This blog is about life with my husband who was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's and Frontal Lobe Dementia in 2008. He was 64 at the time although now, knowing more about the disease, Alzheimer's was present many, many years ago, which is why early detection is so important. As you read the blog the character "Al" that I created in 2008, represents the way that Alzheimer's is invading our daily lives.
There is an archive tab further down the page that starts from the beginning of our journey.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Living with Bob and "Al"

This disease, this terrible thing called Alzheimer's is so mind boggling. Actually now that Sheri sees that word "boggle" written down, Sheri thinks "boggle" the game, (you know the one that you push that plastic thingy on the top and the letters jump around and then when they land you have find as many words as you can?) That is actually a pretty good description of the way Sheri views Bob's brain. She was longing for conversation but tired of the noise of the TV. So there she and Bob sat in the living room in total silence. They sat there for 15 minutes or so and when Bob flinched and jolted forward with pain from his back, Sheri asked him if he was okay. What followed was a string of boggled sentences that Sheri can not even duplicate.Three or four words that would make sense in the context of what he was saying, and then it would jump to something else. Bob clearly thought his conversation was making sense as his facial expression would change with the intensity of his words, but Sheri had to kind of unscramble the thought processes. At first Sheri was surprised. Then she realized that this was the first time "Al" had even attempted conversation other than the the few same things he says every single day. Sheri was entranced by the boggled conversation, and boggled by how much this disease must challenge Bob's mind on a daily basis.
There are subtle changes, and not so subtle changes. Sheri hates this disease.


1 comment:

  1. Oh Sheri, how frightening for both you and Bob. May God surround you both with his ministering angels today. You will both continue to be in my prayers.

    Sue

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