The Long Goodbye

 This post is not sunshine and roses.  It's about dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.  Proceed knowing that.

 The summer solstice, which was just yesterday, is a loooong day.  Did you know they call Alzheimer's (and other dementia-related diseases) the long goodbye?  Here's why:

1. The grieving process begins when your loved one (my mom) is diagnosed with a form of dementia such as Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body, or Frontotemporal Dementia (among others).  It is a long process.

2. The disease is irreversible and only gets worse.  No one gets better, and no one survives.

3.  The person suffering with dementia does not retain the basic parts of their personality.  It changes.  The person you knew and loved is long gone by the time death comes.  Definitely true of my mother.

4.  Not only does memory suffer, but cognitive skills in general decline. Daily conversation dwindles away.

5.  Friends and family become strangers to the person suffering dementia.  She loses recognition.

6.  The physical body declines.

7.  The person is changing right before your eyes.

8.  Role reversal is difficult.  You may be caring for the person who used to take care of you as I am.

9.  The person affected with Alzheimer's gets to a point where they can no longer use reason.

10.  Those with Alzheimer's forget their pasts.  They come to a point where they don't recognize their own children or grandchildren.

11. The affected individual cannot read, follow a TV show, or do many of the things she once did.

12. A person with dementia may say things that are socially unacceptable and may even insult you.

13.  Dementia and Alzheimer's cause a person to lose the ability to speak, walk, and even eat.  

This is not meant to depress you, but to be aware that someone like me whose mom is suffering with the disease needs your help whether or not they ask for it, but most of all, they need your compassion. This long goodbye constantly weighs heavily on their mind as they are in a perpetual state of mourning.  This is my situation now with my mom.

I am linking to Thursday Thirteen.

This Heat is No Joking Matter!

 Not much to talk about today.  Except the heat.  Triple digits.  And if it's this hot in June, I hate what July and August are going to bring us!

I may be spending Saturday in this ungodly heat!  I'm going to Dallas, where my twin daughter lives, and her twin brother is coming as well as my husband, and it's going to be a great time.  Hot, but great. We are celebrating their birthday.

If you have yet had a chance to check out Crafteverly's Etsy shop, please go take a look when you can.

Have a great week and check out Stacy Uncorked and Comedy Plus!

Sleep

 

Sleep.  Peaceful, restorative, blissful sleep.  I have no idea what that is!  It is elusive, meaning I have difficulty falling asleep, and even when I do sleep, it's often fitful leaving me groggy in the morning.  I'm technically not an expert, but I have done a lot of research on how to achieve restful sleep.  Not all of them work for me, but here we go.

1.  Routine.  Going to bed and waking up at approximately the same time every day.  This one is difficult for me.  I'd love to hear your story if it's worked for you.

2.  Decreased Exposure to Blue Light.  Blue light, the kind that you're exposed to on electronics like your phone or computer, supposedly mimics daytime light which prevents your body from producing melatonin.  Wearing blue light blocking glasses at night is supposed to help, but I haven't tried them.  Have you?

3.  Meditation or relaxation.  There are a dozen or so apps out there to help with meditation.  I downloaded one and used it once.  I know.  If I don't use it, how will I know if it works or not?

4.  Quiet.  The noises in your home or outside your windows could possibly keep you awake.  I have a white noise machine that prevents those noises from interfering with my sleep, and I do think it helps.

5.  Temperature.  It's difficult to sleep if you're too hot.  My husband turns the AC way down at night, so my room is always cool.

6.  Dark.  I used to like a nightlight on, and there was a time when I slept with the TV on every night, but as I've gotten older, I need a dark room to sleep well.  My daughter has used a sleep mask for years.

7.  Exercise.  Just don't exercise too late in the day.  Exercise gives you an initial burst of alertness and energy, but it also contributes to more restful sleep.  Kind of ironic.

8.  No naps.  Self-explanatory.  This one is sometimes difficult for me.

9.  Aromatherapy.  Lavender is said to induce relaxation, particularly when the essential oil is diffused into the room.  There is a variety of lavender products available:  lotions, bubble bath, body spray, pillow mist.  Other essential oils can aid in relaxation such as bergamot, chamomile, and cedarwood.

10. Melatonin supplements.  Melatonin is a hormone the body produces that helps control your sleep-wake cycle. These can be taken in tablet form, melts, or chewables.  

11. Reduce caffeine intake.  I try to limit myself to one soda's worth of caffeine a day, and I try not to have any past the afternoon.  I think it helps.

12. No eating or watching TV in bed.  Use the bed for sleep (and if this were a different kind of blog... well, you know.)

13. Medication.  According to drugs.com, there are about 74 medications that are used to aid with sleeping, some over-the-counter, some prescription.  The ones I know of are Ambien, Lunesta, Diphenhydramine, and Sonota, but clearly, I haven't experienced all of them.

I hope you get a good night's sleep tonight, but if you're awake and need something to do, visit Thursday Thirteen for more fun lists!

Helluva Weekend (and not Hella... There's a difference.)

 It all started when my husband and I chose to take my vehicle for the 3.5 hour trip to see our grandbabies, daughter, and son-in-law (which we thoroughly enjoyed).  On the way home, we were exiting one major freeway to a another when, all of a sudden, my husband seemed to be driving erratically.  It was not his fault.  The vehicle completely lost power.  Luckily there was a big shoulder on this high-in-the-sky overpass (or interchange, or flyover, whatever you want to call it.  

We were there an hour and a half in 94 degree weather waiting for a tow.  One good Samaritan stopped, but there was really nothing he could do.  And only one nutjob honked at us  (maybe 2), as if we chose to sit on the shoulder of an overpass!

A constable finally pulled up and was able to get us a tow a lot quicker than we were.  Our son showed up a few minutes after we got the vehicle towed, thank goodness!  We had an air conditioned ride home.  Now the vehicle is sitting on the other side of town (45 minutes from here) at an automotive shop we know nothing about, and we don't have an estimate as of yet.

My husband has been saying we needed a new vehicle.  He wasn't wrong!

And now...

That's one to ponder!  Do we?

Optimus Prime (Transformers)

That's it!  Thank you for stopping by.  For more random and happy things, visit Stacy Uncorked and Comedy Plus.  Have a great week!

Fun Photos

 In case you couldn't tell, I love flowers!

I'm linking up with Wordless Wednesday and Image-in-ing.

Happy Random Tuesday

 

Hello!  It feels like more than a week since our last Tuesday get-together!  But here we are...

My husband and I had a house-guest from Friday to Monday (one of his childhood friends).  He was a great guest, and by great I mean he was quiet, respectful, even helpful, and could make good conversation.  He even treated us to a rather expensive meal.  However, it's always a good feeling when you finally have the house back to yourselves, too.

New Subject... because I can.  It's random!

I have always been a night owl and a late sleeper, until a few weeks ago, maybe longer.  One night I couldn't sleep at all.  I took about an hour nap the next day, but I also used to be a napper, and I'm not now.  I go to bed late, and I would like to sleep till at least 9, but it hasn't been happening lately,  6:45, 8:00, 7:15.  Way too earlier when you look at the time I actually fall asleep.  Oh well. Is it part of the aging process? Hmmm.

Moving right along...

This actually cracked me up!

It does look like a nest!

My sister broke her toe about a year ago in exactly this way.

This couldn't be more true!

Don't forget to visit Stacy Uncorked and Comedy Plus.  Have a great week!

Sunday Synopsis-The Other Husband

 

The Other Husband by Kathryn Croft
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is centered around two couples, mainly the two females of the couples, but their husbands do play into the thickness of the plot. Abby and Sienna meet at an exercise class and become BFFs in no time. Out of the blue, Sienna suggests they swap spouses for a night. What normal couple in their right minds thinks that is a good idea? But they all go along with it.

Sienna's husband Greg (a doctor) goes home with Abby while Sienna and Abby's husband make small talk then go their separate ways to sleep. Something happens between Greg and Abby that night. Sienna can tell there is something wrong, then Greg goes missing.

Sienna thinks maybe he has just left her, but he doesn't report to work when his vacation is over. She also knows that Abby knows more than she's saying and now Abby is avoiding her. Eventually, of course, she finds the truth, but the "truth" (in my opinion) was a little too unrealist for this book to have much credibility.

As I was reading, I realized I didn't really like any of the characters. Which one was I supposed to be sympthateic toward? In the end it all made sense, but it didn't. I think the author tried too hard to write something similar to Gone Girl, but she's only half the author Gillian Flynn is.

View all my reviews

If you have a few minutes and like handmade products, please check out my sister blog's Etsy shop (Crafteverly) or send the link to someone you think would like it.  Thank you!