The Changing Patterns in My Life 6/29/2007

My life has changed radically since I received the diagnosis of Alzheimers a few months ago.
The disease overshadows almost everything in our lives. We live it, breathe it, endure it. We still do special things, it has not taken over our lives, its just become a undeniable part of it.

Sometimes when I am having a lively conversation,I forget a word or phrase.
A void(blank space) appears in my brain. I stop talking, trying to remember what I was going to say, or sometimes I just laugh and say, "what u ma call it" and continue talking. Its quite frustrating!

The inside of my body feels like its going faster. Some times I race around the house doing this and that. I have trouble slowing down. Other times I'm the same ole me!

Mood swings are part of this.
I can be happy, all of a sudden something happens and I become upset,snappy and raise my voice. I repeat the same thing over and over. My husband says I sound like a broken record. Its hard to stop whats happening. We have developed a system for him to help me stop. So far its working.

I don't sleep as long as I used to, and I am forgetting how to spell some words. I have to make sure I put items in a certain place to find them.

I enjoy writing, but sometimes I have to force my self to do it.
Maintaining a postiive attitude is hard ,but I know its best for state of mind and well being.

Almost everthing I read on the internet states this is a fatal
disease. I know this, yet I hold on to the hope that with in a few years
there will be a major breakthrough, and perhaps it will not be too late for me or others.

Medications are available to slow it down , but not stop or cure it.
There are some new clinical trails with new medications which break down
amaloids in the brain.
They have not been released by the FDA yet.There is an informative article in June AARP bulletin which tells of new break throughs. You can see this information on line if interested. I will write about some of it at a later time.

Many have illnesses which they face on a daily basis. Each copes differently but we all have the common goal of trying to live and do the best we can with what God has given us.

I ask for your prayers for the multitudes who are suffering from various illnesses, and urge you to write to your state rep. or congressman to approve more monies for research in different medical fields. Thank you and God Bless.......m