TUMERIC

McCott

Living with the fear of Alzheimer's, I was glad to read this in Sunday's newspaper

https://www.seattletimes.com/author/teresa-graedon/

  It turns out that India has very low rates of Alzheimer’s and the spices may be part of the reason.  (Lower age of mortality is no doubt another factor.)  So I bought a bottle of tumeric pills and it gives me the feeling I'm doing something to ward off the ALZ plague. 

I do love this People’s Pharmacy column.  Among other “home remedies,” I learned from them that eating kiwi fruit puts a quick end to a cold sore outbreak.

Rick4407

Nice to see your post McCott!  I always read your posts which frequently had bits of philosophical wisdom within them.  

Interesting article and thoughts about spices and alzheimers.  Micro nutrients play a more important role for us than is usually recognized.  Rick  

abc123

Hi McCott! Hope you are doing well!

Stuck in the middle

Thanks, Mary, I'll try that.  

You said you were seeing your doctor about med changes.  I've had real good result with Viibryd.  It's expensive, but you can get a coupon on line that makes it affordable.

McCott

Here is my update from the 2018 "Trapped, resentful and wanting out" post, which somehow got resurrected recently.

Hello everyone and Stuck in the Middle especially -

I don't come on this board very often anymore since my husband's death last September 2020, so I was amazed to see my 2018 post resurrected.  It was embarrassing to read it ! I must have been at a dark point, but as you all know, those kind of  feelings are real.

How am I doing?  Well, I'm still dealing with my broken back (caregiving accident -- my overdosed type 2 diabetic husband pulled me down in a hypoglycemic faint).  After a spinal fusion surgery (L3-T10) last year, I had to have a second surgery two months ago, called spinal decompression.  Still a lot of pain and now starting physical therapy, hoping I will recover enough to be able to travel again in the coming post-pandemic year.  But travelling by myself doesn't seem all that desirable -- I did a lot of it in my 20's and 30's, but that was then...

Since my husband's death, I have been restless and depressed.  I resigned my job in June 2020, thinking I would be caring for him for at least another year -- I was then 73, so I guess it was time, but without my teaching job, I am isolated and don't know what to do with myself.  Of course the  pandemic hasn't helped any of that.  I do write some book reviews for journals in my field, but each one takes me forever and it is like pulling teeth to get it done and it does nothing to combat isolation. 

I decided to look up friends to meet for lunch now that restaurants are open, and the first friend I met showed clear signs of early Alzheimer's.  I couldn't believe it and by the end of lunch I was literally shaking.  I got in touch with people closer to her -- she's a recent widow but it turns out her step-children are very close to her, which is good so she'll have a support system.  Now I'm afraid to contact anyone else, as though I'm transmitting the disease somehow.  

I'm making an appt with my MD to see if I can get some kind of uppers --I have no idea what kind of drugs I'm looking for -- something legal : )  I take anti-depressants but am lethargic and depressed anyway.  I just don't know how to go forward with life alone like this.  I feel like collateral damage, which I guess is a good way to describe all of us.   Sorry to be a Debbie Downer right now, and my heart goes out to all of you who are still in the trenches.I feel that I "got off easy" with only seven years, compared to so many of you who are long-termers, so I feel embarrassed about posting.  But I remember you all and I will always appreciate this list.  So strange to know we will never meet...

Take care, Mary

McCott

Thank you Stuck -- I will mention it to her.  Somehow I think they may insist on a psychiatric referral, but hopefully not.  If I start having to spill my guts, no one is going to be happy with the result : (  I may just say: "Please google any or all posts ALZconnected and you will see where I'm coming from."

Joe C.

McCott, Great to see your post, I was wondering how you were doing. Sorry you are still dealing with the after effects of caregiving but you’re smart & strong so I have no doubt you will rebound in time.

David J

Hello McCott.  I was also wondering how you were doing. I hope the PT helps your back. Chronic pain can be debilitating.  I also hope you get your depression under control. Even if you have reasons to be depressed, it can and should be treated. I think you should continue to make lunch dates with old friends. Yes, some will have developed illnesses, including dementia, but everyone needs socialization. We develop bad habits when we are 1 on 1 caregivers, and isolation becomes the norm. 

You handled all the previous stages of this disease, now it’s time to handle stage 8. Please keep posting and let us know how you’re doing. We still care. 

Rescue mom

McCott, so glad to see you back. I always really appreciated your posts and your writing style..You said it like it is. TY for that.

I take turmeric b/c my gastro suggested it. I’ve made much progress on that overall problem; can’t say how much turmeric did on that, but it seems to have some benefits for several things, according to credible (imo) sources.

I also had huge problems with anti-depressants. That’s all the earlier therapists/psychiatrists suggested, just different varieties. They all made me sleepy/groggy (bad for a caregiver) and some had much worse effects.

 BUT this psych gave an Rx anti-anxiety drug that used to be common, but now seems hard to get. That changed my world big-time. Not a total solution, but SO much better, without the grogginess. I can get out more and do “normal” things to help fight depression—and get a good normal night sleep. I was too crippled before for either of those.

 You may have already done this. Just saying, just in case. For months/years my Dx and “solution” was all about depression. Anxiety never occurred to anyone, it seems.

Beachfan

Nice to see you back, McCott.   Wondering if the 85 year old motorized bike fellow has been by lately?  Now might be the time to serve up some of that lemonade.  Hope you’re doing well and feeling better day by day.

Stuck in the middle

Spilling guts is OK.  Spilling guts is good, even.  They've heard worse.

Jeff86

Thanks for returning to us from the land of post-caregiving, and filling us in.  It’s clearly not been a bed of roses, as you deal with the various effects—physical, emotional, psychological—that linger.  Hope you get the help you need, both from PT and pharmaceuticals, and you progress with re-making a life for yourself that provides serenity and some joy too.

You shared so generously your challenging caregiving journey.  Wishing you recovery and renewal in Stage 8.

Donr

Rescue mom wrote:

McCott, so glad to see you back. I always really appreciated your posts and your writing style..You said it like it is. TY for that.

I take turmeric b/c my gastro suggested it. I’ve made much progress on that overall problem; can’t say how much turmeric did on that, but it seems to have some benefits for several things, according to credible (imo) sources.

I also had huge problems with anti-depressants. That’s all the earlier therapists/psychiatrists suggested, just different varieties. They all made me sleepy/groggy (bad for a caregiver) and some had much worse effects.

 BUT this psych gave an Rx anti-anxiety drug that used to be common, but now seems hard to get. That changed my world big-time. Not a total solution, but SO much better, without the grogginess. I can get out more and do “normal” things to help fight depression—and get a good normal night sleep. I was too crippled before for either of those.

 You may have already done this. Just saying, just in case. For months/years my Dx and “solution” was all about depression. Anxiety never occurred to anyone, it seems.

Which drug are you taking now? My wife might do well with it. 

McCott

Hello Rescue Mom -- what is the anti-anxiety drug that is working for you?  

I just started PT after my second back surgery and can't even figure out how to print out the PT guy's instructions. For what they charge, he could have perhaps printed them for me, I think.  Maybe they are saving on toner.  

I should be swimming but no pools open. There is a private gym with a pool about a half hour away which I should probably join despite the expense.

I feel like I'm going to explode, literally. Or jump.  Don't worry, I won't.  Exiting stage left is not an option because I have to live for my son.  I can't get any kind of therapy appt until August.  

I will stay away from that private blog -- it exists in a different universe from me -- sweetness and light, sunshine and blue skies -- cerulean blue, not my kind of 'blues blue.'   I have to say that  I really do admire her totally perfect grammar and good sentence structure.

Thanks for the drug info,  Mary

June45

Mary,

I take L-Theanine (Suntheanine) for anxiety.  It is an amino acid found naturally in green tea. You can get it OTC from any health supplement store.  Google "L-Theanine & anxiety" and you will find more info.  It doesn't make you drowsy or hyper so you can take it any time during the day or night. I have also used it to help control my blood pressure when I am super stressed.  There are also certain forms of magnesium that can help. Off hand I can't remember the particular form.

Ed1937

Hi Mary! It's good to see you are posting again, but I'm sorry life after stage 8 has been so rough for you. I had no idea you had to undergo a second surgery. Hopefully things will quickly get better with your physical challenges. You are a tough individual, and you'll get through this part of your life, and begin to enjoy life again. Please visit often. You've been missed.