Day After the Diagnosis

I was able to cry! I thought about how sweet and loving my husband is on the way home from substitute teaching today and an ocean of tears came--right in downtown Plant City--miles from that ocean. I put my glasses on when I came in the door so he wouldn't see I had been crying and gave him a big smile--so glad to see him.

I guess I had been hoping for Vascular Dementia instead of Alzheimer's, but not both. He had been helped by Namenda and Exelon and coconut oil, slowing down the progress of the disease which may have even started fifteen years ago according to Nancy! Certainly we are fortunate to have such a professional evaluation from that Alzheimer's Institute close by. I had thought that the first MRI in December of 2008 did not show Alzheimer's officially, so I had been hoping against hope all this time. Those scores only meant he learned to take those tests and raise his points from 22 to 25.

Thanks so much to you who have sent me your expressions of prayer and concern. One person I heard from is my Alabama brother! He and his wife are coming down this weekend! This is just what the doctor ordered for the caregiver. That brother and his wife have been there for me countless times in the past.

Yes, my husband did hear the diagnosis yesterday and he was told point blank that he can't drive. An appointment is now set for October 13th to assess his driving skills. He is mad about this. "Of course I can drive," he says. I reminded him about being sued for our home if he were in an accident because of his Mixed Dementias, and this reasoning didn't make sense to him. Usually he doesn't drive when I am gone anyway--just when we do things together.

12:45 Thursday AM.  I am up in the middle of the night not sleeping. I get his car key out of his jeans.