Lewy Body Dementia is said to be the Second Most Common Form of Dementia, after Alzheimer's. It has been said that there are many who are misdiagnosed as having AD rather than LBD, as so many still regard it as the same sort of dementia, but with a few irregularities. But they're wrong.
This week was quite a busy one for Mom. After Sunday, she had a one-day reprieve from my attentions. Lucky gal!
Tuesday, my nephew, Alex, came to town for a visit - mostly to see Mom, or as the grandchildren call her, Mermi (May-ar-mee - accent on the May). I picked him up downtown when he arrived, and after lunch and some catching up we went in to see the matriarch.
She was excited! She hadn't remembered Alex and was eager to hear more about him, his sisters and brother and his mom, who'd been divorced from Alex's father, my brother, for nearly 20 years. They had a wonderful conversation.
Mom had a wonderful time showing off her letters, cards and photos she'd received from friends and family. Alex was full of questions, and Mom was raring to answer them - even if her responses didn't make sense; Alex was having a wonderful time, as was Mother. While playing observer, I was able to notice that the tremors were quite noticeable in Mom's arms - perhaps it was the excitement, or they had just increased. Later I would note that they weren't quite as noticeable, so it was something that happened sporadically.
After this, we decided Mom needed to get out for a bit. So we headed for Mount Tabor, as the rain had ceased and it was becoming quite a lovely day.
Mom's repetition of questions was evident. Was it the excitement of someone new? I believe not, as my other brother had reported that during his visit this was quite common - she would ask the same question over and over as if it were the first time, and happily they obliged her with an answer as if it were, as did Alex.
After the goodly walk, we returned to the car, and Mom was a little tired, but not sore. When we left her with the promise of returning the next day she was happy and she was going to lie down before dinner.
Wednesday came the visit to the dentist, Dr. Brad. This went quite well. We both had cleanings and finished about the same time. We then picked Alex up from Powell's Books in Cedar Hills, and went to lunch, during which we had a repeat of the conversation from the day before. Mom was very happy. She was getting so much attention!
After we returned to St. A's, we had just left her room when the RLC (Retired Ladies' Club - Connie & Jean Chapter) arrived. We chatted a bit before they went to visit and play Scrabble (they playing by the rules, Mom playing kamakaze-style).
Thursday was the visit to the doctors (see blog entry for July 24) .
Friday night, I received the results from the tests. I wasn't sure what they meant, but at least I had something...
Sunday night my brother had Mom, my niece from Las Vegas and her toddler, and me over for dinner. I asked my step-niece what the results meant. She told me that Mom probably needed to go on a diet with more lean meats, fruits and vegetables - all with less fatty substances. After she explained what all the numbers and the initials of the different tests meant, I felt better - still somewhat ignorant, but better.
Mom was basking in the heat when I arrived to dinner, outside with my brother enjoying a glass of wine. Today she seemed rather confused; it wasn't a 'with-it' day at all. I believe all the activity with the toddler, and the other people, along with the heat probably made her feel a bit more anxious than usual - but then, again, she wasn't exactly completely in the here and now either earlier.
Mom thinks for a moment
As I took her home, later on, she slept most of the way. She asked if her car was at my house, and I told her it was somewhere, but I wasn't all that sure. She told me how nice it was my brother came and helped her move so many things from her house into his earlier in the day (never happened). It was a pleasant chat.
By the time we arrived back to St. A's, she was quite drowsy, and the med-aid met her with the nightly dosages. Mom was ready to sleep.
A very busy, but good week. She can rest a few days, now.
This week was quite a busy one for Mom. After Sunday, she had a one-day reprieve from my attentions. Lucky gal!
Tuesday, my nephew, Alex, came to town for a visit - mostly to see Mom, or as the grandchildren call her, Mermi (May-ar-mee - accent on the May). I picked him up downtown when he arrived, and after lunch and some catching up we went in to see the matriarch.
She was excited! She hadn't remembered Alex and was eager to hear more about him, his sisters and brother and his mom, who'd been divorced from Alex's father, my brother, for nearly 20 years. They had a wonderful conversation.
Mom's repetition of questions was evident. Was it the excitement of someone new? I believe not, as my other brother had reported that during his visit this was quite common - she would ask the same question over and over as if it were the first time, and happily they obliged her with an answer as if it were, as did Alex.
Wednesday came the visit to the dentist, Dr. Brad. This went quite well. We both had cleanings and finished about the same time. We then picked Alex up from Powell's Books in Cedar Hills, and went to lunch, during which we had a repeat of the conversation from the day before. Mom was very happy. She was getting so much attention!
After we returned to St. A's, we had just left her room when the RLC (Retired Ladies' Club - Connie & Jean Chapter) arrived. We chatted a bit before they went to visit and play Scrabble (they playing by the rules, Mom playing kamakaze-style).
Thursday was the visit to the doctors (see blog entry for July 24) .
Friday night, I received the results from the tests. I wasn't sure what they meant, but at least I had something...
Sunday night my brother had Mom, my niece from Las Vegas and her toddler, and me over for dinner. I asked my step-niece what the results meant. She told me that Mom probably needed to go on a diet with more lean meats, fruits and vegetables - all with less fatty substances. After she explained what all the numbers and the initials of the different tests meant, I felt better - still somewhat ignorant, but better.
Mom was basking in the heat when I arrived to dinner, outside with my brother enjoying a glass of wine. Today she seemed rather confused; it wasn't a 'with-it' day at all. I believe all the activity with the toddler, and the other people, along with the heat probably made her feel a bit more anxious than usual - but then, again, she wasn't exactly completely in the here and now either earlier.
As I took her home, later on, she slept most of the way. She asked if her car was at my house, and I told her it was somewhere, but I wasn't all that sure. She told me how nice it was my brother came and helped her move so many things from her house into his earlier in the day (never happened). It was a pleasant chat.
By the time we arrived back to St. A's, she was quite drowsy, and the med-aid met her with the nightly dosages. Mom was ready to sleep.
A very busy, but good week. She can rest a few days, now.
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