How long has it been

BPS

I don't know any of you but I have told you more about me and my situation then I have told anyone else in the world. That seams kind of odd to me. I can't tell my own kids what is and has really happened. So I would like to share more about the people that I shared life details with. My wife of 50 years (we got married when I was 18 and she was 20) was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's 10 years ago she was 62 years old. I sold my business that I enjoyed 3 years ago to care for her. 2 years ago she had a stroke and moved straight from rehab to memory care in Sumner WA. She has been on hospice for a couple of months now. I go see her almost every day as she continues to decline. It seems like there was no life before Alzheimer's and I don't have any idea what life will be after Alzheimer's. I haven't posted often but have read a lot and thank you all. This site has been a great help even though sometimes it is a little depressing because this disease is so terrible. I will keep reading Thanks.

Kat63

Thanks for telling us more about you and your DW. I agree this site has helped me more than anything else while taking care of my DH, now in our eleventh year. My DH is now 78 and I am 69. We have been married 42 years. My DH is still home with me as his caregiver and have had hospice care for over 18 months now. He is just on a slow steady decline which at this point could go on for years. It hit me the other evening he is wasting away right before me. He has consistently lost a pound or two every month for a few years and his wedding ring, which was so tight on his finger and was thought would have to be cut off some day, is now loose on his finger and afraid in the near future will slide off his finger. I too don’t know what my life will be like after, and I don’t let myself think too much about our life before this horrible disease, as that hurts too much. (I’m sure that will hit me after his journey ends) I just focus on each day of doing the best I can to care for him now.

jgreen

Dear @BPS and @Kat63

I have not been on this journey nearly as long as you. Thank you both for sharing a piece of your stories with me/us. It seems to me you have wonderful memories of days gone by. I do hope they will surface again and bring you comfort during the last stages.

One thing I have learned from this wonderful group is to take one day at a time and see if you can find one thing to smile about each day. Sometime for me it is reading about a tender moment or humorous episode on this forum! 😊. Journaling or sharing stories with us is another way to bring a little joy back into your lives.

We all care for and support one another. Hugs! 💝

trottingalong

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/75210/how-long-has-it-been

Like you, I have shared more with people on this group than anywhere else. I’m 69, my husband is nearing 82 with other health issues. I, too, wonder about life after. It scares me to be honest, but at the same time I have given up so much that I hope to get some of it back. But for now I try to keep it at one day at a time.

Chris20cm

So Many similarities. I was 18, DW was 20. After 52 years together, then the onset of Alzheimer's began, with deteriorating memory and cognitive issues along with extreme paranoia, hostility directed primary towards me, imagined affairs that she refused to see wouldn't even have been possible, and anti social and isolative behaviors, combined with separation anxiety and constant shadowing. It's now over ten years since the disease began, and I thank God she is still with me and I can still take care of her. But honestly, I fear the next phase, whether she is left alone as I develop my own illnesses, or I am left alone without her constant and faithful companionship. The thought of either is difficult to imagine.

We are all fighting similar battles that have many unique and mysterious aspects as well. As author Dasha Kiper put it, we are "Travelers to Unimaginable Lands."

I am grateful for this forum of understanding travelers.❤️