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close to the end
We are nearly at the end now. Jerry is finally sleeping a lot and mostly bedridden. I was hoping to keep him as peaceful and pain free as possible. Its my bad for not giving him enough drugs at the correct dosage he NEEDS. this week has been torture for both of us because of my hang up about overdosing him. Its been gut…
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Talking to mirrors
Greetings! This is my first post. My DH is 62 and in stage 6 of EOAD. For the last several months he has been talking to mirrors and to his reflection in anything he can see it in, even car windows. Its pretty funny sometimes, he and his reflection seem to be best buddies and even joke around together frequently. Other…
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Spoon theory
Warm greetings. This is my first post. My LO is not yet diagnosed and will resist it. I read an article about spoons representing energy to be spent in a day. I’m trying it myself to see if it catches on. Does anyone else have any experience with using spoons to deal with routine or fatigue? Thank you, kind people.
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Got the first of two Pfizer vaccines
Someone was saying the injection was pretty painful. I didn't think it was any worse than a typical flu shot. When we got in the car, I asked my wife what she thought about it. She said it was the easiest injection she ever had. It's been about three hours since getting shot in the arm. Neither one of us have any soreness…
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Every solo caretaker needs a buddy
I was a scuba diver for many years. Divers dive in "buddy pairs" and each diver carries spare equipment for the buddy. I was once diving in Egypt with English paraplegic divers. They would dive in "threes" since the paraplegic could not always reach or help the the buddy divers. Sometimes they recruited "spare divers" from…
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Risperdal(1)
Has anyone dealt with risperdal? Dr is putting my DH on this for restlessness. He takes Depakote and risperdal will be added.
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My worse fear came to be
II am only caregiver and Im sick. Fever, chills,aches fever and cough. We both went for covid test today. I am miserable and he has slept all day. Now he is peeing everywhere. I sit on toilet, wet seat, floor urine , he even peed on my bladder protection pads. The whole bag! I dont think anyone can come help me until covid…
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My husband has covid and there’s nothing I can do
DH has been in a wonderful facility for almost 3 years. They have had no covid cases until a week ago and now it’s wild fire. I am grateful that my husband only has mild physical symptoms. Many are not so fortunate. He is confused, and having new/worsening dementia issues but I am able to talk with him on the phone.…
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Stay safe , its worse than I thought
I just did 21 day KIFR (known infection fatality ratio) numbers Dec 4-25 averaged 212,989 infections per day 21 day lag Dec 25- Jan 15 3014 deaths per day KIFR 1.4% (now this is an underestimate due to lags in death count.) Our current 7 death count is 3384 per day 21 day ago the 7 day infection count was 200,000 Which…
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AARP story in their monthly magazine.
Not sure if other saw the write up on the outcome of what went wrong in nursing homes because of Covid. I think it a two-part story but I think many good things will happen from this. It is truly worth reading.
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Testing
What kinds of testing has your LO had that verified the diagnosis? My DW has had an MRI, that's about it. I understand there are other tests she could undergo that might shed some additional light. I mean, is there a possibility she isn't suffering from Alzheimer's? She has had two neuropsychological tests. This recent…
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Keep safe Please
From CDC Summary What is already known about this topic? A more highly transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2, B.1.1.7, has been detected in 10 U.S. states. What is added by this report? Modeling data indicate that B.1.1.7 has the potential to increase the U.S. pandemic trajectory in the coming months. CDC’s system for…
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I’ve Changed
Taken from “Daily Comforts for Caregivers” by Pat Samples “I’ve changed since I’ve become a caregiver. I’m not sure exactly how, but I know I’m not the same. I’ll never be the same person I was before. That’s partly a good thing. I’ve learned a lot. I’m stronger in certain ways. A few of my opinions have changed. I’ve…
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What is the name of the poop club?
I’m not sure if we ever named the club you join when you take over toileting jobs for your loved one. In any case I joined the club yesterday . I had been dreading it but actually it wasn’t so bad. I kept hearing various voices from here in my head ( white crane?) one said to just be business like and have wipes and…
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EOAD Last Step
Nine years, two months from official Dx, ( she was 55 years old ).. and we are down to the final days. I kept her at home for six years, and the last three in LTC.. In the days following Christmas ,DW was struggling with swallowing. As of noon today DW has not taken any food or fluids for 72 hours. The LTC has granted me…
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Covid vaccine for unresponsive terminal final stage
Is seems the vaccine will prolong life and suffering. Spouse is unresponsive (no sight, no hearing, no sense of touch except to open mouth if food is pressed into his lips). He wanted us to "pull the plug" well before this stage. Do I refuse the vaccine for him?
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Testing Tomorrow -- UGH!
Well, DH finally has his appointment with the neuro-psych tomorrow for cognitive testing. His MRI was way back on 10/21, so it seems like we've been waiting for this for soooooo long. I've had a lot of emotions thinking about this today. DH still says he's perfectly fine. He told me he's been "studying" hard so he thinks…
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Bathroom Falls
As our loved ones get more unsteady, falling in the bathroom against the door that often opens to the inside is of concern. Remove the door. If privacy is an issue, put up a tension rod and shower panel in place of the door.
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DH can't sit down ?
Hi all, DH who has EOAD seems to be rapidly declining. He is able to walk. Non-stop pacing. But he is struggling with sitting down. Physically, he seems to have lost the ability to sit. This is causing trouble with bathroom, getting in bed, sitting in a chair....etc. The doctor has prescribed medicine to help sedate for…
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Happy Crappy Birthday to Me - A vent with gratitude
Today is my 56th Birthday. DH wakes me up stating he needs to take a shower. This generally translates to he has had a bathroom mishap. In this instance the mishap was on the moderate to severe end of the spectrum, meaning the water closet is decorated with feces in all the wrong places. I get DH into the shower and tell…
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Delusions and Paranoia
New to this forum, but on the struggle bus. My husband and I had COVID in October. Since then he has declined greatly. In the past several weeks he has begun to display paranoid and delusional behavior to the point law enforcement had to be called Monday. He was hospitalized overnight. My options at discharge were home…
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Covid Vaccination in MCF
Two issues that have been worrying me may have synergy and I’d like to bounce it off you all. I have been interviewing MCFs since last fall, so that I could be prepared for the eventual placement of my DW. I know that I am not equipped to care for her at home until the end. We have no children and no relatives near by. I…
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No not an old thread. Stay safe
With the enthusiasm about vaccination some folks (not here, out there) do not realize just how bad the numbers are BEFORE we hit the holiday surge. The 7 day average infections on Dec 20 were 220,000 21 days later on Dec 10 7 day average deaths were 3304 That gives a KIFR of 1.5% Our current average infections exceeds…
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I'm in that painful transition time....
I'm in that painful transition time where my wife recognizes her dementia is getting worse and during her moments of clarity we can actually talk about her future need to be placed in memory care. She recognizes where this is headed and implores me to take care of my own health first. She told me that she loves me and had…
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small study, very preliminary but worth watching
Alzheimer’s Drug Shows Promise in Small Trial Participants with the disease still declined, but much more slowly than those receiving a placebo, investigators say. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/health/alzheimers-amyloid-lilly.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage
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Alzheimer's deaths
This came from our local Alz Assoc....I am just the messenger... https://247wallst.com/special-report/2021/01/06/states-where-alzheimers-causes-the-most-deaths-2/9/
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Thank you so much!(1)
I'm still new here, but I feel like in the week or so that I've been here, a lot has happened. I've learned much, both intellectual and emotional learning. I've reached out for more information and have made an appointment with an attorney for next week. I've read many of your stories and feel more prepared for the road…
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We have a vaccine appointment
Next Wednesday afternoon we get vaccinated. And we aren't politically connected!
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Vent: Outside and Inside, it's wearing on me
Inside my house, DH is declining. He can no longer dress himself. He is having problems with the mechanics of using the toilet. He is still being stubborn. Additionally, DH is having a terrible bout with hemorrhoids. Fortunately we got in to to see the doctor and are following the doctor's orders. DH is extremely EXTREMELY…
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false negative covid tests.
I just want to remind people that the rate of false NEGATIVE covid tests is depressingly high. False positives are quite rare but false negatives are common. We had over 300,000 new cases reported yesterday Asymptomatic people are major spreaders adn false negative tests give a false sense of confidence that you re not a…