Big leak.

Just Bill

I read somewhere dementia is like a boat with a rotten bottom. You don't know what is going to leak first or how big the leak will be.  When I look back to 3 years ago when she was first diagnosed I thought the leaks were huge. Now I think what would I give to have that version of her back. Comparatively more normal than ever. She has had a lot of small leaks as opposed to real big ones. She has had a few big leaks but mostly lots of small ones. We are going through a big leak now. She has started to walk really slow, she used to be very quick. Her speech is really effected. She was a low talker for a while but now she is really struggling to find words and sort of trails off mumbling. Her awareness of reality has been slowly leaking but that leak just got a lot bigger. She has been sleeping a lot more lately. Taking more naps and going to bed earlier and waking up later. Except every few days she is loaded with nervous energy as if someone was standing over her with a whip. I think it is sugar related so no more sweets. She is a sugar fiend and the effects are noticeable when she has had too much. I call it sugar induced psychosis. Just has to do something anything. She calls it cleaning but it is really just disassembling and reassembling the contents of the house somewhere else in another part of the house. Big chunks of her memory are disappearing quickly.  This morning she was crying asking me to tell her who she is. I described every good thing she did or was since we met 41 years ago. Not everything I had to cut it short she has about a 30 second attention span. But I touched on all high points.  She smiled and made her feel good. Normally she would come to work with me but today she needs a day off. Writing this is just me venting. While she naps I do golf swing drills and breathing exercises to keep the endorphins flowing. And write, this little distraction helped me feel better.

Ed1937

Bill, I understand, as does everyone else here. I'm sorry it's so darn hard. Do you think it would be worth a UTI test? As easy as that is, and even if it's a long shot, might be worth it.