11 Days

It's been 11 days since my mom has eaten any gluten. It has been 11 days since she's had any hallucinations.

Mom's mental clarity is improving every day that she doesn't ingest gluten. To me it is miraculous. I had done my research on dementia and knew that there wasn't much hope for mom to find her mind once she lost it.

Sending my mom to a nursing home freaked me out. I had to find a solution that would keep everyone happy.

Thank God we found her a Naturopath Doctor who suggested Gluten Associated Dementia could be the root of my mom's mental disorder. He suggested that we stop all gluten for 2 weeks and see what happens. Well, it's been 9 days and my mom is doing great!

I woke up this morning thinking I heard her screaming for me. I ran downstairs to her room and she came out of her room with a big smile and a warm "good morning" greeting.

Seems that I am suffering from a sort of caregiver post traumatic stress syndrome. I have been so accustomed to my mom's dementia that it's taking me a little while to get used to the idea that she sent her imaginary visitors packing!

Patience and Perserverance = Success

My mom has been off gluten for over a week and hasn't had any hallucinations. Her blood pressure is gradually coming down and its way easier to manage her diabetes. She doesn't need much fenugreek or Camu Camu to maintain her sugar.

All along I had a suspicion that gluten was trouble because every time she ate some, her readings went high and she hallucinated.

I did have a bright idea that if I added fenugreek seed powder to the breads and cookies that I could make the simple carbs low glycemic. While it did help to keep my mom's blood sugar from spiking when she ate my homemade breads and pasta made with wheat, barley or rye flour, it didn't stop the hallucinations. It made them worse!

Documenting how my mom behaved after eating certain foods triggered a thought in our Naturopath Doctor. He mentioned Gluten Associated Dementia. I did research and found an article by the Mayo Clinic http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061010022602.htm .

Now the article states that it's a "potential" link between Celiac Disease and Cognitive Function, but let me tell you, it's more than a potential, it's true... stop consuming gluten and you will feel better. My mom stopped gluten and now she's just a regular mom who has the ability to push my buttons to annoy me for her own enjoyment... just like the good old days.

I've been experimenting with gluten free recipes. Last night I made Coconut, raisin and spice cookies... gluten free. My God you would NOT believe how yummy these little treats are. My mom ate 2 with breakfast; we'll check her blood sugar 2 hours after her eating the cookies.

Life is getting back to “normal” where my mom reminds me at least once a week that she's still my mother. Gluten or no gluten, she still has the innate ability to make me a little nutty at times, not because she's seeing people or things that are not there but because she's my mother. Thank God she’s here to annoy me!

You know, I really do enjoy her more now. I feel as though I have a second life with my mom. I am fortunate and wicked happy for everyone, especially my mom and my family. Everyone has the opportunity to know Ma (or Gram) and enjoy the moments where she makes you laugh or bugs the living snot out of you! Amen.

The lesson I've learned again is that through my patience (believe me, practicing patience was a tough one for me) and perseverance, no matter how bad something was (or is, depending on the day,) if we stop, breath and wait a minute, change happens and everything gets better.

My dad taught me at a young age when I was bothered about something to stop, breath and relax because everything always changes, nothing ever stays the same. His advice was to wait it out. Great advice that I've used through out my life.

I believe life is like a big wave and the key is to ride the wave for as long as you can while enjoying the adventure. The longer you can ride the wave, the more fun it is and it will be much easier to catch the next wave for another ride of a lifetime.