Watch Your Blood Sugar
Well, I was wrong. Despite the problems with Jim’s eyes, I’ve always assumed diabetes was the less dangerous of the trio of illnesses that plague Jim. Hypertension = Heart Attack Cholesterol = Heart Attack Diabetes = treatable eye, foot and kidney issues Well, the feet may not be treatable anymore. Over the past …. Read More
Hard Conversations
Last Sunday we had an issue. Well, Jim did – even though he didn’t realize it. He double dosed his vitamins. While on the surface, it doesn’t seem like a big deal, it is. I’ve already hidden away his medications because he’d stopped reading the day written on the box of his daily pills. …. Read More
Restaurant Eating
So… It was my birthday this past week and while I was willing to ignore it as I did our wedding anniversary a few months ago. Jim, suddenly realized it was August and thus, my birthday must be happening soon. He asked me repeatedly what I wanted, even after we decided we’d just go …. Read More
A Big Dip and Challenges Ahead
It has been a week. After 6 weeks of not having any doctor’s appointments, suddenly we’ve had 5 over the past 10 days. I felt so bad for Jim as he desperately tried to keep the appointments straight in his head. He’d repeat them over and never get them right. Finally, I stopped giving …. Read More
Food and Dementia Prevention
There is a lot of talk out there of using food to delay the onset of dementia. Honestly, by the time Jim was officially diagnosed, I figured I was doing enough. He’d already been diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago and I went all out. Fiber this and veggies that. Everything I cooked …. Read More
Play It Again, Jim
I know his memory is bad. There is no question about it anymore. His short-term memory is practically non-existent. Tonight was an exercise in keeping the sadness out of my expression during the hour between supper and Jim starting his evening routine. Jim watched the Blue Jays baseball game this afternoon. As we returned …. Read More
Loss of Taste and Smell
Jim has been losing his appetite lately. At first I thought it might be caused by anxiety or depression, but over the past few weeks I’ve concluded it’s not. He’s in good spirits and seems relaxed. When he’s anxious, everything about him stiffens. It’s been a very hot summer here in Southern BC. This made …. Read More
Dementia Jim And Sleeping
Over the past few months, Jim hasn’t been keeping a regular sleep/wake cycle. Part of it I’m sure is boredom. Even with the pandemic waning, he’s reluctant to go to the mall for a walk (which he used to do on his own just to get out). Lately, he’s begun exercising in the mornings, …. Read More
When The Bad Days Become The Good Days
I knew these days were coming. In face, I’m sure I blogged about it last Christmas, or perhaps the Christmas before. Back when it started to sink in for me that the days I considered bad memory days, where he’d ask the same question a few times before he finally remembered and did the …. Read More
Medications Revisited
We had a tele-appointment with Jim’s geriatric doctor yesterday and it’s official. After being somewhat stable between his August and January appointments, he’s started to slide again. Nothing I didn’t already know but it’s helpful to have my observations validated. His answers to the MMSE (mini-mental state evaluation) further confirmed that Jim knows where …. Read More