At the park.

I took the Twins down to the playground yesterday. It was so very cold, we didn't last very long! Normally we'd hit the Clam Box for lunch, but it was just so cold that we ran home!

When the parents are working, and they both work alot, I'm generally the primary caregiver, unless I'm having a bad day. I love being with the boys and we do have fun!

Having things to do helps me.

I try to keep busy, and the little creatures keep me very busy! Eating, running, yelling at papa, jumping, climbing on papa, changing diapers, eating more, wrecking my house, bouncing, hugging, baths, more running...

Very busy.

If I didn't have them I think that I would be quite morose. Bummed out.

Another Long Night

Again a sleepless night. I was on the couch wide awake, when my Colin came home around three. He sat with me and we talked for a while. Finally slept in the wee hours of the morning and had some weird vivid dreams.


Side effects of the drug I'm on, Aricept (Donepezil), include: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, lost of appetite, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, TROUBLE SLEEPING, shakiness, foot cramps, depression, etc.
I have more than half of them.


This afternoon I put the twins in the doublewide stroller, and we walked down the beach to the park. We love the park! It was cold so we didn't stay very long, but it was nice and they fell asleep five minutes' after we left.


It's a little after eight, and I need some sleep.


Goodnight.

I'm a 52 year old man from Boston. I've worked since I was 14, and my last job was Senior Integrator for Konica Minolta, a copier/printer company. I was there for 16 years. I've been married to my wife for almost 30 years, 2 sons, a daughter-in-love, and twin grandsons. This spring, after several weird incidents, I was diagnosed with Early Onset Dementia, most likely Alzheimers. I'm gonna try to document my journey through dementia on this blog. Maybe it can be a help to others going through the same thing. Please forgive me if I post something twice, sometimes I forget. - don

'To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub'

Could not sleep well last night, so today was a wash. It's evening now, still in my pajamas, 6:42pm and it's dark as pitch. Here comes Winter.
I do like winter sometimes. I enjoy shoveling the driveway, stairs and sidewalk. Keeps me busy and helps me feel like I'm still... I don't know, purposeful, maybe.

Younger-Onset Alzheimer's & Dementia


Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Younger-onset (also known as early-onset) Alzheimer's affects people younger than age 65. Nearly 4 percent of the more than 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's have younger-onset.



Who gets younger-onset Alzheimer's?


Many people with younger-onset are in their 40s and 50s. They have families, careers or are even caregivers themselves. In the United States, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people have younger-onset.

Diagnosing younger-onset Alzheimer's:


If you have younger-onset Alzheimer's, you are not alone. The Alzheimer's Association can provide information, support and referrals.
Learn more:
Find your local chapter


Getting an accurate diagnosis of younger-onset Alzheimer's can be a frustrating process. Symptoms may be incorrectly attributed to stress or there may be conflicting diagnoses from different health care professionals. People who have younger-onset Alzheimer's may be in any stage of dementia – early, middle or late stage. The disease affects each person differently and symptoms will vary.
•Have a comprehensive medical evaluation with a doctor who specializes in Alzheimer's disease. Getting a diagnosis involves a medical exam and possibly cognitive tests, a neurological exam and/or brain imaging.

•Write down symptoms of memory loss or other cognitive difficulties.

•Keep in mind that there is no one test that confirms Alzheimer's disease. A diagnosis is only made after a comprehensive medical evaluation.

Learn more:
Steps to Diagnosis

Causes of Early Onset Including Genetics


Doctors don't know why most cases of early onset Alzheimer's appear at such a young age. But in a few hundred families worldwide, scientists have pinpointed several rare genes that directly cause Alzheimer's. People who inherit these rare genes tend to develop symptoms in their 30s, 40s and 50s. When Alzheimer's disease is caused by deterministic genes, it is called "familial Alzheimer's disease," and many family members in multiple generations are affected.

Feet.

One of the side effects of my medication, Donepazil, is wicked cramping in my foot. Not very pleasant.


 

Sometimes I'm in this place. I'll go several days without a shower and Patty makes me take one. The day's flow together and I don't realize that it's been three days.

How to coax the Alzheimer's patient to shower, Change Clothes, and maybe brush their teeth. … http://t.co/UemWA35LB2 http://t.co/7MUI7BPOFy

The Seven Stages Of Alzheimer's

The Stages of Alz. My doctor said I'm stage 2, but Patty thinks I'm 3 or 4, based upon my behaviors. Whatevah.


https://m.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2FTJq4lVJRkq&h=qAQG6J_0k&enc=AZNgM9tBNlk7iCGG2p7txxP3iS43w8CWBnO2iv4FrvEYBVxRkl05i_eTuQxfoENbvcQ&s=1

Good Day, Nice Evening

Nashoba Valley Winery and The Twins

 Love this place, brought The Twins yesterday! Nice getting out with the boys on such a lovely fall day. They ate apples right off the ground, climbed trees, laughed, and ran all over the hills. I had a nice Grappa at the tasting, and a Sothern Comfort style whiskey infused with maple syrup called Northern Comfort. (I shouldn't be drinking that much, but couldn't help it! So good.)
In the evening we went to the open mic at Tinker's Son in Norwell and played a few songs, which is GOOD for my brain!

I know this is humdrum stuff, but I'm new to blogging.