Wild Weekend With Lewy

My Ma, happy to hear that she
isn't in a
nursing home and will come home

 It's been a wild weekend in the ER with my mother and her nemesis, Lewy.  She appears to have moved to the next level of Lewy Bodies Dementia; the hospital stay over the weekend really twanged her brain strings.

Saturday morning, I was ready to leave for the baby's party in Maine, my mom was slumped in her chair.  She was not very responsive, eyes rolling back and all she could say is, "I'll be OK."  Over and over she said this to me.  She kissed my hands and thanked me for everything that I have done for her.  She thought she was dying.  Just moments before this episode, she was joking and laughing, excited to go to Maine to see her Great Grandson and dance with him.

Her blood pressure went sky high, about 235/95 in no time, with no warning.  She had gone outside in the humid warm air.  I've seen her like this in the past so I gave her the homeopathic remedy that Dr. Barton had prescribed.  She couldn't remember how to hold the little blue shot glass.  Finally, she did.  It revived her like it had in the past.  She was walking around and could raise her arms.  Her speech was back too.  I put the phone down and didn't call 911.  911 is my last resort.

We called Jay and told her we weren't going to Maine, instead I invited her to my house so that she could visit with Rachel.  We were going to enjoy the eggplant that I had made and the sauce made from the B rated tomatoes from the farm stand.  I brought my mom with me for the ride to my brother and sister-in-law's where Jay lives.

Along the way, my mom was singing along to the music and having fun.  She was back to her self.  Once at Marty's she tried to got out of the car and then she told me that she was dizzy.  "Sit back down, Ma."  I said to her.  She forgot how to get in the car.  I began yelling, "Marty!  HELP!!"  No one heard me.

I got her in the car and buckled her in; I ran in told everyone, "Help!  I think Ma's having a stroke!!"

Marty came with me to the hospital.  Ma was not speaking words, she was making lots of ssss sounds; saying what sounded like a conversation in her mind but what we heard from her was "swish ssshwwwishs shspwsssh, OK?"  Over and over she talked this way, pointing to the trees and the highway that we were driving.  I heard Ed's name at one point when she pointed to the trees along the highway, trees where Ed was showing himself to our mom.  He made her smile, she was happy to see Ed.

The ER was a long wait; we had to wait for 14.5 hours before we saw the physician who would admit my mother.  Because we didn't take an ambulance ride, my mom was put at the bottom of the list... what a shitty rule.  My mother was having a hypertensive emergency and she has dementia.  The nurses in the ER were awesome.  I do believe they made the right decision to keep her in the ER so that they could monitor her.  The head nurse in charge was worried that my mom wouldn't be cared for upstairs in the bed that was waiting for her, without doctor's orders.  We waited.

My mom had a temperature of 102 when she finally got to her room.  The doctor was very good that saw her, she understood Lewy Bodies Dementia.  She put on the order, NO ANTI-PSYCHOTIC DRUGS to be administered.  She outlined the diet that my mom could eat based on what I had told her.  The doctor was even open to homeopathy and the natural treatments we use on my mom to give her more good days.

When my mom was settled in her bed at 1:30am, Brian and I went home for a little rest.  I slept for only 4 hours when I jumped up to call the nurse caring for my mom.  It was 6am, the time she wakes up.  I was worried that she would be frightened, not knowing where she is or what was going on.

"She's doing well.  I just checked on her and she's sleeping."  The nurse told me.

"Oh good.  Call me if she is agitated and I'll come back immediately."  I said to the nurse in reply.

7:11am the phone rang.  It was the nurse, asking me to come back.  My mom was up and not allowing them to do anything to her.  She was screaming and scared.  I talked to my mom, she started to cry.  I told her that she was in Lahey Clinic and I was on my way back to be with her.

Mom was happy to see me.  She stopped crying.  I ordered her breakfast, scrambled eggs with a slice of gluten free bread.  She was so happy eating forbidden food... bread.  She looked at it and said, "OOOOO, CAKE!"

Ma listened to my iPad, singing and tapping her hands on her legs.  Music calmed her.

Marty and Donna came in the room around the same time, within minutes of eachother.  My mom lit up like the Citgo Sign in Fenway Park, she was excited to see her family with her.  Having us around her helped her to relax a little more.

The doctor came in and examined my mom, her blood pressure reading was 120/39.  She asked me what I thought of my mom's condition, how far off from her baseline that she is; I knew she was asking me in code, "do you want to keep her here?"

"She looks great!  Can I take her home today?  I worry about the food choices, there aren't many and what I feed my mom matters."  I said to the doctor.

"Sure, she can go home today (Sunday)."  The doctor said.  "Would you like a physical therapist to work with your mom?"  She added.

I agreed that PT would be super for her.  Even better that the therapist will come to the house to work with my mom.

The doctor wanted her to see the Neurologist on call before discharging my mother; it was the Neurologist that had seen her the night before in the ER.  She saw my mom pretty quick when we were in the ER.  The doctor couldn't admit my mom, she did recommend admittance.  I really like this Neurologist, she gave me a double look with a big smile when I told her that my mom sees an ND who gives her acupuncture.  I'm not accustomed to traditional doctors being receptive to how we treat my mom's illnesses.  I was pleasantly surprised and it put me at ease.

The doctor told my mom, "Josephine, do you want to go home today?"  My mother was so happy, she said, "YES!"  Then she grabbed the doctor's hand and told her that she loves her.  "I love you!" She said to her as she picked up her hand and kissed it.

We then waited for the Physical Therapist and the Neurologist.  And we waited.  Lunch came.  I let her have cottage cheese as a treat.  Big mistake.  She went completely ape-shit.  Donna couldn't believe how fast she shifted from laughing to total anger and agitation, ready to punch someone out.

The Physical Therapist came and walked with my mom.  My mom wanted to leave.  My mom's blood pressure was high after the walk; the Physical Therapist told the doctor who wouldn't let my mom leave until her BP came down to 165/80 or less.  Of course her BP was 200/95.  My mom was given more BP meds by mouth, which was a challenge.  She couldn't remember how to take a pill.  FUCK!  Is all I could think to myself.

Donna was able to get her to remember how to take her pills, somehow... thank God she was with me to help.

We then needed to wait another hour for the medication to work to lower her BP.  My mom was not happy about this, she wanted to leave NOW.  She became more and more agitated.

I played music on the iPad, mom had a private room, we shut the door so not to disturb anyone.  My mother was pissed.  She wanted to get out of bed.  She had an alarm attached to her because she's a fall risk, not steady on her feet.  I kept her down as long as I could, then I started to dance.  Donna joined in and we danced for our mom.  We had a fun time, it was a riot.  My mother laughed but quickly got bored with our entertainment.

"Come on now, go get the car!" She demanded.

My mom was out of bed.  She wanted to see her cloths and shoes, she had had enough of the hospital.  My mom became more agitated, she was mad.  She was yelling at me with an angry face that made Donna and me laugh out loud.  Of course our laughing made her more mad.

I got my mom's natural remedies from the nurse.  I gave my mom some hyoscyamus to calm her down.  It did calm her a little, at least she didn't want to kill me anymore because I blocked her from going out the door to yell and punch out the nurses.

Donna had a brilliant idea, "let's wheel her around in a wheel chair."  Our goal was to keep her calm, to keep her from walking around making her BP elevate.  If it was high, she would have to wait longer.  Waiting was the root cause of her agitation.  We were in a weird catch-22 situation.

Finally, the nurse came to check her blood pressure, she was right on time... one hour had passed.  My mom's BP was 168/70.  3 points higher than what the doctor had said it needed to be in order to be discharged.  The news bummed my mother out.  The nurse told her that she could put her pants on, but needed to wait for the IV sites to be removed as well as the heart monitor stickers.

Mom waited no time to get dressed, putting her pants and shoes on first, waiting for word that she could leave.

"Can you ask the doctor if we can just take her home?  I'm worried that keeping her here longer will only make her blood pressure go up higher.  Please, for my mom's sake, let me take her home.  She'll calm down if she's home."  I reasoned with the nurse.

A few minutes passed and the nurse said, "Ok, you can go home.  Let me go and get the discharge papers.  You can get dressed now."

Ma, was pissed.  "I'm waiting over here...
Go Get the Car, NOW!"

My mom was psyched.  But, we still were not moving fast enough.  She put her shirt on inside out and backward; not allowing us to fix it for her.

She wanted to be out of there very badly.  "Get the car!"  She would demand of my sister and me.

We got home and my husband greeted us.  He opened the car door for my mom and she was happy to see his face.  She knew that she was home, safe and secure as soon as she saw Brian.  Brian looked at my mom's  inside out and backward shirt, puzzled... I gave him a look, "don't ask."

Mom was agitated, she wouldn't sit still.  She was not steady on her feet; I was worried that she'd fall.  Finally, after having one of my one pot meals, loaded with herbs and spices that help her cognition, she settled down, put on her nightgown and went to sleep.

I forgot to give her Ashwagandha before bed.  I didn't want to wake her to give it to her.  I took a chance.

4am... BANG!  CRASH!

I sprang out of bed and flew up the stairs.  My mom wasn't in her room.  Panic hit.  I hollered for her, breaking the morning silence, "MA?!"

"I'm over here!  Help!  I can't get out."  My mother said in a panic.

She was in my MIL's office, in the dark, frightened.  I helped her back to her room and tucked her in.

The next morning, I noticed that she had moved my MIL's heavy standing floor mirror.  I wondered where my mom got the strength to move it as she did.  She also was so scared, she pee'd on the floor.  Nothing was broken and my MIL was super understanding, she didn't get angry.  I cleaned up the mess.

My mom forgot how to swallow pills yesterday.  She didn't understand what I was asking her to do.  She put her cognition supplements in her mouth and let them dissolve.  They taste disgusting, the taste didn't seem to bother her; normally she'd be bitching about the taste.  I freaked out.  If she can't take pills and or supplements, I can't help her anymore.  I cried.  I broke out in a full body sweat.  I was scared.

After having breakfast with the phosphatidyl choline, her mood was better and once the cognition supplements were dissolved in her mouth, she came back around a little more.  She still couldn't remember how to take a pill.

Acupuncture helped her a lot yesterday.  It stopped her hands and face tremors and her speech was clear.  She was finding all of her words.  My mom was back!

We missed food shopping this weekend, with no food in the house, I knew I needed to stop at the supermarket on the way home.  My mom wanted to come inside with me, shopping for food has always been her favorite activity.  She pushed the cart and walked around the produce section picking out things that she wanted to eat.  Shopping made her feel good.  We walked the entire circumference of the store; she was exhausted after our little trip.  We went home.

I made chicken soup for lunch with lots of spices and herbs that help with cognition, lowering blood pressure and blood sugar.  It worked.  My mom was dancing in the afternoon to Frank Sinatra.  Her balance was better and more importantly, she remembered how to swallow a pill!

She woke up at 4:30am this morning to use the bathroom.  She got lost, taking a wrong turn out of the bathroom.  I heard her awake so I ran upstairs and helped her back to her bed.  She's still sleeping... it's now nearly 8am.

It was an adventure for us this weekend.  It's been years since my husband and I have been in the ER with my mom.  Mom, she appears to have notched down, moving closer to the day where she has no idea who we are or how to do simple things like swallow.

Acupuncture is helping her a lot, it takes the inflammation away from the parts of her brain that are not diseased.  It appears to be holding back the progression, giving her more good days to enjoy before the bus comes for her, taking her to Heaven.

*Morning update:  Tuesday:  Ma is back!  She is better and able to swallow pills.  Her Blood Pressure was 144/70.  Yay!

Looking for Dad

For several days in a row (at least a week), my mom has been sleeping through the night and in good spirits during the time she's awake.  She was hallucinating a lot; seeing my dad who died in 1979 was a huge thrill for my mom.  Seeing dad made her happy, even if he didn't speak to her, he never speaks.

Today however, my mom woke up and appeared to be having a good morning when she woke up at 5am, too early for me to be awake so I went back to sleep. 

I woke around 6am to the squeaky floor boards above my bed singing my morning wake up tune, "squeak, squeak, squeak."  My mom was roaming, fully dressed and ready to go out by the time I got upstairs at 6:05am.

She had a plastic shopping bag packed with random things that made no sense to anyone except my mom.  Her purse slung over her shoulder, she sat in the sunroom chair as though she was waiting for a bus.

"Ma, where are you going?" I said to her.

"Out."  She said

"Ma, where are you going to go at this early hour?  No stores are open yet?  It's too far to walk.  I'll drop you off when the stores open. "  I attempted to reason with her to no avail.

"I'm going out.  I'm not a prisoner.  I'm calling a cab."  My mom stated in a stern tone of voice. 

Uh-oh, is all I could think.  Shit!  Her mind is spinning off somewhere.  Last night she told me that she was aggitated.  I asked her why and she said, "hmmm, it must have been a dream."  She never told me what it is that's bothering her.

Yesterday when we went out for a few groceries, my mom wanted me to drive by the supermarket parking lot where she had seen my dad on Saturday.  I wasn't feeling too well yesterday and needed to get home, taking a detour through the supermarket parking lot to chase my mom's hallucination of my dad, the "high priest", was not going to happen.  Not yesterday.  I needed to get home and fast, I was ill.

My mom looked for my dad all day yesterday, he never came.  She waited for him to come and sleep with her last night.... he never came.  My mom is upset because she can't see my dad.

This morning, she put her coat on, took her shopping bag with random items and headed out the door at 7:30 am.  She had no destination in mind, she was going out.  I think she went looking for my father, hoping to see him as she walked the streets in our little neighborhood.  It was in the low 40's this morning, I was worried about my mom, but I let her go so that she wouldn't accuse me of keeping her prisoner.

I let her roam the streets for a half hour before I went looking for her.  I drove around for 20 minutes.  I couldn't find her.  Taking one last look, I drove past my house and turned left.  There she was, walking with her coat unzipped because she can't zip it up herself and clutching her shopping back.

"Ma, come on, get in the truck.  It's cold." I said to her as I rolled down the window.

She looked at me like I was a stranger, she hesitated to get in the truck.  She was clearly cold and she was walking very slowly, I could tell that her feet hurt.  She had a mile to walk to make it home, that is if she took the right path home. 

She did get into the truck.  I didn't say anything to her, I didn't want to cause an argument to erupt.  My mom, she stood outside in the driveway for another half hour before I suggested she come inside.  Insanity is the only word that would describe my mom's behavior this morning. 

She is looking for my dad... almost makes me want to give her a cookiemade with wheat to bring on hallucinations.  The only reason I won't is I'm not sure if the cookie will bring hallucinations of my dad or something else more frightening.

It's best to wait this out.  Dad... if you can hear or see these words from beyond the grave, please come and show yourself to Ma, she's looking for you and making me crazy!!

A Visit from Ed

My brother Ed has been dead since June 30, 2001.  I miss him when I think about him.

My mom's been "seeing" Ed sitting in a chair in her room.  She has been enjoying his visits.  She talks to me about him like he is still alive after he pops in.

I haven't had any dreams that I can recall since I moved into this house almost 2 years ago.

Last night however, I had a dream and I woke up remembering it.  I had a dream with my brother Ed.  It was awesome to see him.

He looked fabulous, like he did when he was in his 20's.  he had long hair that was well kept, he was his ideal weight and moved effortlessly.

My mom and I were sitting on the sofa in our living room and Ed walked in like he used to do when he'd visit us at my house in Groveland.

I looked at him in my dream and thought to myself, Oh shit, he can't take Ma, she's going to get to try the thyroid supplements that Dr. B prescribed yesterday.  It could be the solution to her dementia, hair loss, high cholesterol and difficulty losing any more weight.

Ed came around to the front of the sofa where my mom and I were sitting.  I was between him and my mom and I said to him, "Well you may as well just forget it, you are NOT taking her with you, not yet.  She has to try her new thyroid pill tomorrow."

Ed smiled at us and laughed.  He said to me, "Oh, don't worry, I'm just here to say hi and check up on you.  Everything is going to be great.  .... Hey!  Look at all those games.  I wish I were alive so that I could play them, I bet they are a blast.  Do you play them often?  If not, you should, it will make you happy."

Then, he went away as fast as he showed up.

It was really great to see him.  He looked awesome and he left me feeling really happy.  I woke up at 3:33am and was not able to go back to sleep until after 6am when my mom woke up, anxious to take her new thyroid supplement.

Thyroid trouble?

I brought my mom's latest blood test results to our Naturopath Doctor as well as her first neurological exam report.

After reviewing the blood test results, he noticed that her TSH was in the low normal range.  He also noticed all the symptoms that my mom was showing for thyroid trouble.  He prescribed a small dose of thyroid and suggested she take it first thing in the morning, before doing anything.

Last night, I instructed my mom to wait until 7am to wake up.  She couldn't wait, she was too excited to try the thyroid supplement.  Up at 6am, she took the supplement and laid back down.  I turned on the news and I finally got back to sleep, if only for an hour.

My mom woke me at 7am with a few squeaks of the floor above my bed, she was so excited about how good she was feeling.  She had to tell me.  The hallucinations are gone!

I don't know if the thyroid supplement is supposed to work this quickly or if it was my suggestions to her before she went to bed last night about the supplement.  In any event, she's feeling really good today.

What are we going to do today?

I'm being adventurous, I'm taking my mom and my mother-in-law out to Marshall's and Target.  This is going to tell us a lot about how she handles shopping with us, it's usually very challenging for me.  I'll report back in a followup post.

No More Eggplant, PLEASE!

I've noticed that when my mom eats something that doesn't agree with her Lewy Bodies, we have a crazy day.  A day filled with confusion, moving walls, wild animals, extra cats and a very soft spoken voice that is usually inaudible.

Several posts ago I had written about the Deadly Nightshade Family of plants and how their's something in it that aggravates dementia.  You can read the post here if you are interested:  My Post about Deadly Nightshade plants and dementia episodes

On Sunday, I made Eggplant rolls, gluten free.  I left the skin on the eggplant because when the slices are grilled, it helps to hold the eggplant piece together.  Everyone enjoyed this dish, especially my mother and mother-in-law.

Sunday night, my mom had disturbed sleep.  She was up at 10p walking around in her sleep and again at 4 and 6 am.  She was pointing to the pillows on her bed, telling me that it was the man... damn, the man was back too.

Not on much sleep, I needed to make the best of this day.  I know from experience that I need to be calm and upbeat.  Genuinely upbeat or my mom would see right through my facade. 

How'd I do?

Well, I failed miserably.

I had an appointment with my doctor because I'm not feeling well.  Something isn't right.  It's better to have this sort of thing checked out, so many times I read about the care giver dying before the patient.  Personally, it's not a fate I chose to embrace.

My appointment was for 1:10pm.  The doctor squeezed me in to her schedule. I was anxious for days, waitng to see her.

I made the moms and myself a new dish that I had invented, warmed asparagus salad with pine nuts.  It came out really great.  Delicious. 

My mom, she was a bit out of sorts.  Definitely not a good day for her.

Leaving an hour and 20 minutes to arrive at my appointment, off my mom and I go to my doctor with a 45 minute drive ahead of us.

We're moving right along, heading for the highway... we come to the overpass and I see TRAFFIC.  Dead stopped traffic at 12 in the afternoon!  My mom started saying, "Gee, all these people are going out to lunch at the same time, how crazy!"  I laughed.

I began to sweat because the clock was ticking.  Not being a very good natural geographer, even if I did get my under grad degree in Geography, I turned to the navigation system in my truck.  I instruct it to find us an alternate route. 

The truck had us follow the highway, on back roads, twisting and turning through residential neighborhoods, we were heading up and down streets that I never knew existed.

My mom was enjoying the ride, it was an incredible 70 degree November day in New England... beautiful.

Oh, I am definitely going to be late for my appointment.  I reach in my purse for my cellphone and much to my chagrin, the damn phone battery is dead.  I can't call and let the office know that I was stuck in traffic.  Damn!

20 minutes late we arrive... just as the receptionist is putting me in as a no-show.  I said to her, "I'm here.  I showed.  I was stuck in a really bad traffic jam.  I had to travel a long distance to get here."

The receptionist was not very good at her job. 

I started to cry when she told me to reschedule and I couldn't see the doctor until sometime in December!  December?  Are you kidding me?  I swear to God we have the worst healthcare system in the world when I have to wait so long to see a doctor.

The woman tells me to have a seat and she'd check to see if the doctor could see me today.  I waited 30 minutes.  Occassionally getting called to the receptionist window.  I totally broke down bawling my eyes out in the doctors office when the receptionist said to me, "Oh, I don't know what to do!"  I said, "Neither do I, isn't that what you get paid for, to KNOW what to do?"

Of course my crying was making her nervous.  Some guy was in the waiting room, obviously waiting for his girlfriend or wife.  I didn't care.  The Boo Hoo train had left the station and those tears were coming out.

My poor little demented mother, she sat quietly, looking around at the ceiling and then at me.  Wanting to talk to me but not knowing what to say.  I knew my crying was upsetting her.  She had no idea until yesterday that I have been worried about my own health.  Well, she knows now.

I cried all the way home and more when I got home.

I had no doctors appointment lined up.  The receptionist couldn't handle it.  After making me wait for 30 minutes in the waiting room, I got up and left.  I asked them to call with an appointment when they knew how to schedule one for me.

I did finally calm down after a cup of Nettle tea and my own personal time out.  My mom totally understood this and was fine watching Dr. Oz while she drank a cup of ginger tea.

Calling the doctor's office I was able to reach a nurse who knew what was going on.  I am seeing the doctor on Friday, hopefully if she doesn't have an emergency to rush off to. 

In any event, I'm sure I'll be OK and my mom too... as long as I don't give her any eggplant.

Thank God for Dry Cat Food

Dinner was served.

My husband was home from work... Yay!

We opened a bottle of wine, a bottle of Pinot Noir, my new favorite variety these days.

Sitting in our bedroom, in our quiet little nook in the corner of our house, we sipped wine while we discussed the events or our day.

Ahhhh... a chance to relax together.

I'm not sure who was talking when all of a sudden...

BAAAAA.... BAHAHAHDHDAAAAA.... BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!! BANG!

Oh SHIT!

It had to be my mother; the foot steps sounded like my mother's.

I started screaming...

MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ARE YOU OKAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

My heart, pounding and racing, I flew up the stairs. I didn't feel anything beneath my feet.

"I'M COMINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! MA!!!!"

My dear sweet husband rushing behind me, I never stopped to look at him.

At the top of the stairs, I see my mom in the kitchen, laying on the floor.

My heart in my throat, I ask if she hit her head.

"Nope." Was her reply... "I fell on my ass. Good thing for my ass."

She was trying to make me laugh.

I felt like throwing up, laughing wasn't even a passing thought at this point.

The cat... well she was freaking, totally flipped out.

All puffed up because Josie was on the floor.

I was screaming, "Ma! Ma! Are you alright?!"

Cat, tail bushed out, growling and hissing, seriously growling and hissing like she was protecting my mother or something.

Not sure who she was growling and hissing at.

She was pissed. She started to attack my husband

Josie was on the floor!

I picked my mom up in a flash.

I checked her head, no bump.

Thank God her head landed on the 100 lbs of dry cat food she insists on keeping on hand for her cat. Afterall, she wouldn't want the cat to go hungry?

How'd she fall?

She was feeding the cat, AGAIN!

She thinks the cat needs to eat every time she eats. The cat is so damn fat. I could never stop her from feeding Savita the Cat even when she sort of had her mind. No chance of stopping her now when she's lost it.

I gave my mom 5 pellets of Arnica under her tongue. I know it's the homeopathic remedy to give someone who has fallen. It's good for muscle aches, pains and head injuries.

My mom, she's doing fine. She doesn't feel any pain. She is speaking clearly.

I asked her what I could do to help her feel better, her reply, "Well, a little ice cream will make it all better." She gave me her cute little laugh.

I brought her a small dish of ice cream with 4 drops of Fenugreek to balance out the sugar.

Now it's time to go and tuck her in, give her Reiki and Hypnosis.

Thank God for her fetish of having LOTS of dry catfood on hand for her under fed cat... it just may have saved her from a trip to the ER.

Happy Thoughts, Happy Life

It's been 3 days since my mom started to take Ashwagandha in the morning, as well as in the evening.

Amazing!

Our lives appear to be finding some normalcy, after so many months of running around looking for items that were "stolen" by the "man" or making sure that the little children don't hurt themselves.

It can be funny, watching from the outside, but when one is living the nightmare, it's a living hell on Earth.

Seeing ones parent decline, especially mentally when they forget who you are, is painful. It's a slow emotional death for a child, regardless of their age. Watching and waiting, not really knowing what tomorrow will bring or if the last time I saw the person would be the last time I had the opportunity to share a big hug, give some Reiki or Hypnosis.

I can chose how I want to remember the end now.

NOW is all that matters when one has Lewy Bodies Dementia.... one day at a time, one second at a time, it's how it has to be.

My mom is teaching me how to live in the NOW. We are living on Lewy's time... her time.

Tomorrow may not be here for her. She doesn't care, she has no clue, she lives her life happily like a little girl on most days.

My mom, she enjoys hugs, lots of hugs.

Ashwagandha and the other natural supplements that she's on are allowing her to have happy days, days where she wakes up and thinks she's in heaven.

The dynamics involved with caregiving is like the Universe. Everything depends on everything else to create the perfect or not so perfect day.

Emotions matter.

When I'm happy, mom's happy... when I am sad, she's sad. I don't even have to say anything, it's the energy she feels.

Caring for my mom is not only teaching me that living in the NOW is important, it's how I chose to think about every day that I have with her.

I am fortunate. My mom has given me the opportunity to work on my character flaws and strive to be like the Buddha.

Happy thoughts, happy life.

Ashwagandha... is it a cure for symptoms of LBD?

Ashwagandha is my new best friend with helping my mom overcome the frightening symptoms of Lewy Bodies Dementia.

When our lives turned upside down about a year and a half ago, my mom had signs of dementia with hallucinations. A big warning flag that my mom has Lewy Bodies in her brain.

I've been learning about Lewy and what causes it. It can be caused by eating a bad diet full of fatty foods and processed garbage. My mom, she was one for "quick" meals, let's get it on the table fast type meals. I don't know if it's because when we got hungry back then, we had to eat something fast. Even with her diabetic years, her blood sugars would spike and drop. Bread always helped the angst brought on by low blood sugar. What I've learned through my mom over the last few months since Lewy has come on strong, diet is important. It's never too late to change ones eating habits. The key is you need to want to change.

Lewy Bodies are also triggered by blows to the head. Even just one big bang to your head can bring it on. Many boxers have Lewy Bodies because of the hits to their head while fighting in competition matches.

Seniors are not very stable on their feet. Especially those with Parkinsonism, like my mom and others with Lewy Bodies. They have a tendency to fall down and bang their heads, bringing the symptoms front and center into every one's life.

Since poor nutrition can bring on Lewy Bodies Dementia, my thought is that maybe a good diet can chase it away.

I've reviewed in my minds eye all the foods my mom prepared while we were growing up. Lots of pasta. Tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes. We didn't eat fresh vegetables. I didn't know vegetables came in anything but cans for the longest time. Never did she use herbs or spices in her food prep. Well, maybe Oregano and Basil, salt and pepper.

Now, I don't give her any foods that she prepared for her family. She's not happy about it but she does know that the new way of eating is restoring her health and possibly a renewed life.

I gave her 8 drops of Ashwagandha this morning in her blue shot glass, doctors orders. He told us that it will give her more strength and energy.

It's been about an hour since she had her first morning dose of Ashwagandha. She is alert and laughing at Jay Leno. She is able to sit through the entire show and even commented, "Boy, I never realized how long this show is."

My mom's concentration was much worse. The Ashwagandha is helping... is it a cure for LBD?