During the days following my new diagnosis, the word dementia swirled around in my mind like a brewing thunderstorm—dark, threatening clouds looming, winds toppling my inner landscape. I was fearful of the approaching devastation, knowing I have little power to stop the oncoming storm. I can’t count how many times during those first few days…
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A change of diagnosis from MCI to dementia
I’ve put off writing this post until I knew I could do so with clarity and without crying. In early September I received a detailed transcript of my most recent visit with my psychiatrist. I’m accustomed to getting these medical follow-ups; it’s the norm at Mayo Clinic. But I wasn’t prepared for this one. After…
Q&A with my daughter
A few months ago, I wrote I was going to interview my family and post their responses. I had forgotten that promise until today, when I was going through a folder I keep labelled “Possible Post Topics.” In that folder I found a typed interview I had with my daughter Beth, but had forgotten about….
Another plateau
I know I’ve written about acceptance before..but as the title suggests, I feel I’ve reached another plateau in my journey of memory loss and and cognitive decline: an attitude of more acceptance, characterized by a lack of remorse and even, sometimes, with a tinge of gratitude. This was clearly apparent to me last week as…
Good conversations
My last post was about some challenges of living with MCI. Today I’m going to write about the frequent and uplifting telephone conversations I have with my sister, Karen. She lives in Florida and is six years older than me. She’s been a wonderful big sister and friend. Oh yes, I failed to mention she,…
Dreams versus nightmares
I am not perfect, nor is my experience of life. I am not always happy. I often feel resentful, sad and afraid. I silently and frequently ask, Why me? Have I done something to cause this? Will I become a burden to Keith and my children? Will I need to be institutionalized? Last night I…