Dementia for 2

My grandmother has always had an issue with skin cancer. When she first came to live with us, it seemed as though we were always at the dermatologist's office. She had 14 removed in as many months.

Since my grandmother grew up in an era where sunscreen was an unknown, many people her age have this issue. She has them mainly on her arms and legs. This is from chopping cotton in a sleeveless dress for hours on end in the hot Mississippi sun.

Recently, another cancer came up on her ankle. This is a different type of skin cancer that has a rapid growth rate. It is also painful because granny would wince anytime anyone touched it. That is something she rarely does so I know it hurt. Her Doctor told my mom that stress caused this. I have some concerns over this because my grandmother has difficulty communicating with us and the thought of her having any kind of stress worries me.

Mom went with her today to have it removed. While they were there, all the nurses that knew my grandmother came in the room to see her and visit with her for a while. My grandmother was very excited over all the attention and the fact that they all knew her. Mom said she thought she was at a family reunion because she kept asking about some of her Aunts and Uncles. That just cracks me up!

She also called my mom by name while she was there. This was a special gift to my mom because it has been a long time since granny remembered just exactly who my mother is.

On a sadder note, she did become afraid while she was there. My grandfather was not the nicest person in the world so my grandmother would get a really hard time from him if she went anywhere. She became concerned while they were there because it was getting late and she was not home. She even voiced these concerns to my mom. Finally, to ease my grandmother's mind, mom told her that my grandfather was dead and that he couldn't bother anyone.

However, once they arrived back at the nursing home, she did become quite amused at the thought of them leaving and then coming back without anyone realizing it. So, all in all I would say that granny had a good day even though she spent the day at the doctor's.