My Life With Jim – Page 8 – Dementia Makes A Strange Bedfellow

Watch Your Blood Sugar

September 11, 2021 Wife of JimUncategorized

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

September 3, 2021 Wife of JimCoping General Progression

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

August 30, 2021 Wife of JimCoping Progressionshort term memory decline unfamiliar surroundings and dementia

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

August 27, 2021September 11, 2021 Wife of JimUncategorized

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

August 23, 2021 Wife of JimCoping Self CareFood and Dementia

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

August 16, 2021 Wife of JimProgressionshort term memory decline

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

August 13, 2021 Wife of JimGeneral

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

August 9, 2021 Wife of JimCoping Progressiondementia and light therapy

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

August 2, 2021August 3, 2021 Wife of JimCoping Progression

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

July 30, 2021 Wife of JimProgressionDementia Medications - to take or not to take

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

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