This Sounds Like Me

There was a column called "Age Activated Attention-Deficit Disorder" by Hap LeCrone. It reminds me of me.

I decide to wash my car. As I start toward the garage, I notice there is mail on the hall table. I decide to check the mail first and lay my car keys on the table.

I put the junk mail in the trash can and notice that the can is full. So I decide to take out the trash first. But, I think, I'm not going to be near the mailbox when I take out the trash, so I will pay the bills first. There is only once check left, however. My extra checks are in my desk, where I find the Coke I had been drinking. The Coke is getting warm, and I decide I should put it in the refrigerator.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, I pass a vase of flowers that need to be watered. I set the Coke down, and I discover my long-lost reading glasses. i set them on the counter, and while filling a container with water, I spot the TV remote on the kitchen table. Tonight, when we want to watch, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it in the den. First, though, I should water the flowers, but I spill water on the floor. So, I put the remote on the table and wipe up the spill.

Then I try to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day, the car isn't washed, the bills aren't paid, there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter, the flowers aren't watered, there is still only one check in my checkbook, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then I try to figure out why nothing got done today. I know I was busy all day long, and I'm really tired.

The moral of the story: Laughing at yourself is therapeutic.

Welcome to my world.

Just Let Me Be Me

I have reached a point where sometimes I don't want anyone to know I have Alzheimer's. It is not that I am in denial or that I have suddenly decided that people should not know. I know, however, that that is not an option. I must continue to spread the word so that people will know that having Alzheimer's is not an immediate death sentence. It also doesn't mean that I will be confined to a home in the near future.

My main issue is with the people that, because of the diagnosis, expect me to be less of a person. I'm tired of hearing - You don't sound like you have Alzheimer's. I'm not sure what you think I should sound like. Please don't say - You seem so normal. I am normal. I just happen to have a disease that will eventually destroy by brain. Some days are good and some are bad. I will be honest with you and tell you when it is a bad day.

I am still me. I am not hard of hearing so please don't talk loud to me. It does help if you face me when you talk so that I can direct my attention to you. That makes it easier to concentrate on what you are saying. Please don't talk so fast that I can't follow what you are saying but by the same token don't slow down so much that you treat me like a child.

Please don't keep asking me if I'm 'foggy' today. On the days that I am I don't usually recognize that fact but I will respond with a yes because you obviously think I am.

My brain processes information at a slower pace than it did in the past. There may come a time when additional tasks are more difficult for me. I'm doing the best I can right now. I don't mean to be rude when I ask you to repeat what you just said. I appreciate your help when I stumble on my words. I still enjoy your company and I hope you still enjoy mine. Please be patient with me but don't treat me like I am less of a person than I was before this disease invaded my brain.

Alzheimer's is what I have. It is not who I am.

I Want To Be A Dog

I'm not sure if I believe in reincarnation. I think about it sometimes and wonder if there is that possibility. If so, I think I would like to be a dog. I don't want to be just any dog. I want to be a pampered pooch. Princess would be a good name. I would have wonderful people that would take care of me, feed me, and of course I would be able to sleep on the bed. I also want to choose my owners. I can think of some people in Florida that would make good owners for me. One is my friend Jenny. She really loves animals and I would have a great life at her house. I would be safe and warm and well fed with plenty of toys to play with, and I would know without a doubt that my life was safe in her hands. The other owners of choice would be Debby and Sam. Debby would fix me special food, make sure I get plenty of play time, and take me on RV vacations. They would love me unconditionally and I know for sure I could sleep on the bed.

How do I know that they would be good to me? That is easy to answer. They are good to me now. When I got my diagnosis of Alzheimer's their friendship never wavered. They love me unconditionally now, they make sure I'm warm and fed when I'm with them, they share play time, we laugh, we travel, and I know that my life is safe in their hands.

Yep - I think I want to come back as their dog!