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Alzheimer’s: My Nana’s Adventure
wordpress ^ | August 21, 2012 | housewifeparttime

Posted on 08/22/2012 5:45:56 AM PDT by grundle

This past weekend was my Nana’s birthday. She turned 76.

A great woman!

My mom had 4 kids, a single mother, and couldn’t afford the bills. Without ever complaining my Nana took me all to herself. She taught me so much! When I was learning to read and write she would open the bible. Most nights we would read and write scripture! Others we would sit and watch TV on her only couch, while eating cheese and crackers. She made my childhood! I was given the chance to be a kid only because of her. If I was ever in trouble she was always there to solve my every problem. When I pray today, and I can’t find the words I pray today, and I can’t find the words to say my pain, I can remember my Nana praying “God you know my pain, I give it to you”. Now I see how hard that prayer truly is. She lived scripture out for me day after day!

My fondest memory of my Nana was at a Billy Ray concert! This little old woman stood in line to shake his hand for an hour. Then, she stood there! The guard told her a thousand times to move, but she didn’t budge! Soon they had to move him to a safer location. When he left my 60 year old Nana sat in his seat and wiggled around like a obsessed 16 year old.

Now, I’am 21, married, and very busy. My Nana today lives in a nursing home. She has Alzheimer. That is one of the saddest disease you can ever have! You know it’s going to kill you and your family mentally and physically and there is nothing you can do about it. You watch your loved one forget to eat. Some stories we’ve heard many patients forget how to eat, so they get are forced to get fed by a tube.

Slowly, the family emotionally dies. The same woman that wiped my butt now has forgotten how to clean herself up to get ready for the day. My Nana no longer knows how to spell her name. Ain’t that crazy, she held the pencil for me as i learnt to sketch every letter. Her memories come and go. If It’s sunny and beautiful outside she can remember anything. During bad weather it’s hard to even get her to respond to questions.

Before she went to the “home” I use to go see her at least every other day. I would spend the night with her and talk for hours. One day though something changed. Something that I still fear to the day. She was acting very distracted, like she didn’t know what was going on. Her lips were bleeding, hands shaking, and you could smell the lack of shower. I cringed, my teeth were shaking! I was completely scared. I didn’t know what to do. After , that I was crying for an hour in the bathroom! She couldn’t remember how to put her shoes on she just kept touching them like they were a new computer and she didn’t know what to do with them. I put them on her feet and carried her the best i could to the car.

I hid my tears behind sun glasses, but my Nana knew my secret. She patted my arm and gently said, “I’ll be OK”. I never want to see her like this again. My fear of her disease limits my visits. The woman that asks, “who are you”? That can’t be my Nana.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: alzheimers
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To: WashingtonSource

That was very touching, and your family has been through quite a lot. But I am not the author of that piece - the author can be found at the link, and you can leave a comment for her there.


21 posted on 08/22/2012 11:10:40 AM PDT by grundle
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To: SoKatt

I am not the author of this. I am sorry about what your family had to go through.


22 posted on 08/22/2012 11:13:50 AM PDT by grundle
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To: Letmarch75

I am not the author of this - you can comment to the author by going to the link.


23 posted on 08/22/2012 11:15:22 AM PDT by grundle
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To: Bigg Red

I am not the author of this. You can comment to the author at the link.


24 posted on 08/22/2012 11:16:16 AM PDT by grundle
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To: humblegunner

Have you ever seen a thread here with so many touching comments? Unfortunately, most of them mistakenly think I am the author.


25 posted on 08/22/2012 11:18:00 AM PDT by grundle
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To: humblegunner; grundle

OK I take it back.

I was thinking grundle should get a break in view of his “family problems.” Seems I was taken in like so many others here.

I guess poor grundle is more shook up over the “trouser-ankle-monkey” thing than I thought. He’s forgotten who he’s pimping for.


26 posted on 08/22/2012 12:47:25 PM PDT by shibumi (Cover it with gas and set it on fire.)
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To: grundle

Apologies....


27 posted on 08/22/2012 1:01:24 PM PDT by Bigg Red (Pray for our republic.)
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To: grundle

OK. Thanks.


28 posted on 08/22/2012 5:12:15 PM PDT by WashingtonSource
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To: Bigg Red

Thanks for your prayers, Bigg Red.


29 posted on 08/22/2012 5:21:05 PM PDT by SoKatt ("Change" is not a strategy!)
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To: grundle

Thanks, grundle. It’s rotten, but I’m glad to have time with my stepfather while he’s still lucid. When the time comes that he has to go to a home, it comes...as for now we’re hanging in there.


30 posted on 08/22/2012 5:26:01 PM PDT by SoKatt ("Change" is not a strategy!)
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To: grundle

Aw honey. My dad has it too, my strong, can do anything Dad. He still knows us but he has gone down so fast that I know nothing good is coming. I hate Alzheimer’s. It’s the worst disease out there.


31 posted on 08/22/2012 5:31:06 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: wildbill

My eye makeup is now ruined.


32 posted on 08/22/2012 5:36:54 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: goodnesswins

Wow, interesting. A family member did use lithium orotate to wean himself off alcohol and it is good for that. Wonder if I should get some for my dad (Alzheimer’s, not too far gone yet).


33 posted on 08/22/2012 5:52:58 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: grundle

Interesting video:
http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/mp4/LJO190v1_WS


34 posted on 08/22/2012 6:36:48 PM PDT by golf lover (going)
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To: Yaelle

Probably cannot hurt....and it’s not very expensive.


35 posted on 08/22/2012 9:05:41 PM PDT by goodnesswins (What has happened to America?)
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To: golf lover

Thanks for the link. If that’s really true, it’s completely wonderful. But I’m skeptical. Also, the person who said it wouldn’t be profitable to mass produce it may be talking about the U.K. where there are price caps on drugs, but the U.S. does not have price caps, so if it really does work, it would be profitable here. And that makes me wonder why investors aren’t already lining up for it. Perhaps it doesn’t really work as claimed.


36 posted on 08/23/2012 2:04:01 PM PDT by grundle
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