Dementia for 2

There are times when I really long to carry on a meaningful conversation with my grandmother. Sadly, I have not had a moment like that in several years.

Sometimes it takes a great tragedy to bring about a moment of clarity in our lives. My grandmother has recently suffered such a tragedy.

Last week she fell out of her wheelchair and fractured her C1 and C2 vertebra's. She also has a huge bruise over her right eye along with stitches above her right eye and scalp. This type of break is typically know as the "Hangman's fracture"

She spent 3 days in ICU which was very hard on all of us. Because of her age, she is not a candidate for surgery or a halo vest. They did fit her with a collar to keep her neck from moving for the next 6 weeks.

Because this happened in the nursing home with the aid in the room, we made the decision to move her to another facility. My mother also spoke with a lawyer today.

The new facility is 30 miles away so it will be more expensive to go and see her what with the price of fuel these days.

The biggest concerns are with her skin. Because this collar/brace extends down her torso, we are concerned about infection due to moisture getting trapped inside the brace. Granny also has a cold and we are concerned about pneumonia setting in since she is confined to her bed until at least the end of the month.

I have not been able to see Granny since she left the hospital. I am hoping to get to see her this week. My sister has been able to make the drive with mom twice this week. On both occasions, Granny was very coherent. She spoke about her youngest daughter and how much my sister resembled her. This conversation prompted my sister to call our aunt and relay the conversation to her. I truly hope it will help my aunt put some of the past behind her once and for all.

The second conversation was only 2 words. They were turning my grandmother to clean and check her out and she told my sister "I'm scared." These words really break my heart. My grandmother has been through so much in her life and I cannot bear the thought of her being scared. How can you possibly comfort someone with this type of fear? What words can ease their physical pain and emotional distress? Just because she is speaking coherently does not mean she will understand what you are saying to her.

I am very afraid for my grandmother right now. I am helpless in this situation and I am not sure I can mask my own fears from her when I see her. I really want to just go up to this nursing home and go off on everyone I come in contact with. This was senseless and unfortunately we may never know what truly happened.

I know I have to keep all of this in check not only for Granny but, my mom as well. She needs me to be clear headed and strong for both of them right now. Thank God my sister and I have mended our own relationship so we can take turns with all of this.

I will try to keep posting updates about Granny's well being but it is so emotional for me right now that I am not sure I can be right on top of this blog.

I appreciate any insights any of you may have and would ask that you please pray for my grandmother.

I have not written about Granny in a while, so much has been happening that I really don't know where to begin. Maybe I can just number them in no particular order.

1. Shortly after I started recovering from pneumonia, my grandmother contracted pneumonia. Since she has received the shot to prevent this, we were surprised that she became ill. Mom had her admitted to a different hospital farther away from home this time. It was discovered that Granny aspirates on thin liquids such as water, coffee, etc. Hence the bout with pneumonia. The doctor prescribed a thickener for her liquids so maybe this will help.

2. Since no one can care for your family to suit you, there are always problems with Granny's care. Since mom is no longer working, she is spending most of her time with Granny and this issue has come to the surface. There are serious issues with more than one aide and mom has tried to resolve them in such a way as to allow at least a civil relationship. However, not everyone is this mature. This has led to a letter writing campaign followed by numerous phone calls. The outcome is still undecided but, I am worried about both my mom and grandmother.

3. Mom is trying to see if Granny qualifies for Medicare Home Health Care. Since the qualifications are very specific, we are not sure if Granny is even in the running for this. Mom is going to make some calls and try and set up an appointment with Granny's doctor to see if this is a viable option. Since Granny needs so much equipment, lift, hospital bed, wheelchair, etc. I am not sure all of this will be covered by Medicare. I don't know if you can rent any of this or what the cost will be. Mom thinks this will be the best thing for both she and Granny but, I worry that she may not be thinking this through.

Overall, Granny is doing very well. Since her discharge from the hospital, she has been a little difficult when it comes to taking any medication. She just flat out refuses to take any if mom is trying to give it to her. No one has figured out what is going on with her concerning this yet.

Yesterday she was talking to people in her room that were not there. This is a new development and does have us a little concerned. I do hope that when mom goes to visit her today, she will be more like herself. I know a lot of people say that their family members experienced similar things shortly before they passed on. However, my father in law talked with people for months before he died. I am not as concerned as mom but then again, I have dealt with Granny's "spells" more than mom.

I hope you all have a great weekend and hopefully I will have better news in my next post.

Mom and I have been battling health issues that would be contagious to Granny lately so it has been a bit since I have been to visit her. My sister has been trying to pick up the slack.

Mom has HFM,and I have poison ivy. during all of this my sister developed pink eye. I told my brother in law he should take a photo of us posing as the 3 monkeys.



Apparently, Granny also had pink eye. Since mom and I were unaware of the signs of this, it is good that my sister contracted this while she was helping with Granny. She is the one that knew what she was seeing and made sure Granny received the proper medical care.

Sis has been helping keep Granny in clean clothing and the like. She also disinfected her room since I have been unable to get up there. While she is with Granny, her every move is watched. Granny has not spent a lot of time with her so she is not sure just exactly who she is. Sis called during one visit and mom spoke with Granny via phone. I think that Granny knew she was speaking to mom because she said, "That woman is here again." I think that is so funny! I can just see Granny watching my sister's every move and not saying a word. I am sure that when she left Granny took inventory of her stuff.

My poison ivy has cleared up enough that I was able to go and visit yesterday. She really looks good and we had a great visit. We did the mani-pedi thing and she really enjoyed teasing me.

I think I am going to call "That Woman" today and let her know just how much it means to mom and I that she took the time to help during all this. We are not sure just when mom will be able to go and see Granny again maybe another week or so. They miss each other terribly and I know that mom will be glad to be done with this illness so she can get back to being momma.

I am not a Doctor by any stretch of the imagination. I read a lot and I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes too many questions. My mother spent a lot of time in various hospitals when I was younger so I learned at an early age how to "talk" to Doctors. Most of us trust our physicians and do not ask a lot of questions. Some of us do not want to appear ignorant and also, do not ask a lot of questions.

My uncle has been hospitalized for the last 2 weeks. What started as the flu turned into pneumonia and ended with him hallucinating in his own home. These were very serious hallucinations. Once he was taken to the hospital he became combative and they restrained and sedated him.....for over a week. I am not sure but I thought it was illegal to restrain anyone in a hospital setting. One of his sons managed to get him moved to a larger, more equipped hospital in a nearby town. Once there it was discovered that his heart was only pumping at 20%. I think that the fact that his brain was not getting enough oxygen could have caused the hallucinations. A stint was placed in him on Monday. Everyone felt this would "cure" the problems and he could go home today.

Last night he started with the hallucinations again. I know that some drugs have side affects that include hallucinations. I don't know if he is getting these drugs and his children are not asking about it. They have decided to take him home and have him look at photo albums and the like to see if this will bring him back to reality. There will also be a nurse that will come and help to care for him.

Now, I don't want to be too critical of this decision, but, I can't help but wonder what these men are thinking. There are too many things that could go wrong with this scenario. I know they have removed all the ammunition from his home. They were afraid of the repercussions if the actual guns were removed. But they are leaving this man alone in his home with his car keys with little or no supervision.

I am not close to my family so I don't know that they would listen to any advice I could offer. I have made some suggestions to my mother so she can relay for me. Mom is infinitely more tactful than I. I pray that they have more tests run and decide against taking him home until they know exactly what is going on in his brain.

Since hubs and I have had to go down to one vehicle, I am not able to go anywhere on my days off. I have been keeping up with Granny via my mom. For the most part, she has been doing very well hence the lack of posts concerning her.

I was able to go and see her for a bit yesterday. She was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her. Mom was also there as was the Nurse on duty. Once again, there are issues with Granny's health.

We have been very blessed in this area this year. Granny has not been in the hospital and her overall physical issues have been at a minimum. She has an aide that truly cares about her and that makes all the difference in the world. But, we all need a break and I must confess that mom and I both cringe when we know that "T" is going to be off work. It is a crap shoot on which aide will be taking care of her for those 2 days. I think that some of us forget that we will need someone to take care of us in some fashion at some point in our lives. We teach others how to treat us. While Granny is not abused, there are things that are consistently cropping up.

Lately her eyes are starting to become irritated. We are not sure if this is an infection or something that can be taken care of with over the counter remedies. They have started using antibiotic drops in her eyes and are following that up with what is called "eye scrubs". Hopefully, this will clear up any infection she may have or prevent one from starting. Since this will be done 2x a day, we should see an improvement rather quickly.

The other issue is her posterior. This has been an ongoing issue and I am sure will continue to be one. Since granny is no longer mobile, sitting or laying for long periods is a major factor is this dilemma. This time it does seem to be worse and mom has spoken with the Doctor about this. Another problem is that everything is on a schedule and if there is a kink in the chain, it is very difficult to get someone to break their routine to help. While I realize that routine and schedules are important, I don't know of anyone that would like to sit in their own urine or feces for an extended period of time just because it isn't time for them to be checked. Part of this problem could also be my grandmother. She is very particular about the people that take care of her in this arena. If she isn't happy with them for whatever reason, she will not tell them she needs to use the restroom. So knowing this, I cannot blame any one event or person for her current condition. I do hope that we are able to take care of this before it gets to terribly bad.

I feel that Granny is still getting very good care and that she is happy. I would say that overall the aides in this facility are hard working, caring people. In any type of environment you are going to have a few "bad apples" and a nursing facility is no exception. I try to remember this every time I go see Granny. It can be difficult to keep the right perspective when someone you love is not getting the type of care you feel they should be getting. I don't think that anyone will ever be able to care for Granny exactly like we think she should be and I try not to be harsh with anyone concerning her. I realize that she is MY grandmother and just another patient to them regardless of any attachment they may have to her. But there are times when this is a difficult thing to do.

Today's post comes from Eric Stevenson. I am not sure if he has a blog you can follow since we have only spoken via email. However, he was gracious enough to leave some contact information if you would like to discuss some things with him. So, without further ado, here is today's post.

It seemed ridiculous. My dad must have been in his early forties when he changed his diet. I
stared at his meal choices with disgust, refusing to partake in his bland diet of fish, veggies, egg
whites and dry whole wheat toast. “Why are you doing this to yourself, Dad? You’re not even
old yet!”

But my dad paid no mind to our confusion. His doctor had said he was a couple points above
a healthy cholesterol level, and that was all he needed to hear. For him, preventing cholesterol
problems was way better than letting the problems get out of control.

Prevention is always better than suffering the consequences of poor health later on. Though
prevention for dementia may be difficult, being aware of warning signs for dementia and other
illnesses can lead to a better experience.

Dementia
Because there is no known cause of dementia, prevention is difficult. But patients can fight
back, especially during early stages of the disease. Studies show that a natural nutritional
supplement, galantamine, may improve cognition and neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia
patients. It may also increase their independence, specifically in daily activities.

Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma symptoms are often too subtle to be identified as such. The lung cancer is
caused by asbestos and is latent for 20-50 years after exposure to the mineral. Because of the
latency, mesothelioma life expectancy is short. Avoiding asbestos in older buildings may lead to
the prevention of the deadly cancer.

High Cholesterol
High cholesterol usually has no signs and no symptoms. To be sure if you have a healthy
cholesterol level, visit a doctor and ask for a blood test to check those levels. As far as diet,
avoid saturated fats and carbohydrates in excess. These can raise cholesterol levels. Eating
fiber and maintain a healthy wait can lower cholesterol.

The best way to stay healthy is always to prevent illness, rather to recover. Being healthy is
often a greater miracle than being healed. Keep your mind and body sharp by keeping up with
these and other prevention tips.

By Eric Stevenson, a health and safety advocate, for questions about this article please feel free
to contact him at epicsurvivor@gmail.com

My husband "D"some serious issues with his shoulder, neck and back. I won't bore you with all the details suffice it to say, he is in A LOT of pain ALL the time.

However, he does work his behind off and always has. But, here lately it has become increasingly harder for him to continue. So today he talked with his doctor about applying for disability.

It seems that everyone I know has a horror story about this process. My own mother included. So I have started following a Disability Blog in the hopes that I can decipher some of the legal mumbo jumbo that I am convinced is done on purpose.

Since I started this blog to help others that are dealing with a loved one with Alzheimer's, it has morphed into I don't know what.

So as I enter this new chapter of dealing with lawyers, doctors and the red tape that is our government, I hope that my trials and tribulations can help some of you.

Stay tuned film at eleven.

I have been very ill for the last week. I have not been sick in several years so naturally, I thought I would be immune to this bug also. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

Have you ever noticed how everyone has an opinion as to what you should take or do when you are sick? I am not the best patient in the world so, when you start giving me your unasked for advice, I have to either cut the conversation short or bite your head completely off.

My take on shots is simple: I am grown and if I don't want a shot you aren't going to give me one. PERIOD. I don't care if it will make me feel better sooner. I don't care if it worked for you. I am old enough to make my own decisions and you are not going to talk me in to this regardless of your education level.

However, God does over rule my petulant attitude towards shots. He has decided that I need a shot and with a BIG needle. This is going to be a painful lesson I can already tell. I have avoided certain issues for far too long now. I just want it to be over with and as painless as possible. That is the coward in me. I didn't seem to have a problem exposing myself to all those germs without taking any precautions though did I?

As I lay here after taking the first dose of a 5 day zpac and doing other disgusting things to clear my head, I can't help but ask myself why I didn't take prevention sooner? What makes us think we can solve anything even the smallest of things without the guidance of God? I tell myself every time I get on this roller coaster that I won't do this again. And yet here I am. Maybe this time God will use the chainsaw instead of pruning shears and I can ride a different ride next time.

Carla is my grandson's mother. We first met on very bad terms. Since my son was determined to be with her, we developed our own relationship. I had to spend a lot of time on my knees to get to that point.

Since Carla is closer in age to me, we eventually developed our own relationship.
I first noticed the way she talks. she always says "I walked, or we walked,etc." This is unusual because Carla has been in a wheel chair for over 10 years. She was in a car accident when her daughter was still a toddler.

She was blessed to have survived the accident at all. While she doesn't remember the accident, she does remember the events leading up to the accident and her recovery after. Drugs and alcohol were involved and she is fortunate that no one died.

I remember the first time we went anywhere. I cannot remember if it was the supermarket,or some other store. I just remember looking for a place to park. I thought it was cool that we could use her plaque since this entitled us to park rather close. However, once we got there I was amazed and then angered at all the cars with no tags or plaques that entitled them to park there. That was my first real eye opener into my surroundings and the shortfalls that I now see almost everywhere.

The limitations that we place on those that we deem "handicapped" is horrible. Carla is only limited by her chair. She cannot eat in some restaurants, go to any historic sites be they homes or movie houses. She has to have a car big enough for her chair and her son.

While I may not agree with some of Carla's choices regarding her life, I do envy her spirit. She is very easy going and laid back. She is almost always happy and up beat. She reminds me of all the happy hippies I used to see when I was very young. We could all learn from a woman like Carla.

July 24 is a day set aside to think of those in your life with disabilities. As you go about your day, I ask that you look at your surroundings. Ask yourself if you were in a wheel chair could you go there? What about if you were blind or did not have all your limbs. How easy would it be for you to cook a meal sitting down knowing that your stove was too high?

We all talk about changing the government, environment, our cities and towns. What about just making it easier for others to enjoy what we seem to take for granted?

I have watched Carla overcome many things in the time that I have known her. But, the one thing she cannot overcome is the way we as a people treat those in her situation. To still have her free spirit and to love God through it all is a lesson we could all learn from.

My mom has been suffering with back pain for almost a year now. She is unable to anything for any amount of time. I do mean ANYTHING. No walking, sitting, laying, driving, cooking, etc.

She has had 3 epidural shots in as many months. This particular doctor told her that she would need surgery. Anyone that has had or knows anyone that has had back surgery knows that you almost always have to at least one more surgical procedure. You will still have a multitude of problems and pain after wards.

I finally talked her into going to a Spine Clinic and getting a second opinion. She had her first appointment yesterday. Mom left there feeling more encouraged and informed about her condition than she has in the past. I on the other hand, am even more worried.

They took xrays and compared them with some she had taken previously. Since she did not have her MRI images, they have scheduled another so they can compare the new images with the olds that I will be picking up next week. So, keep in mind they found all of this with the xrays only.

The Dr. says mom has Spina Bifida Occulta which I covered in a previous post. She also has Pars Defect,a slipped disc and a slipped bone? I am trying to find out more on that.

From what I have been able to learn so far, the main treatment is Physical Therapy. There is also pain management followed by surgery as a last resort.

I am really hoping that mom will not have to have surgery but, I fear she may. I don't know if she can handle lying on her back for weeks and doing absolutely nothing. The downside is that she may still have this pain along with limited mobility. This will be very discouraging for her and I am not sure she is fully prepared for that.

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.

I believe in vaccinations. I think every child should be vaccinated. All we need in this country to make it perfect is yet another outbreak of whooping cough, rubella, or some other disease that we should not be having.

I know that there are some risks associated with vaccines. I also know that the media blows things way out of proportion.

Whilst reading some comments on a facebook page, I noticed that someone commented on vaccines being made from the tissue of aborted fetuses. What?! Since when? Why weren't we told this? These are the questions going through my mind as I read this.

So to the web I go. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that aborted fetal tissue is not used today. But, the cell lines from aborted babies in the 1960's are used. Since I am not a scientist,biologist, or a doctor, I am not well versed in all the ins and outs of this.

The best I can make of it is this: The MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) shot is made form the cell lines of an aborted baby from the 60s. The CDC states that no fetal tissue is used. Only the cell lines from the fetus are used. The CDC also states that no DNA or minimal DNA from the fetus is actually in the injections. What does that mean?!

The problem is that even though they can store these cell lines in liquid nitrogen, eventually they are going to run out. Since the alternatives are less reliable in protecting us from these diseases, and have some serious side effects, you can draw your own conclusions as to what the government will do.

There is a plethora of information on the web about this. I am not citing my sources but I have leaving some links for you to peruse yourself.

Chart of vaccines.

Commentary on vaccines and origins.

Vaccines and autism.

Mom and I have often discussed exactly when my grandmother started exhibiting symptoms of Alzheimer's. Since she lived so far away, and other family members were in charge of her care, we just don't know.

People can be very good at hiding things. Especially if they are afraid of what will happen if someone finds out. There were things that my grandmother did that we just chalked up to her quirky personality or to stress. But, looking back, mom and I can now see the symptoms were there even when my grandmother was still working.

When mom or I would visit her, she would want us to pay her bills and balance her checkbook for her. Now others would do this in our absence, but she would want us to do it when we were there and to double check the others.

If she and I went shopping, she would want me to write her checks out for her and sign them. I now realize that she was losing her ability to write and this was a way to hide it. At the time, this never occurred to me.

She would get easily sidetracked. She would start out looking for her keys for example and wind up going through things in her closet. This happened on more than one occasion. But it did not happen in close succession of one another so it was difficult to pinpoint. She has always gotten stressed out over things, so we just figured most of this was because of that.

I know this may seem quite obvious to most, but you expect people to forget things as they age. You expect them to lean on you more for the little things that you take for granted like paying your bills.

If you are able to spend a lot of time with your family member, you can probably spot these things rather easily. But, if there is a great distance between you, it can be difficult especially if they have become quite adept at concealing things.

I think my grandmother started showing symptoms as early as her 50's. It is unfortunate that none of us were as aware as we are now. We could have taken her to the proper doctors and maybe helped her cope with this a little better.

While I do feel a certain sense of responsibility for this, I also realize that there were others that lived a lot closer that did not seem to notice these changes either. I feel bad for my Granny because of this. Medicines like Aracept and the like were not available during her early stages. By the time these came on the market, she had already progressed to the point that no one could tell us if they would even make a difference.

I share this so that you can really look at your loved one. Look at the things they are doing, conversations they are having. Notice the subtle changes. If you are able to go back over several months or even years, you may be able to spot some things that are out of line with your loved one. Then, you can make a better informed decision regarding their health and living arrangements.

Hubs has his PET scan on Monday. Before I continue, I must say this: he drives me N.U.T.S. He does no research on his own, asks no questions of his doctor, offers no alternatives that he may be more comfortable with, NOTHING. For the life of me I cannot understand this attitude.

Now for my contradiction. He did mention this procedure to his pain management doctor. What did this doctor say you ask? Well, almost verbatim what the little woman said. I am starting to think I missed my calling.

There are more steps involved in deciding to actually do surgery than I imagined. From what I can gather, the PET scan is not used as a first or even second option. I keep finding conflicting opinions on this issue.

While nothing has been determined one way or the other, I don't want to be blindsided with this. "D" is not worried about it at all. He doesn't think this is a big deal. He keeps telling me how common benign cysts are on the lungs. He is more worried about having to give up his beloved hamburgers. Go figure.

I am worried that he is taking this issue way too lightly. I don't know how he will handle any bad news. I am not a patient person and I hate all this waiting to go here and have this done then waiting to hear the results.

I am learning a lot about waiting on God during this ordeal. I know that whatever the outcome of all of this is, God knew first and I can take comfort in that.

As most of you know, my husband has started having a few health issues. He talked with his doctor today and the news is stressful at best.

When he went to get his blood work done, they notice his lungs looked "cloudy" on his chest x-ray. They scheduled a CAT scan last week. Today they told him over the phone that he has 2 nodules on his right lung.

Needless to say, I am very worried. I have started doing a little research on the net to find out what all of this means. Apparently, size matters in this case. The smaller the nodule, the more likely it is benign. If this is something that has shown up on previous x-rays, CAT scans, etc. and has not grown in size, that is also encouraging.

"D" says that he has not had a chest x-ray recently. but, I think he has when he was diagnosed with pneumonia a few months ago.

I have to keep telling myself that God knew we would face this and He already knows the outcome. I have prayed that God would do whatever it takes to show my husband that he needs God in his life. I don't know if this is his wake-up call or not. I am praying that this will be the catalyst that opens his eyes.

I would like to say that we have had a wonderful marriage and have always been kind and considerate of one another. I would like to say that he is my best friend and has always been so. But the truth is we have clashed more than I would care to recount. We are like 2 bulls in a china shop. We have hurt one another in many ways over the years.

But, I still love him. I still cannot picture my life without him in it. If given the chance to do things over again, like most of you I would change a lot in my life. But, I would still want him to be a part of it.

We have forgiven each other much. We have learned from some of our mistakes and seemed to be destined to constantly repeat others. But, God has gotten us through much. He has shown me my own shortcomings and given me the humility to go to my husband and confess these same shortcomings to him.

Now God is getting us both through this in a way that we can handle. I just pray that His way with "D" is the way that leads to the cross.

I have finally been able to go and visit my grandmother. It seems like forever since I last saw her. I must say, she looked great! She was as glad to see me as I was to see her.

Her memory is slipping more and that is to be expected. But, all in all she is doing very well.

She kept asking me how many kids I have. We have this conversation at least 3-4 times whenever I visit. So, I decided to see just how much attention she was paying to me this time. When she asked me about the third time I held up all my fingers and said, " Ten! Can you believe that?" Her eyes got really big and she said, "Ten! I don't believe that at all!" Then we both had a laugh over it.

It was a really sweet visit and I got to lay up with her and she stroked my hair just like she used to.

Just another sweet memory for me that I wanted to share with you.

Hubs is having yet more health issues. They seem to stem from one incident. I am hoping that he/we can resolve some of this so he feels better and in turn we are better together.

Several years ago, he had surgery to remove a cyst from his shoulder. Because of the size and location,he suffered permanent nerve damage. This has caused continued chronic pain. Some days it is so bad I have to help him get dressed. To help alleviate the pain, he uses the Duragesic Patch. This is a serious pain medication with many side effects. He decided to go this route after many, many other methods were used to no avail. When "D" has breakthrough pain, it can be bad. I hate those days. Even when he is getting on my last nerve, I hate to see him like that.

He has been having other symptoms that we just thought were part of the side effects of the patch. Fatigue, irritability, loss of sex drive,sweats, clammy skin you get the drift. The problem is that he will not go to the doctor about any of this until I start acting stupid about it.

He sees his pain Dr. every month but, not a regular M.D. Finally, after being unable to rid himself of this crud that has been going around, he goes. Since this is a new DR., he wants to be through. I don't have a problem with this since it has been so long since "D" had a real physical. Among other things that he is being tested for, they are testing his testosterone level. The last time he had this tested it was 80. The normal level for a man his age is 300-1200. Need I say more? I have been living with an 80 year old man in a 40 year old body.

There are some foods that will boost your levels naturally,but since his is so low right now he will have to have injections or possibly pills until his levels are higher. Here are some other foods that help build/boost testosterone.

I encourage the men who read me, to please get your levels tested. It is a simple blood test and could change your outlook. D's doctor told him this was the equivalent of going through menopause. I am hoping that we can resolve this so that I will get my 40 year old back. Since he is acting 80, I could trade him in on four 20 year olds:)

My mother has been recently diagnosed with a form of Spina Bifida. Since spina bifida occulta is usually diagnosed during exams for other injuries, most people never even realize they have it. This was the case with my mother.

Mom injured her back during the summer and the pain from that injury is what led to this discovery. She also suffered some disc damage of the herniated type. The doctors are going to give her an epidural shot in the hopes that it will block some of the pain she is suffering. I am hoping that if this works, she will be able to lead a somewhat normal life. While I am aware of the side affects of this treatment, I see the agony my mom is in and I just want her to have some kind of life.

What I have learned is that this disease, like Alzheimer's, may/may not be heredity. Scientists still can't decide. Go figure. But, like Alzheimer's, spina bifida is linked to a deficiency in folic acid. I have also learned that if you are a diabetic or suffer from epilepsy, you are at greater risk of having a child with some type of spina bifida.

My concern is for my children now. Since none of us were aware of this, no precautions were taking during either of my pregnancies. Nor were any taken during my son's exes pregnancy. I have made my daughter aware of this in the hopes that she will start taking folic acid now to prevent any problems for her children later.

Since this disease is the most of severe birth defects in children, you would think more information would be passed on to future parents. The chances of you having a child with spina bifida are extremely high if you or a parent has it.

Mom has been to several doctors and none of them saw this on her x-rays. I can't help but wonder if they saw it and did not recognize it or thought she was already aware of it and decided not to mention it.Makes me wonder just how many of us have this and are not even aware of it. Something else to ask your doctor the next time you need x-rays/MRI for a back injury.