In Lyn's last quarterly check up with her physician, her physician noted that there's been a marked decline in Lyn's ability to follow a conversation.   If she picks up on one of her triggers like hearing us discuss the body, she will start to get upset and a single sentence or two from us now mollifies her.  She'll look confused but accepts our explanation that we're not being inappropriate.  She really doesn't get mad or hold onto it much.  She was much more feisty about it even 6 months ago. When I speak to her, she's got a small set of questions she always asks.   ..read more

Recently, Mom commented that she was so thankful that Lyn hasn't had a sinus infection or major illness in some time.  Illness is very hard on an Alzheimer's patient and tends to set them further down the declining path a bit faster than they were before the illness. Unfortunately, Lyn and Mom are both fighting the flu.  The flu has been particularly bad this year and they are down with it.  Mom made sure they got their flu shots in the Fall.  She does every year.  I'm very glad they get their vaccinations.  While they're feeling awful, the shots are helping keep ..read more

Now, before you get upset at the title, I ask for your patience.  I promise I'm not going to disparage anyone's beliefs.  I'm just going to convey what was said.  Let's get to our story. Lyn's 47th birthday was about two weeks ago.  She went to Mass that day and stopped on the way out to get her normal hug from Monsignor.  Lyn's always ingratiated herself to the clergy.  She's got her grandmother's ability to charm, after all. After their hug, Lyn asked Monsignor to guess what the day was.  He clued in pretty quickly and she beamed when he guessed it was he ..read more

Well, that took longer than anticipated. I honestly thought I would just take a month off from blogging.  A series of unfortunate events have added to inertia which brings me to picking up the blog after a 3 1/2 month hiatus.  About the time I had planned to come back, I injured my dominant hand and was in a brace for a month.  The holidays happened, there was work related travel, software to release, and clients to bring live.  I am back but with the expectation that I'll be blogging less overall.  I've got some medical issues of my own to tend to as well as some rec ..read more

My blogging has seriously tapered off recently. hmm... That feels like an understatement. My blogging has laid down at the top of a grassy hill on a late summer day, pitched itself over the crown and is still rolling towards the bottom. I've contemplated quitting because it feels like there's only so many ways to say "Lyn's disease is progressing" or "she's getting worse" or "another skill was lost."  There's no miracle cure that will extend her life.  There's not been a lot of progress on the research front.  Drugs are tested and found lacking when applied to people. Is thi ..read more

Mom had a recent exchange with an individual who was claiming that a cure for Alzheimer's had been found.  The site the individual referenced was full self-referencing links and weak claims such as "...a 2006 study claimed...".  There was no reference to the study by name, the involved scientists or links to published materials. The cure in question was the basic heart healthy lifestyle approaches we've referenced here such as diet, exercise, learning a new skill, and steps to lower your blood pressure.  All of these things are good things to do for lots of reasons.  They ..read more

Mom called and got Lyn seen yesterday. The hole in Lyn's tooth turned out to NOT be a cavity.  It turned out to be a cracked tooth.  Lyn bit down on something which fractured the tooth.  The dentist says it looks like she had chomped down on a rock. Mom apologized for all the things she thought about the dental practice over the weekend.  It never occurred to us that the damage could have been a fractured tooth instead of a previously missed cavity. The dentist was gracious and laughed it off.  He also was able to repair it ..read more

On Friday, Lyn had her regularly scheduled dental appointment.  It was noted that she needed to improve her teeth brushing and flossing skills.  She was to come back to her next scheduled appointment. On Saturday, Lyn went out with her respite provider.  They stopped for ice cream and Lyn complained of her sharp tooth and that it hurt.  When they got home, Mom asked her to open her mouth so she could point to the sharp tooth.  As soon as Mom looked in, she spotted a massive cavity.   Now we're wondering how this cavity wasn't spotted by the Dentist or the hygien ..read more

When I was visiting Mom and Lyn, Lyn spotted my newest tattoo.  Mom's known about it for about a year. When Lyn spotted it, there were others around.  She quietly asked me "What's that?  Did you write on yourself?" I told her it was a tattoo. I got The Look. She didn't lecture me.  She actually never mentioned it again.  It was still worth getting The Look from her ..read more

Lyn has her favorite breakfast places.  There's a restaurant in town which serves her favorite pancakes.  She likes them because they're huge. They always make her smile ..read more