Alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s: the word alone is enough to send chills through family members. It came to our attention last week how even in today’s society most people don’t know much about this disease. Unfortunately my family knows first hand how it destroys a person and disrupts the peace in the family. A patient doesn’t just wake up one day with it and have no memory of their past, or be able to function as they once could. It slowly eats away at the patient’s memory until they can’t function at all. My husband was diagnosed in 1995 and refused to acknowledge it. The family wasn’t allowed to call the disease by its true name. To keep him calm we were forced to call it, “advanced brain deterioration.” He was tested by three different neurologists at three different times over the last twelve years. Facts had to be faced – finally.

When he couldn’t deny the disease any longer he tried different medications, but they all had violent side affects which left him in bed most of the day with an understandable bad attitude. In those days he did typical Alzheimer’s things that most wives would have divorced over if they had not known of the disease. Lucky for him I read everything I could on the disease. He hid money, lied blaming others to cover his own mistakes, suspected and accused family of imaginary things that too often, seemingly caring, outside family or friends would suggest for him to look out for. Often these patients will point most or their entire disruptive attitude towards the one person they trust most not to leave them.

These patients need to be protected from themselves as well as others that don’t understand the disease. They must stay on a strict diet to keep a clearer mind. For my husband, a sign something is about to go wrong is when he craves hamburgers. This is a disease where everyone has to be careful what is said to the patient. If they get a suggestion that sticks in their minds the caregiver will get the brunt of his attitude. Often this comes in a refusal of taking medications, or to eat healthy foods, even to bathe, or brush their teeth, or hair. Activity becomes a topic of rebellion with no interest in challenging his mind to keep it active.

In the beginning family and friends came to visit with him. All left telling me the tests weren’t true he was fine and ulterior motives were involved. But the conversation was always about the past which was perfectly clear in his memory. His disease hadn’t progressed that far – yet. When the subject comes to something he doesn’t know or remember he sits back and agrees with the person. He shows interest. He can, and has, been lead to believe what a persuasive person will install in his mind. 

I have discovered that his diet has a lot to do with his mental state of memory. He is more confused and has to lie around when his sugar is high. It is believed that high sugar levels or levels that roller coaster lead to Type III diabetes. We were told it is commonly known as “diabetes of the brain.” To date, little is known about this type of diabetes.

Short term memory get hits first with the inability to remember little things, or words they used every day. This is a time when charades becomes helpful. Names become lost to patients of Alzheimer’s, along with the ability to do simple things, or the desire to do things that brought them pleasure. Everything needs to be confirmed again the next day or even later that day. Most things are new to them and often excite the patient enough to insist everyone around them know it, too.

All of this hits before the nursing home, diapers and a catatonic stage of existence.         

One sad point to be made here is all the symptoms of Alzheimer’s echo the same symptoms of water on the brain, right down to the shuffling of feet in walking. If multiple tests are done to correctly diagnose the problem a person can develop brain damage and die when surgery could have save their life and put them back into society as a functioning human being. With my husband we will never know because outsiders talked him out of having the test for water on the brain. He tried too hard to cover his illness and ate what the co-workers ate at lunch and he didn’t listen to his doctors in the beginning when events could have changed the outcome.  

Vitamin D by Judy Bechtle

Vitamin D 

by Judy Bechtle 

 

A few months ago I started feeling overly tired and I noticed my stride wasn’t as straight and strong as usual. In a nut shell I wobbled when I first took off walking. I also have a lot on my plate in my daily routine of caregiver for my disabled (he thinks unable) husband and the management of two of my grandchildren. I marked it up to sitting at a desk for too long,  home schooling the kids and trying to finish another book.

I also had trouble sleeping on my left side. My hip hurt terribly. I marked this up to bone density getting worse. I found I had to force the energy to do things I used to speed through. I considered it was my age catching up with me - finally. As you can read I had little time to get out in the sun. I drink milk and take several vitamins to be healthy enough for what I need to do. My hair got very thin and my nails tore easily and pealed. My skin tones were overly pale and to my dismay my eye sight was changing. After complaining to my husband’s doctor about his energy level and finding he was moderately low I asked my doctor to check my vitamin D level. In a few days I found my D level was 19, much lower than my husband’s. A level this low is life threatening. A normal Vitamin D level should be between 30 and 100. I was put on 50,000 units of Vitamin D once a week. The dosage is working and I can tell if I skip a week, like when my doctor’s office dropped the ball and didn’t call in a refill.

I wasn’t prepared for the side effects that came with regularity on a daily basis. The day I took the little pill I chilled under a blanket with outside temperatures of over 90. I didn’t feel well enough to go outside more than my routine demanded. The second day was better with more energy but the third I was in mega pain all over my body. The fourth and fifth day I felt good. On day six I was eating Iubprofen like breath mints. Day seven it started all over again. The vitamin drop affected almost every muscle in my body.

Vitamin D is a hard level to bring up. It takes time and regular medication therapy over a long period of time. Other vitamin levels bounce back quickly. Until recently vitamin D was ignored as a possible problem to many ailments, but it has stepped to center stage taking responsibility for many muscle and nerve problems. In my research I found it can be responsible for major catastrophic illnesses. Remember your heart is a muscle, too.

I probably had a worse case scenario, but what happened to me could happen to anyone. If you are a writer, or work indoors, or live in an area where the sun doesn’t shine in the winter, and/or have sun exposure only to go from one building to another that may not be enough sun rays. You may be deficient in vitamin D. If you are having any symptoms that you have chalked up to something else you might want to ask your doctor to test for low vitamin D levels. It could save your overall health, your bones, your muscles and possibly your life. The body’s fat can store vitamin D for around two weeks. If you are unable to get a few hours in the sun on your day off you may be heading for trouble.

There have been studies showing hope that this vitamin supplement may help with other medical problems like diabetes. Supplements are very inexpensive and can be bought over the counter. But please, do your research before you add any supplement to your daily routine. There is an article by Julie Lichty Balay in Diabetes Self-Management  Vitamin D (Page 1) :: Diabetes Self-Management magazine that goes more in depth. You can check Julie out at www.jlbnutrition.com.   

I have been on the Vitamin D therapy for four months and it is working but it will take time to get it back in normal range.  

Judy Bechtle signing off for now