso fraps that needed a good home.  Deciding to experiment, I took them both.  We tanked APR up on two cheeseburgers from MacDonalds and the fraps.  He had very few problems with directions, handing the trip to Hereford quite well, save for several emergency bathroom stops.

He did okay the next day, from Hereford to Oklahoma City.  I did not stop for food until we reached the outskirts of OKC, where we went to Cracker Barrel.  Sharon met us at the hotel, and visited for ages.  He was great.

The next day, we stopped fairly early for lunch.  I was going to try and make it to Memphis.  By mid-afternoon, it became apparent that we couldn't do it.  Once he ate lunch, he was disoriented much of the afternoon to the point where I stopped in Russellville.

Sharon, who has a husband with Alzheimer's was telling me about travel.  I looked things up and realized we were doing everything wrong.  We needed to travel in short spurts of about 250 miles a day.   

That last day, I followed the recommendations for travel, stopping frequently, keeping him very well fed.  He did great.  Then again, he seems to best when there is something going on, getting lots of attention.  He did fairly well in Memphis.

On the way back home, we left on the 14th, he was tired.  About the time I turned into Russellville, he lost it.  I was afraid he was going to get out of the car while we were driving.  My mother was talking to Floyd.  She had to hang up on him and just start fussing at APR.  He was freaking because he needed to get to a restroom.

We've discovered, when traveling, he would get upset about that.

The following day, he was terrible about directions.  He kept telling me to get off the road so he could find out where we were.  I managed to get him to agree if we went into the welcome center in Oklahoma, and he was told we were o the right road, that he would be quiet.

Forget that.

The next day, we stopped at Fort Reno.  He was very interested.  Then, as it grew later, we had the same problem with directions.  I stopped at a truck stop and got him a map.  He was obsessive with it.  I was going the wrong way.  I needed to go East.  Why was I going the way I was.  It was exhausting and annoying.  He kept fussing that we didn't need to go through Amarillo.  Then, when we were through Amarillo, why haven't we been through Amarillo.

He did not snap out of it until we were in Hondo.




All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Peter Cottontail

Palm Beach - 1957

Cathy and Rachel came in for Easter.   One thing that we immediately noticed was how actively APR was following their progress after they left Memphis on Saturday.  He didn't do bad with directions.  Once they arrived, it was quite obvious that something new, a little excitement, and attention is very good for him.  It stirs up the brain a little

I made Easter baskets for everyone.  APR had a blast with his, which was filled with jelly beans, candy corn, wrapped chocolate eggs - the stuff he loves.  When I delivered them on Sunday evening, he was rather irate with the world.  Not really irate, just disgusted because no one bought him any jelly beans.  When he went through his basket, he pounced on his!  Yea, he ate the whole thing.

A few days later, Sadie decided she would eat a few pieces of left-over candy.  She found 3 Godiva truffles in her mother's purse.  Dr. Franklin's office stayed on call all night.  Sadie was okay.

APR kept asking about Cathy and Rachel, how they were doing on their return trip, etc.  He did okay, after they  left.  It was quite obvious having them around helped - greatly.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Riding Along in My Automobile

APR in 1951 - Just Married!

 What happens when you leave one very bored person in the car while you have your nails and hair done?  Well, if they don't have Alzheimer's and have something to do, they take the car and go run errands.  If you've done this over the years, and really don't have much to do, you go find a friend with whom you can visit.  When you have Alzheimer's and suddenly the car is gone, with you driving it, well, it's a bit scary!

My mother looked up and APR was gone!  The car was gone with him driving it.  The past few months, here in town, two men have gone off like this, one of them ending up dead of exposure after having become disoriented.  My father's sense of direction is shot.  So is his driving judgement.

Naturally, my mother panicked.  I was at the beauty shop myself, so I didn't answer the phone.  Fortunately, the woman who was doing her nails took off, looking for him.  So did my best friend, Josie, who has her shop across the road.  Josie simply told her customers to fend for themselves.

They found him at The Title Company, visiting with the owner, who knows he has Alzheimer's.  The only real damage done was to my mother's nerves.

She was furious with me for now answering the phone.  In her panic, she forgot his phone number.  He had his cell with him the whole time.  I was still having my hair done when she dropped him by to stay with me, while she had another appointment.

He was so funny!
Very proud of himself. 
When he came in, sitting down, he announced, "I guess I'll be eating Kal-Can for awhile."  I told him I'd heard he would be eating it for a month!

Moral of the story:  Never leave a person with Alzheimer's alone in the car with a set of keys!



All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead

Keying the Pick-Up Truck

Parents and Rumsfeld Dec. 28

We were in the ER today for about 3 hours with my mother.  No sign of congestive heart  failure, pneumonia, nothing bad.   They're putting her on steroids for  6 days for her cough.


She has had this miserable cough since November.  Needs to get rid of it.  One reason she's not sleeping well is because she worries so much about APR getting up while she's asleep.  So far, he's doing okay that way.

Still, she worries.....


I am soooo glad we went.  Dr. Whitty (he won't take any of her crap)  gave her a lecture on pain. Said the basic problem is the extreme pain  she is in for her back, fibro, and osteop.  Just let her have it  because she won't take Tylenol, or anything.

Said she's not sleeping because of the pain, which doesn't help her  breathing, which doesn't help her at all!

I felt like doing a na na na na na!  I did do the I TOLD YOU SO.

So, now we start dealing with the pain - I hope.

APR was fuzzy.  I don't know if it is the Alz. or his hearing.  We go  tomorrow to get hearing aids (again).    He's had a rough week.  I  think there is some cognitive slipping.  We're noticing that he's 
eating like a person does when they get old.  Wanting to share, not  taking full portions, leaving food.  It is part of Alz.  But, when  people hit a certain age they do that.  I'm suspecting age.

We're on a playback loop:
Did you pay the taxes?
Yes - I have the receipts.
Where did you get the money?
I used you checking account.
Do I have money in it?
Sure do.
How do you know?
Bank statement and checking it online.
Do you remember the name of the banker I used?
Why...
I want to call and see what I have in my checking account.
I check it online.
Have you paid the real estate taxes?
Yes
And there was enough money to pay them?
Yes
Your mother says we should let you do all the business.
I know, I'm organized and you aren't.
Okay.... and he is satisfied (until tomorrow, when the same question 
is asked)

Other than the money thing, and directions, APR's not bad.  When Dustin was here Thanksgiving, they were out playing with the old pick-up truck.  My father lost the keys.  The other day, he was going outside to "play" with Robert (yard guy).  He went to put on his workshoes - low and behold, there were the keys.

I remembered, when in SC, when he would come in for lunch or something, he would go in through the basement, and leave his wallet, keys on the chess table.  There were times when he would drop them in his shoes so that he would remember them!

We do go through a list of who is and isn't alive.  It is hard on my mother, especially when he keeps asking about his parents and his brother, but I told her she's going to need to get tough about it.  I can say that.  I'm not in her shoes.

So, yes, the taxes have been payed, the check didn't bounce, and I have the receipts!

Loathing the Fear

A Couple of Good Republicans!

There's something we've noticed, lately.  Several of my father's old friends have not been calling. 

When a friend called and asked my mother if APR was able to talk, it dawned on us that people are afraid to face my father and the Alzheimer's. 

The other day, during a phone call, someone asked if he were able to talk on the phone.  Then I explain unless it is late in the afternoon, or he's not sugared up, if you did not know he had Alzheimer's, you wouldn't really now it.

Cathy and I were talking about it today.  Like she says, we are all afraid to face this sort of thing.  We all do it.  You can't blame people for something we all do.

APR does quite well, most of the time.  He wants the keys back, to drive, but he can't.  We've also realized we need to come up with some sort of way to let him handle a limited checking account.  It's so hard at times.

The Miserable Facts of Life

Princess Sadie in Her Christmas Frock

I think it's time we stop fooling ourselves, then again this latest slip is recent.  Like I wrote a few weeks ago, APR was doing great.  He has gone down hill, visibly.  We were at lunch today at Cattle Baron. Heather, who works there, told me she noticed a big change today.  I've not seen him since Sunday, and I see a difference.

We keep making excuses.  He doesn't feel good, has a little bit of the bug going around.  When he says he doesn't feel like eating that vile banana pudding they serve on Cattle Baron's salad bar, I know he isn't feeling good.  He was having spatial difficulties today with his food.  He loves ribs.  I sure wish I ate meat, because they looked fantastic.  Anyone who knows my father, knows he can clean a rib better than a piranha. Heather brought them out, along with the bone plate.  He reached for the little hand wipe, and had a hard time opening it.  My mother had to tell him he didn't need it.  She cut the meat off the ribs, but he didn't eat them.  He didn't touch his potato.  This will then start the battle with her trying to feed him tonight, to get him to eat.    She had tanked him up on a protein shake about 12:30, so that may have made a difference.

This morning he was fairly okay with things.  We can usually discuss the news.  He follows politics quite well.  He was just out of everything.  Couldn't focus. He does the sundowners thing, late in the afternoon.  The other day, he thought my mother was his old girlfriend, Jackie.  He wasn't going to go put on his jammies because he did not think it was proper being in the house with his girlfriend. 

Last Friday the neurologist and hit my mother right between the eyes with what was going on with the disease.  It hit her quit hard.  She had been approaching this with a sense of humor.  Today at lunch she was in tears.  I don't think she realized exactly what was going to happen.  The day before, he was extremely lucid.  They were doing some paperwork.  He was far more with it than she was.  I can't believe the difference in a week.

Maybe it is because he isn't feeling good.  You grasp at straws.  They were to get their B-12 shots today.  It will be interesting to see if that makes a difference.  He's also been using frozen strawberries instead of fresh.  There could be a difference with that, also.

 

Flu You!

Christmas (What Else?)

My mother is down with the flu.  Did meals on wheels.  APR does incredible when he is required to take responsibility!   Very few fuzzies, which is great.  Took him fried chicken.  Told me he needed a soda for the pizza.  My mother looked at him like had Alzheimer's.  He found the frozen pizza I brought him.  My mother said he takes better care of her now that he has Alzheimer's than when he didn't!

Cathy and Laura were here at Christmas.  Both noticed he is better than he was in August.  Like Cathy said, he's doing much better than he was in Feb when they started working on a diagnosis.  The B-12 shots are amazing!

He had problems late in the afternoon, around 5:30, but, once he eats, he comes out of it.  While Cathy was here, he was quite on the mark.  The more excitement, the better he does.  He did chores all day today for my mother.  Called me to tell me she wasn't feeling good.  Just fairly up on things.

Then again, he totally screwed up the gas delivery, but they'd been warned about the Alzheimer's - so he does have his moments.  But - right now, there are far more good moments than bad ones.  Wouldn't it be wild if the B-12 shots actually worked!

Unreliable Sources

Cupie Doll Photo! (Wind storm)

The weather outside has been absolutely frightening for nearly a week!  Today was the first time since last Tuesday that the parents' have left the house. My sister and I have created a no ice policy.  Last Friday morning, APR went out to feed the cats, slipped.  We don't need a broken hip.  When he stays home for more than a few days at a time, he gets bored and cranky.  Today was a cranky day.

We have daily questions/phone calls on the following subjects:

1. Do you have any checks.  I need a few.  (He's not going to get any, either)
2. I need the tax bills so I can look through them.  (They're paid, he's seen them, he's not getting the original - he will lose them - and that's not the Alzheimer's)
3. I need a credit card.  (He maxed his out and I'm trying to pay it down)
4. Why won't you let me drive. (Insurance purposes)
5. Is the checking account overdrawn?  (No, that's why you don't get a check.  The last time he had one he wrote a check of $1800 and told us a week later!)
6. Can I have copies of the tax bills?  (I don't have time to copy them.  The excuse works).
7. I need a check.
8. I need to see the tax bills.
9. What about my credit card.

He has one set of questions he asks me, and another he asks my mother.  I don't think he's started on Cathy.  Other than that, he's doing good.  He's up on the latest news. All in all he's doing fairly well for an 87 year old!

For the people we do business with on a fairly regular basis, we tell them what is going on.  Most people are so nice about it.

Today the constant questions were a little much.  I was trying to do a car-pool thing with Rumsfeld and Doc Holiday.  I was running late. Had to get to the beauty shop.  Had to drive down to Glencoe to pick up mail.  So, I hung up on his, twice.  He was really ticked, told my mother so, twice.

This is so hard for them both.  She is exhausted, quite upset at times.  I'm learning that you need to be a bit cold-blooded.  It's no fun.

ABOUT THE PHOTO:  I showed it to Leroy today on my iPhone.  He thought I was terrible to have taken it.  There was a tremendous amount of wind.  APR was sitting there, looking like a little Cupie Doll. Naturally I had to send a copy of it to my sister.

Just Charge It to My AARP Card!

You Can't Get a Decent Photo of My Mother!

We have noticed a problem with spending.  My father, once the most careful person in the world, now doesn't care what he spends.  Ergo, he is not allowed to have checks.  He has one credit card.  I had my mother take it away from him because he had maxed it.  After a couple months, I'd paid it down a little.  She gave it back to him.  He maxed it in 2 days.  He was told he could keep it in his wallet, but not to use it.

The check book is in hiding.

Every time they go out to eat, he complains that he doesn't have a credit card or a check.  Darn right he doesn't have a check!

This evening the usual argument ensued.  My mother gets upset about it, but either you laugh or cry.  He flipped out his AARP card to give it to the server.  Fortunately, she knew he has Alzheimer's and was very nice about it.  I just shook my head. 

My mother was getting ready to cry.

Then I though about Aunt Eva and the chicken bone.  When my sister and I were little kids, we were visiting in Louisville, at Aunt Eva's house.  She had a little problem going on, tried to get my sister to eat her chicken leg, which had nothing left on it.  Over the years it has become a standard family joke.

Tonight, I thought about that.  Mentioned            it to my mother, who went from dismay to laughter.  It was funny.

What else are you going to do but laugh?

On a rather annoying note, and I should not be annoyed, he calls at least once a day to ask about property taxes. One of our dirty little family secrets is the fact that we had a difficult time catching the Alzheimer's.  One reason is because his basic personality resembles someone with Alzheimer's!  He was always misplacing things.  Property tax time was a nightmare from hell, while he rushed around looking for the bills he tossed aside until the last minute. 

So - every day - he asks about taxes.  I try to be patient.

 

There Ain't No Sanity Clause

Just a Couple a' Republicans!

I come from a very Marxist family - Harpo, Chico, Groucho, and even Zeppo!  One of our family's favorite movies is A Night at the Opera.  The first time I saw it, I laughed until I was crying.

One of the classic scenes in the movie is the discussion between Chico and Groucho about a contract for tenor, Ricardo.  They went through the party of the first part, ripping section after section out of the contract.  Finally they reached the Sanity Clause.  Chico's comment, "There ain't no Sanity Clause," is the stuff comic dreams are made of.

During the past year, the parents have been working on their wills, trust, powers of attorney, medical directive, etc.  About a month ago it came to my attention that it would be a good thing to have a physician sign off on the fact that both parents were 'in their right mind'.  I was a little annoyed at first, as was one of the attorneys they are working with.  But, it needed to be done.  (I will admit one of the reasons I pushed it is due to the research on a book I am doing about dealing with seniors and what their children need to know).

The reaction of their GP was a bit strange.  I was really ticked, thinking he was concerned I was trying to take advantage of the parents.  Come to find out, he'd never even thought of doing something like this, and was also experimenting on it. 

Lo and behold my father did better than my mother!  He ended up answering some of the questions posed to her!  She was quite pleased with that one, so they both passed the sanity clause.

Seriously, there is some evidence that the B-12 injections are working!  They say after 3 months, and the 3rd injection, you will know if they are going to have an effect. 

They are!

We still have problems with directions, and tiring in the evening.  But, the effects are obvious.  On Tuesday, Maggie was telling me she could tell a difference.

He is still furious that he can't drive.  That specific awareness is gone, so there is no way he can drive. He's ticked about that, but all in all,  his disposition is much better.

Maybe there is a Sanity Clause after all!

Food Fight

When I Was A Few Days Old

We have a little problem.  APR wants Worcestershire Sauce on anything with meat!  There are times when he really doesn't want to eat beef unless he has it.  Sergio, at the little Mexican restaurant where we eat has gone so far as to keep a bottle for him.  When we eat at Cattle Baron, Heather automatically produces a bottle.  He always did drown everything in it, so why not be consistent.

Chocolate

Trolling for Candy!

There is a dramatic change in my father when he is all sugared up!  We've discovered when he starts lagging a little, we hit him with some sugar, serious sugar, coffee, this sort of thing, and give him 45 minutes.  He perks up like crazy.

So, my mother decided to get him chocolate. 

That's where the problem is.  Whatever my father eats, Sadie eats.  She's in serious need of a diet, BTW.  If she's not careful, she won't be able to fit into her adorable new pink hoodie.   Well, every time APR hits the candy dish for chocolate, we are terrified he is going to give something to Sadie.  The other day my mother finally put up the chocolate.

He's doing fairly well.  I do think there is a difference with the B-12 shots.  We're having some short term replay, but not bad.  It is surprising how well he is doing.  There are times when he is driving my mother crazy.  She frets, constantly.  At night, he goes around checking all the doors, unlocking them!  I suggested she unlock them, then when he checks them, he locks them.  Last week, she had me take him with me to do some errands.  He wanted to nap while I was in the grocery store.  If she had known, I would have been in trouble.  I get all the way around to the veggies and he comes in, knows where I am, no problems!

I have this terrible feeling we're not giving him enough credit for things.  Jeff McClough warned me about this.  I've been so frantic about other things in life, I've not paid much attention to it.  I must start doing better.

Like a Sugared Up 87 Year Old!

Just Married - 60 Years Ago!

We have been experimenting on my father.  While the word "experimenting" may contain elements of shock - what have we been doing - well, it's not as bad as it sounds.  He's done quite well with our experimentation, actually.

For the past month or so, we've noticed a difference when APR had a breakfast of real oatmeal, sugar, whole milk, and fresh strawberries.  On days he has such a meal, he does quite well. 

We've also noticed when he has a lunch, following breakfast of toast, eggs, and bacon, and the lunch consists of good healthy food for a diabetic, he gets the fuzzies.  The first time we really noticed was in Roswell at Chilis.  He had his favorite Margareta Chicken, black beans, and a dab of rice.  This is a diabetic's dream meal.  Well - within the hour he could not remember where he lived.  He wasn't sure how to get home.  Wasn't even sure what day it was.

Stopping at Starbucks, we tanked him up on a grande strawberries & creme frap.  Within 45 minutes he was great.  He began mentioning if I did not slow down, I was going to miss the turn to the house!

About 2 weeks ago a very dear Christian woman from New Orleans sent me a link to the so called "Alzheimer's Milk Shake" that is being marketed in the UK.  There is one here, that is having mixed results.   The one being marketed here is based on the premise that the Alzheimer's brain does not properly metabolize insulin.  It is not as effective as the one being used in the UK, which is based on food products that are not much different from what he's getting with his morning oatmeal, cinnamon, sugar, whole milk, and fresh strawberries.  It also has a truck load of sugar in it.

Last week, starting on Tuesday, we began experimenting.  On Tuesday, they had an early appointment in Las Cruces.  Breakfast consisted of coffee and toast.  We had lunch at Lorenzo's.  APR had a small salad, Italian dressing, 3 excellent yeast rolls, and eggplant parm on penne pasta.  By the time he had finished the meal, he was getting the directional fuzzies.  We decided to try a dessert on him.  He had chocolate mouse and coffee.  We went from Lorenzo's to Starbucks, to grab an iced tea on the way back up to Ruidoso.  My mother decided to experiment, so she got him the usual strawberries & creme frap.

About thirty minutes later it was like a light flashed on.  He perked up and started remembering numbers, details, dates, locations, stuff he'd not talked about in years!  It was like a sugared up 87 year old!

The next day I learned that my mother had run out of oatmeal.  So, she gave him healthy breakfasts of eggs, bacon, fruit (excluding strawberries). You could actually see him go downhill, to the point where, on Saturday an Sunday he was having hallucinations. 

He was getting desserts.  His blood sugar in the morning would be about 130 or so.

Monday evening she found some oatmeal in the freezer.  Starting on Tuesday morning, he's had oatmeal, whole milk, several tbs of sugar, cinnamon, strawberries, toast, butter and coffee.  He's having dessert, and quite a few sweets.  His morning blood sugar is anywhere from 105-120 or so.  Yesterday, he was doing good.  By today, he was doing very well.

He was great at lunch today.  He had a steak at Cattle Baron.  He did the salad bar, if that's what you call his "salad" which consisted of macaroni something or other, a few carrots, and a marshmallow something.  For dessert he had about a half cup of banana pudding.

About 30 minutes ago he called.  He discussed politics, voting patterns, finances, and mentioned that my mother was annoyed with him, yet again.  She had him sitting on a bench outside the beauty shop.  Glenn Chang, walked down the street for the mail, waved.  He talked about Glenn.  He discussed Obama, and 20 years of oppression under Democrat rule during the Depression until Ike!  While he was doing this he was counting motorcycles.  There's a huge bike rally here.  He said he was counting bikes, had to be nearly a hundred going past while we talked!

What have we learned?

APR requires old fashioned, real, cooked oatmeal in the morning.  My mother is adding cinnamon, sugar, whole milk, fresh strawberries, more sugar, toast, orange juice, butter, and coffee.  I doubt if Michelle Obama would approve of it. Neither would the diabetic associations.  The family care physician's nurse is already on my mother's case because she said strawberries have too high a carb count for a diabetic.

The things we are learning are diametrically opposite to some of the things the official diabetic party line is telling about Alzheimer's.  With APR there is definitely a connection between the amount of actual sugar, the kind Michelle Obama does not want you to have, and the diabetic police say is bad for you - pure refined sugar.  It is what is keeping him from acting like a senior citizen who has a few little problems, and someone who is dealing with Alzheimer's. 

His blood sugar has dropped so much, they've cut his diabetes medication in half. 

I wonder if it's the cinnamon?

There is a moral to this story.  The food police are not always right.  If we were to listen to the party line on what he should be eating, my father would be in very bad shape.

The Day After the Day After

By Sunday Evening, Sadie was Exhausted!

It's over. 

Everyone has gone home, intact.  Rachel's SUV made it back to Memphis in one piece.  Laura's apartment and her cat were not harmed when Irene hit NYC.  My cucumber sandwiches were a disaster.  Other than that, and a few shattered nerves, things went quite well (sort of). 

My mother is exhausted.  She's still in her jammies after two days of rest (we hope). Our real fear was that APR would have this tremendous let-down once the 60th Anniversary celebrations were over.  On the contrary, he is doing great (thus far).  He's quite with it.  There were some shaky moments late Sunday, but not bad at all.  Cathy feared major fuzzies.  He did great! 

60 Years! 

Yesterday he called several times while my mother was napping.  He called today, while she was napping, looking for the car keys.  It was obvious he wanted me to come down to the house after I picked up the mail.  I did.  Sadie was a little down, bouncing off the wall, bored after her admirers left the building, but other than that, things were fine. 

We made a major discovery this weekend.  So far, with this phase of the disease, the more going on around him, the more the intellectual stimulation, the better APR does.  I suspect this may run contrary to popular opinion, which calls for calm.  He does great with a group of people and things going on, the more things, the better.   He did not eat as  well as he should have, but we suspect he may have been grazing a little.  I know on Friday, he and Dustin, according to Dust, were tossing back Ensure shooters!  APR had chocolate and Dustin had strawberry, if anyone is interested in the gory details.

Sadie Slept Through the Photo Opt

On Saturday, Dustin pulled the old Buick, my old powder blue 67 Rivera convertible, out of the shed.  They spent the afternoon tinkering with it.  I have this feeling, as the years progress, Dustin is going to be the one to be able to reach him, through their mutual love of cars.  When I told him, this afternoon, that Dust wants to get the Buick running, and take his grandfather cruising down Route 66, he was so excited.  A light went on in his eyes!  Now he has someone to share his car books with. 

Dustin is going to try to get back in a month or so, to work on the car.  I think it will give APR something to look forward to.  I have a feeling things like that are going to be increasingly important.

APR's Perkins cousins, Jean, Kerry, and Jean's husband Lee, arrived on Friday evening.  They had dinner with us on Saturday, and were in and out Sunday and Monday.  Late Monday evening, APR got a few things mixed up with some stories, but that's okay.  By that time, I don't think any of us were quite with it.

Clueless in Ruidoso (and everywhere else)

Sweet Sadie (She's sleeping, that's why!)

I am ticked and annoyed.  My mother just called.  No, I'm not ticked that she said they were on the way to the ER with my father.  His arms and legs were tingling.  He thought he had a pain in his left arm and chest.  She then called and said they were not going up, but meeting Alicia for lunch. 

I'd read somewhere about tingling in the extremities being a symptom.  I know restless leg is.  I started looking up physical symptoms of Alzheimer's.  Well - try finding a list.  There isn't one.  There are lists of body systems affected.  There is information about behavior.  There is information here and there.  You can find end-stage physical issues, but that's not much good early on, not much good at all.

The list of cognitive symptoms is everywhere. I found an idiotic piece that exercise may delay onset.  That's a total crock.  My mother has kept APR very active.  I can't imagine anyone would be so pathetic and manipulative to try the exercise gambit.  In fact, WebMD's information on Alzheimer's is the least helpful and far less accurate than other sites.  The bottom line is there is no one single list of physical things to watch for - early on.

Early physical symptoms that may appear before the mental symptoms:
Difficulty getting up out of a chair
Difficulty getting out of a car.
Difficulty getting up from a table.
Constant feeling of being cold.
Difficulty walking and maintaining balance.
Changes in urinary habits.
Recognition of scents and odors.
Hand grip

So far, this is my list. I keep looking for additional things.  I think there is a great disservice to people, not to have a list like this.  APR's early symptoms were more physical than cognitive.  If we had known to put these symptoms together with the constantly lost wallet (he was always losing things, so that never bothered us), etc. maybe we could have caught things earlier and saved a heck of a lot of trauma.

I never became truly disturbed until last December when I noticed that he could not do certain math problems the way he once did.  That's when I knew we had a real problem, but never thought of Alzheimer's.  It's quite obvious that we are at the first stage, and have been there for at least a year.

All rights reserved, SJ Reidhead. 

A Fuzzy Day in Roswell Town

Cathy, Sadie & Hondo (who was ticked with Sadie)

Yesterday was a very fuzzy day.  I'm not sure if it is an additional change, but APR's directional problems were worse than usual.  He was okay when we left the house about 12:30.  He napped for about 30 minutes.  When he woke up, as he frequently does when in the car, he did not know quite know where he was.  He knew he was in Roswell. but was a little fuzzy on the directions.  The "usual" questions lasted until we were nearly back at their house.

  1.  My head isn't working right.  Just what road are we on?
  2.  Are you sure you know where we are?
  3.  Just where is our house?
  4.  Are we going back to where we were to pick up our clothes? (he thinks it is a motel)
  5.  Just where are the dogs?
  6.  Is this the right way?
  7.  This road just doesn't look right?
  8.  How many houses to we own in Lincoln County?
  9.  Are we going back to where we were last night?
10.  Are our things safe where they are?
11.  Aren't we going to go pick up our clothes?
12.  Are we going to stay where we've been for the past four nights?

He asked these questions, repeatedly - over and over.  My mother was very good with him, very patient.  I felt sorry for her.  Then again, she learned that someone they know is now in such bad shape with diabetes that he has lost his vision, cannot walk, can barely use his hands and is dealing with dementia.  What is worse, that or Alzheimer's?

One thing we did note that, yesterday he only had a piece of toast and a doughnut for breakfast.  He usually has 2 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (you think my mother would do instant?), toast, fresh fruit, OJ, and coffee.  He ate nothing else until 2:30 and then it was almost all protein.  I got him a Starbucks strawberry & cream frap.  Thirty minutes after digesting the frap, he was his old self.

Is there a connection?

Or - are we hitting another six months problem?

Yesterday evening he was okay.  My mother thinks the problem is that we have traveled so much that he has it on his mind.  He's just not quite clear between here and South Carolina.

Today's he is okay.