World Alzheimer's Day

World Alzheimer's Day is coming up on September 21, 2010.  I received the following message from the Alzheimer's Association and signed the petition.  Can I ask for your help too?

My Dad who was a brilliant man with a wonderful personality is now under Hospice care for this horrible disease.  The disease has progressed rapidly in the last few weeks and my Dad no longer knows me or speaks.  Most of the time he forgets to swallow which makes it difficult for him to receive adequate liquids and nourishment.  Remembering to swallow is one of the last things to go.  Alzheimer's is a very cruel disease.

I'm afraid a cure or decent treatment is still a long ways off, but perhaps by signing this petition we can help others in the future.



Subject Line: It's Time for a Breakthrough
Dear friends,
Alzheimer's disease steals the future from millions of Americans. It robs spouses of their companions and children of their parents and grandparents; it erodes the health and financial resources of caregivers.
I just signed a petition calling on Congress to make Alzheimer's disease a national priority. Will you add your voice?
http://www.alz.org/petition
Your signature will be delivered to Congress on September 21, 2010 World Alzheimer's Day.
Together, we can make Alzheimer's a national priority.



Thank you!



Better days...May 2005.  Dad enjoying lunch on a dock in Galveston, TX.

Dad with Reid, Troy, Keith and "Shelby" in our backyard.

Father's Day Visit

For Father's Day we decided to surprise Dad with a Lobster dinner. He always enjoyed lobster and used to talk about how he ate lobster three or four times a week at the Old Hook Inn in Westwood, NJ. Sadly, Alzheimer's seems to have robbed him of the ability to talk much anymore.

I checked all the local grocery stores in advance only to discover that they were all using the "our lobster tank is broken" excuse. So, I had to send Jim and Keith to the Hong Kong Market Sunday morning to get a lobster. While they were gone I got the crab pot going and made a baked potato and salad.

When Jim got home we plucked the lobster in the pot.



But first we had to satisfy Zoom's curiosity.



Then we packed everything up. The hot stuff in one cooler and the cold stuff in another...including a Heineken for Dad.



I reserved the activity room at the nursing home for the occasion. Jim prepared the lobster.



And he was the waiter too.



There was little reaction from Dad and he only spoke a couple of times. The grandkids all kept him company. That's Reid, Troy, Keith and Grandpa.



I sat and tried to get my Dad to talk.



Jim took the lobster meat out of the shell and cut it up for Dad.



Dad only drank about half the beer. He didn't seem to know to tilt the bottle up to get more beer out. We kept telling him to hold it up higher, but he just didn't seem to understand.



Then he opened his Father's Day presents in slow motion. Dad has been doing everything in slow motion for a couple of years now which seems so strange to me since he was always a little hyper in his younger days. I never thought I'd see Dad slow down. It must have taken him ten minutes to open each card. We kind of stepped in and helped him with the presents.



It was really hard to tell if he enjoyed himself and if he'll even remember this day. Even if Dad doesn't remember I will. I like to think he had a good day.

On the way home we stopped and ate dinner and had a little celebration for Jim too.

Updates on the latest happenings...

REID

Reid had his doctor's appointment at MD Anderson last Friday and on Saturday he had another chemo treatment. He's now slightly more than half way through. YEA!

I am so grateful that he's in remission, but the treatments continue to be difficult for him. It's difficult to see him so sick every other week. And he's very tired. I think everyone that goes through chemo complains about the constant fatigue.

He'll be scanned again after the next chemo so they can be sure the mass continues to shrink. Yes, he's in remission even though he still has a mass. That's what makes Hodgkin's Lymphoma a unique cancer. Only approximately 1% of the mass was cancer and that is believed to be gone now.

He'll finish up with the chemo in May and then radiation will follow. I have no idea how long that will take.

His walking has greatly improved and all he needs is a cane now. There's been a lot of progress since the tumor in his spinal canal was removed. YEA!

MAMA

Our feral cat MaMa has been missing for three weeks today. Earlier this week I passed out fliers to everyone on our street, and today I visited animal control again in hopes she had been picked up. She is afraid of people, so she's likely hiding somewhere and I still have hope that she'll return. She's lived with us for nine years.

DAD

In a little while I'm going over to see Dad at the nursing home. I saw him on Monday and he seemed alert and ate well. He just doesn't have much to say any more. Dad was always so talkative, but Alzheimer's has robbed him of that too.

Last night they called and said he had fallen out of bed. He sleeps in a low bed that is only around 18 inches off the floor. They were confident that he was OK, but had ordered X-rays anyway. Because he's a fall risk and a restless sleeper he has a low bed in hopes that he won't get hurt if something like this happens.

I'm back....

Has it really been that long? The last time I spoke to you was June 12, 2009. Time flies when you're having fun.

Or not having fun! It's just been a hot and busy summer. I moved my Dad to a nearby nursing home around two months ago. Sadly, his Alzheimer's has progressed to the point where very little that he says makes sense...that is when he speaks at all. Dad was a salesman and a politician so he was always good with the gift of gab, but no longer. Visiting him is difficult. Most of the time he just stares at me. And he has recurring urinary track infections which cause him to be even more confused and at times combative. Last week he became non-responsive and his blood pressure went up and his pulse rate went down. It didn't last too long and he came out of it on his own. Actually, this has happened around 3 or 4 times in the last two years. So, it's always something keeping me hopping. I told my husband that it's official...I'm old and tired.

Actually, if you saw my Dad you'd think he looks pretty good. On days when he's alert and well rested he looks fine. Here's a picture of him in his room at the nursing home.

He does enjoy the milk shakes I bring him. In fact, if I ate as much as him I'd weigh 200 pounds. One thing he has is a very good appetite.

My sister came a couple of weeks ago and Dad recognized her immediately. I just don't think he remembers any more that she was here.

We attended the Texan's game and saw them humiliated by the NY Jets.

I'm afraid my enthusiasm for NFL football has waned considerably since the commissioner decided to allow Michael Vick back into the NFL and Philadelphia decided to offer him a job. Yes, I believe in forgiveness, but playing in the NFL is a privilege and with that privilege goes responsibility. There should be no place in the NFL for an ex-con. Unfortunately, we had already paid for our season tickets when the announcement was made. We won't have tickets next year. I know the NFL could care less and obviously they won't go under because of my lack of support, but I just have to do what is morally right for me. I'm the one that wanted the season tickets each year. My husband would just as soon watch on TV. Now he'll get his wish.

I've been sewing today, so I'd better get back to work. I'll try and get back over to my blog more often and maybe even participate in Pink Saturday every so often.

I'LL MISS YOU...

I've decided that Alzheimer's really stinks! I go over and see my Dad most days, but only stay a short while. He rarely talks and when he does it usually doesn't make any sense. I now totally understand what Ronald Reagan's daughter meant by the long goodbye.

I feel like I really need a break. Visiting him is depressing for me, but we're the only family he has here and so I have to go. When I don't go I feel guilty. I even feel guilty when I wish I didn't have to go. I love my father, but my father is already gone.

Yesterday he was sitting on the front porch when I arrived. I had gone by McDonald's and picked up a vanilla shake for him. He seemed to enjoy it, but didn't say more than a few words. I sat in the rocking chair next to him and we both rocked for a while. As I was ready to leave he looked up at me and said, "I'll miss you." I walked to the car and cried. That's because I already miss him.

SEE WHY I WORRY?

Do you think I should worry? Yesterday, I read my E-mail and then tried to shut down AOL by pointing the TV remote control at the monitor and clicking. After three or four clicks I regained my sanity and put down the remote. I went back to doing it the old fashion way with the mouse. I hope someone will leave a comment saying they do this all the time.





I've been busy the last couple of weeks. My Dad's brother, sister, and nephew came for a visit. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling well while they were here and had to stay away most of the time so no one else would get sick. My Dad lives nearby in assisted living with round the clock aides. Unfortunately, his Alzheimer's is getting worse and at times he doesn't know us. It's very sad and depressing. My Dad was a very smart man who loved politics and the Chicago White Sox. I showed him a picture of the President wearing a Chicago White Sox cap. A year or so ago he would have been thrilled beyond belief. Now I get no reaction. I miss the conversations we used to have, but speaking is very difficult for him now.





Here's a picture taken last week.

My dad is seated at the table and his brother is next to him. In the second row is Cindy (my cousin's friend), my dad's sister and me. My cousin is in the back. My Dad is 90, his brother is 87 and his sister is 84. My Dad is actually smiling in this picture. He used to smile all the time, but now he usually has a blank look on his face. It's good to see him smiling.