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…
MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment)
On this blog, I share my story of coping with an MCI diagnosis, how it has affected my lifestyle and the tools I've learned to preserve or improve my quality of life. Click here to learn what the condition is, and click here for my introduction to MCI.
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…
Dealing with nightmares and more
For a number of months (of course, I can’t remember the exact time period) I’ve been experiencing persistent nightmares. Horrid dreams which wake me up in a cold sweat, my heart pounding, and my mind replaying the fearful dream scenes again and again. Even as I try to recall the nightmares I can’t bring back…
Q&A with Keith: Part 2
Along with Part 1, this post was inspired by readers who asked me to interview my husband, Keith, as well as my children as to their reactions, feelings, concerns, and fears regarding my MCI. After reading Part 1, my editor asked for more Q&A from Keith! Here we go… Question: If you could go back…
Q&A with Keith: Part 1
This post was inspired by readers who asked me to interview my husband, Keith, as well as my children as to their reactions, feelings, concerns, and fears regarding my MCI. To my readers: two days ago, while sitting at our kitchen table drinking coffee, I interviewed Keith. The following is a partial transcription of that…
Dear reader, I need your help!
I’ve been writing these posts for—I really don’t know how long now—at least two or three years. During this time, I’ve done my best to be honest and forthright as I’ve expressed how I experience memory and cognitive decline (MCI – Mild Cognitive Impairment) both to help myself and hopefully others as well. Writing has…