welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Friday, May 12, 2017

alzheimers news-here we come

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-HERE WE COME
Image result for organicgreendoctor
thats what we told our granddaughter as she looked into
the smartphone while face timing with us
she carries the phone around with her and talks to us
well we really dont understand what all she says
usually
but
she seems to understand us ok
when
we said this to her she smiled at us
so
i think she understood

we also told this to our other relatives who live in the area
santa barbara california
where we will be moving in a month

we were ready to list our place our country n on the mls listing for sale
this  last week
but
the weekend before
someone visiting with the drone operator filming our property for
the mls listing
told our realtor
i want to buy it
now
so
two days later it was a done deal
it never got listed
sorry those of you who wanted a chance at it
we decided
we may be on a ticking bomb
like what happened with my younger brother

if this new infusion experimental treatment doesnt work
this disease could accelerate at any time
that downhill fall thats acoming
its like walking along a beautiful plateau
near the edge is a cliff
you make that step and down you go

thats what happens with alzheimers disease
i know that
my wife shes knows that
thats always in the back of our minds when we make decisions

i know my brothers family his wife certainly understands
it seems it went fast for such a healthy looking person
we want to be as ready as we can when that happens

its happening fast
it started back over a year ago when i was giving a talk
at a church in georgetown
afterwards a lady came up to me and said
i dont know what to do
my husband has alzheimers disease
he clings to me all the time
he wanders aimlessly when i am gone

i wish we had moved before all this started

our kids all live in ohio
they want us to move there so they can help me
deal with him as this disease progresses
i am all alone down here

my advice to her
consider moving now
it will be hard to do real soon

as i left there that day
driving home
thats when i decided
this was not going to happen to us
ie
its not going to happen to my wife she

we began talking about it
between ourselves
we both agreed that this was the best thing for us to do
do it now
while we both are healthy
we both can make the transition to a new place
a long time before things get worse
as
change in someone with alzheimers is not accepted well
by that person

as we visited santa barbara last year
checking out all the things we would or could get involved
with
for me it was
gardening
volunteering with habitat for humanity meals on wheels school gardens etc
and
continuing my involvement with the alzheimers movement
i will be involved with all those when i arrive there
in fact
i already have a plot in a community garden there
i already have a walk team for their alzheimers walk this fall
i have the contacts for the other things i want to get involved with
the same for my wife she


yes thats a donald duck backpack she has
wonder where she got that

then
we have this beautiful growing granddaughter
that we want to be involved with as she gets older
i want her to know who we were when we are gone

i guess all i can say is
if you are in this situation
the longer you wait to make the decision to make a change
the harder it is to do it
so
we have decided
we lived a good life here
it will always have a special place in our hearts
we wont look back
just forward
to our new adventure
good or bad
we are ready

are you

the organicgreen doctor

2 comments:

  1. School garden help needed in Santa Barbara! Pick your day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. i would love to be involved in the school garden
    togd

    ReplyDelete