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Stories, Support, Solutions
  1. Kathy

    Falls Specialist

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    Comment
    Whew!! Fortunately for me the Falls Specialist that the VA set up a consult with only called me on the phone and didn’t need to make a home visit! I tidied up a few things up anyway, just to get a head start. Better safe than sorry. I had no...
  2. Kathy

    Documentation

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    4
    Documenting Lewy was a suggestion I was given when the Lewy Body journey started and after I joined a spousal caregiving support group for those living and caring for Lewy Body. I learned so much from those that went before us. Journaling was a way to not only document Lewy...
  3. Dana

    Sometimes It’s Still Hard

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    7
    Sometimes it’s still hard. We are very used to our life. Usually, we just go about our routines, and it’s no big deal that Michael is in a wheelchair. Usually. Then, randomly, there are times that are really tough. It happened yesterday. I hate that it happens. I want to...
  4. Kathy

    Are We There Yet?

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    6
    According to the V.A. we aren’t. Hubby had an appointment for Palliative/Hospice care the other day. I allowed two hours for Hubby to get up, have coffee, eat and me get him prepared for his appointment. This time frame is usually a good one although there are times we cut...
  5. Kathy

    Decisions

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    8
    Decision #1) Hubby has an appointment with the V.A. in a couple of days and at that point we will decide on palliative care/hospice. I knew that this would one day be a decision we would need to make and it’s been weighing pretty heavy on my mind since we...
  6. john

    Dedicated to the One I Love

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    17
    (Editor’s Note: We welcome John, who cares for his wife, to our blogging team today. You can connect with John through his profile.) Hi, I’m John. My journey began when I first met Susan at a bus stop, she was 18 and I was 21. We both fell in love...
  7. Kathy

    Ours, Mine and His

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    6
    Once upon a time, a long time ago… In our world we lived on the schedule of the children and husband. Hubby lived on the schedule of his business and the business I told him he had with our children. (He had to be reminded.) In our world there was...
  8. Dana

    When You Can’t See Your Need Yourself

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    11
    Here is the latest update on how I am adjusting to having outside help come in to help my husband (a c5/6 quadriplegic) three mornings a week: How long does it take to adjust to the routine of having a home health aide come to your house for 15 hours...
  9. Kathy

    Ghosts

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    7
    Hubby requested we go out to eat so he could get out of the house. Then in his next breath he said, “At least you let me do that.” Poor Hubby, he wants so much to do things but 99% of what he wants to do he isn’t able, ie:...
  10. Kathy

    Give a Guy A Break

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    4
    Poor Hubby can’t catch an emotional break lately. In as many days he has received sad news about two friends passing away. Processing the first one has been very difficult for Hubby. He is lost in the house and unsure of where he was most of the time. He asks...
  11. Kathy

    Let My Guard Down

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    6
    A few years ago I was channel surfing and ran across a sermon that caught my attention. It wasn’t so much the topic that caught  my attention as it was the man’s presentation. The topic was on The Whole Armor of God. I’ve heard and read and taught it myself...
  12. Kathy

    What A Day

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    8
    Hubby has had a very interesting day today. (This was Saturday) But it all started back a few days or maybe I should say nights. I have been keeping a close eye on Hubby since he started his new seizure episodes. Not overly worried or concerned about them just yet....
  13. Kathy

    Things that Go Bump in the Night

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    2
    Hubby and I had the pleasure of hosting our youngest grandsons first birthday party at our home We had a house full of family, friends, and small children. Hubby participated as much as he could and sometimes just his presence in the room was more than we expected. It was...
  14. Jennifer

    Paul Emerson Opel

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    14
    I’ve tried several times in the past few days to come here to report that my beloved Paul passed from this life on Thursday March 1st at 7:35 p.m. He was 55. I have been unable to post that announcement here as it seems so very final; sobbing overwhelmed me...
  15. Kathy

    How Old Am I?

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    4
    It was the best of times and it was the bestest? bester? Oh whatever, it was really funny. I am enjoying Hubby’s calmness as of late. The angry words and accusations seem to have diminished quite a bit. Perhaps Hubby is finally coming to terms with his Lewy Body Dementia....
  16. Dana

    Finding the Bright Spots

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    10
    I don’t know about you guys, but I am thankful for the times that I can see through all of the difficulties my husband and I face as a couple juggling a disability, to the gifts. Because there are gifts that come along with this journey. I am reminded of...
  17. Jennifer

    Sixty and the Slippery Slope

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    10
    Yesterday was my 60th Birthday. The day opened with a phone call from a friend who is Danish; she sang a Danish happy birthday song to me in Danish which was lovely. She then told me that they call decade-entry birthdays “round” birthdays, which I like because one can think...
  18. Kathy

    Highest Praise

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    13
    Just received the highest praise I could ever ask for. Hubby asked me if I wanted to get rid of him. My reply was was a resounding “Not at all” then I asked why, was he wanting to get away from me? He looked straight at me and said, “I’d...
  19. Kathy

    Treading Water

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    11
    Feels like Hubby and I have been treading water for quite some time now. Although we are still moving along in the Lewy Body Dementia waters at least we are not being sucked into its undertow. That’s a good thing. We still have cognition problems. Just last night Hubby asked...
  20. Kathy

    More Boys

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    5
    Last night Hubby needed and asked for assistance with his bed covers. As I was hovering over him he asked me if there were people in the house. I answered no, there were not. This question is common but it came with a different tone for Hubby. He then stated...
  21. Dana

    On Letting Someone Else In

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    10
    I wrote this last week. We are still in an adjustment period, but we are getting there. Here are my thoughts going into a new season in my caregiving journey. We are going to have a home health aide come out tomorrow. I think I am ready to give this...
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