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

Saturday, September 10, 2022

alzheimers news-disturbing aricept dream

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-DISTURBING ARICEPT DREAM

if you or your loved ones get put on aricept (donepezil) for alzheimers be aware of side effects that will be present for a few weeks but will gradually get better
things like blurry vision or mild vertigo or nausea or diarrhea or abdominal pain or leg cramps or sleep disturbances
most of these go away
leg cramps persist for me
sleep disturbance in the form of reduced hours of sleep remain the same after 12 years on aricept
i only get 5 hours of sleep
i compensate by taking an afternoon nap

aricept causes what i called aricept dreams
i always was a dreamer
aricept enhanced my dreams
usually they are pleasant dreams and dont disturb me too much

i do act out and thrash around and throw things now in my sleep
it could be the aricept doing that and it could be the alzheimers doing it
its probably both

usually my dreams fade away when i wake up so that before the sun is up good ive forgotten most of the dream
however
this week i had one thats stayed with me now two days later

the night before that dream i woke up in my dream and this storm trooper looking character was coming toward me with his bright red right eye and his bright green left eye
i threw a pillow at him
then someone grabbed my shoulder and i started to attack that intruder

alas
it was my wife she trying to calm me down
i looked over and realized the storm trooper was actually our printer that was left on

the next night
i was with my wife she as she and i was going to my classes i was taking at the university of texas where i was getting my phd
in my dream i already had my md and was now retired 
in my dream my diagnosis was the same as it was now
i had trouble finding my classes and had missed several so i was trying to see what my grades were and whether i would continue the classes

my wife she and i had to go up an elevator in one tower then walk over a walkway then go down another elevator
there we found an office where the person there said she could take me where i needed to go

my wife she and i and her went to this large class room with folks walking around looking confused or had some mental issues
my wife she said you stay with her the teacher
she left then the teacher left
i looked around 
i realized i couldnt leave 
the teacher left me there alone with those people

i realized in my dream that they thought i had a mental illness and i needed to stay there with those patients
i ddnt think i belonged with them
but
i couldnt get out

i could see out the door and out the window through the bars

then i woke up

i felt sad as i was awakening 

is this going to be what its like one day for me
ill get left somewhere with those people

even this morning two days i feel sad thinking about it

now my wife she and i have had this conversion several times

when my time comes dont hesitate dont feel guilty
its what i would want to happen to me

just dont put me there too soon
dont keep me at home too long though

dang those aricept dreams


you can join and or donate to our 
organicgreendoctor walk team for the santa barbara walk to end alzheimers on saturday november 5th

this is our 12th year to do the alzheimers walks

help us find a treatment or cure for this terrible disease

the organicgreen doctor

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