For those who wish to contribute to the trust fund for Brian o'Neill, Angie, Gavin and Grant

Smooth waters and no waves

DH is still the sames as he has been since he recovered from his hospitalization in November. He still has difficulty discerning between Social Security and Worker's Comp and now he cannot discern between Medicare and Medicaid. I don't know if this is a symptom of dementia or just an inability to keep these straight.

DH still has his temper tantrums. He can be very angry. Both dogs are quick to escape to the basement of the house when he is angry. They know it before I do because the anger comes before the raised voice. Our family doctor is aware of these problems and has been walking me through these difficult times.

Please continue to pray for all dementia patients and their extended family and friends.

Brian

My dear blog friend Angie is in the battle of her life. She is trying to comfort two little boys while her husband, Brian, is fighting for his life.

Please pray for Brian, Angie, Grant and Gavin. They are surrounded by family and friends and have a deep belief in God.

Brian, Angie, Gavin and Grant

A blog friend is loosing her husband this week. Brian was diagnosed with brain cancer 12 years ago. They have been leaning on the Lord and going forward with their lives doing the best they can. They have two little boys, Gavin and Grant, who cannot understand why God is taking the father away.

Brian has had a very bad weekend, with a very few lucid moments. The family and friends are gathered together to celebrate Brian's life moment to moment. They are very strong in their faith.

Please pray for Brian to transition to our Lord with dignity. Please pray for Angie as she becomes the head of the house and the adult that two little boys will lean on. Please pray for Gavin and Grant who are going through the hardest thing possible for a child. God give them your peace that passes all understanding.

If you care to visit this family go to http://www.aboneill.blogspot.com. Hers is an inspiring story for all caregivers.

Please pray for all caregivers who are loosing so much.

Further evidence

Today DH is going to handle MIL financial activities. Even three months ago this would not have been possible. In the future it may become impossible. However, right now DH is clear headed and able to process thoughts well.

Having been through his severe illness in October and the months leading up to it I have a very clear picture of what dementia will bring in our future. I have already walked the walk of declining mental capacity. Now that we are back at the beginning again (he was diagnosed in January, 2008) and walking the true path I can see little signs that I might not have seen before. The symptoms are very mild and infrequent. Maybe one per day. What a blessing I have been given. I have my husband back.

Please continue to pray for all dementia patients.

Sunny Day in S.W. Ohio

Today it is very cold and sunny. We had a low of -6 this morning. DH drove me to work so that I wouldn't have to walk in from the parking lot. He takes such good care of me.

He had a doctor's appointment today with our family physician. Everything is okay. That is good news. DH sees the doctor or his nurse practitioner every other week to make sure that the infection that got him so sick in October never comes back.

Today DH is going to run some errands for me while I am at work. I praise the Lord every day for his recovery and how DH helps me out. There are still occasional episodes of short term memory loss, but not very often.

Please continue to pray for all dementia patients.

One Day at a Time

MIL is settling in at the nursing home. We went to visit last night through a snow storm that dumped 8 inches of snow. Between 4:00 and 6:00 PM we got 4" and driving was a nightmare. DH did a great job driving from our house to MIL and back. We talked about the storm and her doctor's appointment tomorrow. I think she was hoping that it would be cancelled but the roads are getting the attention they need.

DH is in rare form. He is driving me nuts with questions that have one answer, "I don't know.". Then he says that he wants my opinion. I still don't know. This is something that hasn't happened for a long time and is entirely in character. Even though I am going crazy I am glad that he is in rare form.

I forgot to mention that at our guild meeting last night one of the members showed two small quilts at show and tell. They are for the Alzheimer's Quilt Initiative that Ami Simms has established. The member mentioned that her father had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. My prayers go out to her and her father. They are starting down a difficult path, but I know that she will get through it. She is taking every step as they come along with courage and faith.

Please keep praying for all dementia patients and their families, friends and caregivers.

Moving Mother in Law

MIL is moved into the Nursing Home. She is angry. She likes the food. She is talking to us. She complains about every little thing. We have visited her every day and she always has one item or more to complain about. We deal with it. We do not argue about it. We try to fix it.

I now have two to take care of.

DH was fantastic this weekend. He worked so hard to move MIL and all her belongings. My daughter from my first marriage and her husband helped with the move on Saturday. Even with the bad weather earlier in the week we got everything out of the apartment and emptied the trailer in time to turn it in Sunday at 4:00. AND No one got hurt or bruised or fell in the icy snow. A blessed miracle!

DH is going down today to check out everything and this should be his last trip. Of course it is supposed to snow between 1 and 4" today. Hope that he travels easy and safe.

DH is showing limited signs of dementia. Only occasional short term memory problems. I am so blessed.

Last night I attended my quilt guild for the first time since November. At that time DH was still in the rehab center. My former friends in guild ignored me. In fact I said hello to one and she just walked passed me. They all gathered in a corner near the membership and name tag table. Maybe the guild is ignoring them the way they are ignoring me. What goes around comes around. I would never treat a worm the way they treated me.

I know that some will believe what I next say is a lie, but I would never wish any harm to them, I would never wish they have to go through a devastating life change like mine and I will never attempt revenge on them. They were my friends. They are now people that I know but do not wish to associate with. I will be polite and keep my distance. I just want them to be polite and leave me alone.

Thank you for all your prayers over the last months. Please continue to pray for all dementia patients and their families.