It's been a while now since I have written anything for this blog. I couldn't face it for some reason. I felt I had nothing good to report. Alzheimer's is a slow death. A cruel disease of the mind. It has taken over my sweet dads mind and body.I decided to suck it up and face it! I know a lot of you are going through the same thing with your loved ones and rather then hide, I need to be interacting with all of you so that we can benefit from each others support.
The update on my dad is that he is still hanging in there. He doesn't really talk anymore or do anything much for that matter. He still feeds himself though. He recently had a growth removed on his head that was cancerous. They claim they removed all the cancer. We have been praying for him. Praying mostly that he will not suffer. Our prayers aren't so much that he will recover from Alzheimer's or anything like that but more that he will be free of pain. I know it's up to the Lord what happens but I personally pray that the Lord will free him of this horrible disease by freeing his soul that is trapped. His beautiful soul is trapped in a body that can't communicate any longer. He can't communicate his love for us or the knowledge that he has for so many things. It's all dead. The only thing still living is his soul and it is trapped beneath his Alzheimer's skin. I am so SORRY you have to endure this dad!!!!
So for now, we continue to visit him and let him know we love him. He is still hanging on for some reason and that reason we won't know while living on this earth.
We love you dad!
10 comments:
HI Krista
It's been a while since we have talked. My Mother is too in her end stages of the disease. She sleeps most of her days away, speaks very little and rarely can complete a full sentence. She cannot feed herself and needs total care in all areas. I too refer to my Mom as hanging on.
In this stage, I have found I need to look for different signs from my Mom. I no longer expect her to talk to me. What I now look for are things like: eye contact, a little giggle, or a smirk on her face.
When I visit I touch Mom a lot; rubbing her cheeks gently, putting lotion on her arms or legs. I crawl in bed with her and cuddle.
Although many things have changed and her "typical" response to things is less, her soul still lives on and does respond. She just responds in new ways. Her new communication style has changed.
I would urge you to look for different signs, more subtle things that we usually take for granted.
Also appreciate the silence between the two of you. Remember how soothing it was to just sit by you Dad, when you were younger, saying nothing. I figure at this stage, that silence, that time alone feels the same to my Mom. Calming just knowing someone is with them that cares.
Take care
Lori
I know how hard it's for you..My mom is in the last stage "A" i just pray that she had no pain.... so sorry for you and your family you will be im my prayers and thoughts...Pat H
I understand your prayers, I too pray the same for my mother.
I understand your prayers, I pray the same for my mother! Blessing you and your father ~
Krista... you have been the most amazing daughter a father could have. (You and your sister both have researched this horrible disease and shared your findings and tips with others)
As hard as it was loosing my Mother... I was at peace with her death. She did not suffer and I was with her everyday... seven days a week. I did right by her...so I was at peace. Please be at peace with your Father's passing. You did right by him and his spirit knows it.
Memories are forever girl!!! I use my Mom's old sayings all of the time. I think of her often... and I chuckle at what a character she used to be. I miss her.. but I have lots of pictures and memories of her. She did not suffer and now she is resting.
I think the world of you Krista and I am so very fortunate that we met... your blog helped me out a great deal. You allowed me to share my story on your blog and for that I am forever grateful.
Donna
xoxoxoxoxo
There must still a chance. I want you to share this information. Alzheimer’s destroys brain cells, leading to memory loss and impairments with cognition and behavior that may be severe enough to affect work and social life. Various research and scientific tests indicate that highly potent compounds called xanthones present in mangosteen can help resolve the inflammation within brain tissue. These studies are quite promising indeed as they reveal that managosteen is capable of addressing the inflammation in the brain that is being linked to Alzheimer’s disease. I hope it can help you.
Kind Regards,
Freid
Hello,
My name is Joseph Collins and I represent NursingHomeAbuseCenter.org.
Our website is an informational resource created to help the elderly and their loved ones who are concerned about nursing home abuse. Our site covers everything from signs of nursing home abuse to what steps to take if you suspect abuse. We also provide additional helpful information such as how to go about selecting and paying for a good nursing home.
As you know, many nursing home residents have Alzheimer's. Therefore, we think our site would be a very useful resource for your blog visitors and would be honored if you would place a link to our site on your blog.
All we need for our link is "Nursing Home Abuse" linked to www.nursinghomeabusecenter.org. The link should look like this: Nursing Home Abuse (but, of course, it should be hyperlinked, made clickable)
Please let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Joseph Collins
Public Relations Coordinator
Nursing Home Abuse Center
Hello Krista,
I trust all is well with your Dad. I check each day for any new post. Today I wanted to let you know I am praying for you and your family.
Sincerely,
Donna M.
I know what you mean about not being able to face writing for your blog. I've been absent from my blog for a while too. I'm going through a new stage of my life as a first time mom and having all sorts of issues, including issues about my own mom not being here or if I'll be a good mom...
Sorry to hear about your dad's cancerous growth. That is so scary on top of the Alzheimer's!
Praying for you.
In an article from AARP on the new research that is being done on AD (September 2010, Vol. 51 No 7 – www.aarp.org/bullitin). This article states that the research is targeting a new villain – Amyloid Beta Proteins. “The controversial new theory gaining traction in the scientific community is that in Alzheimer’s disease the brain is destroyed not by sticky plaques – long held to be the culprit – but by free floating clumps of protein. In fact, the sticky plaques that surround the brain cells of those with Alzheimer’s may be the body’s way of protecting against these toxic clumps… Many scientist now believe clumps of amyloid beta proteins called oligomers are the main players in the rogue process that attacks the brain. Plaques are no longer where the action is says Sam Gandy, M.D. of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.”
What country has the lowest incidence of Alzheimer’s?
The country that has the lowest incidence of Alzheimer’s is India. The herb/food that DESTROYS AMYLOID BETA PROTEINS IS TURMERIC!!! Yes, the spice that creates the wonderful curry dishes handles this job quite well. The body loves this spice so much that it allows it free access across the blood/brain barrier (that means that the body rolls out the red carpet)!! There are many, many scientific studies that have proven the effectiveness of turmeric in destroying these toxic brain proteins. We all have these amyloid beta proteins in our brains, and the body does a good job of clearing them out. Unfortunately as we get older some people have a harder time getting rid of them.
To obtain turmeric and the beneficial natural curcuminoids it contains, you could eat curry every day, or you could take generous, scientifically validated amounts of the ancient Ayurvedic agent turmeric. I haven’t done a tremendous amount of research yet, but I believe that if you do go out and get a pill, you should be aware that this spice is a very powerful anti-inflammatory very similar to Aleve or Advil – So, less is more and always take this with food.
Some of the latest research is targeting prevention as the best defense against this disease:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-carper/post_752_b_695706.html
Dr. de la Torre boldly asserts that finding a cure for Alzheimer's is a delusionary quest unlikely to happen in a hundred years and most probably, never. He argues that even if you could replace dead neuronal networks, bringing a shrunken Alzheimer's brain back to life, the persona and intellect of the individual would be so altered as to create a different personality. "Alzheimer's is incurable, but it is preventable," he says. "We need to identify and lower Alzheimer's risk factors in people when they are still cognitively normal and long before irreversible symptoms appear."
While the search for a pharmaceutical cure plays front and center, quietly in the background countless neuroscientists worldwide have concluded that Alzheimer's, as well as memory decline and other age-related dementias are actually slow-developing chronic diseases, like heart disease and cancer, partly dependent on lifestyle and other treatable diseases.
Here are a few of the websites that I went to that go into a lot more detail regarding turmeric/curcumin:
Please do your own research, consult your physicians, yadda, yadda, yadda – GO EAT SOME CURRY!
I am sending this note out to everyone in my address book because I feel that the information that I have just discovered is pretty significant. Turmeric/Curcumin is crucial for a healthy brain.
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