Don't know when I'll get back to this forum, but know you are all in my prayers every night. For healing and peace of mind, and for safe travels for everyone. My Christopher got in last night from California, Peter and Jeremy drive in Friday from Indiana. Family coming in for Dad's burial also this weekend.
Let's not forget the reason for the season!
Merry Christmas!
Love
Joan

My DS and DIL are leaving Seattle tomorrow night -- he just called they have 6" of snow today. They are driving to Colorado and plan to take 2 days, but who knows with this weather. Please pray for their safety and all who are travelling this Christmas.

The other boys are arriving tomorrow and Monday night by plane. We will have a good week.

Thanks for your prayers - I am thinking and praying for all of you. You have become dear friends. Happy Holidays

Sharon in Colorado

P.S. - loved the cookie story Ritzy

Glad to hear you're starting to get better Ritzy. I've been praying for good health by Christmas for you.

Sandy, Joan and Florence I've remembered you and your families too. You are dealing with such huge problems. I hope you can get strength and comfort to help handle everything. Florence I hope your Mom's treatment is successful.

Praying for all the out of jobbers too.

Karen

Morning, I am feeling better Judy. Thank you for asking. I still have some cough--not much and still blowing my nose; but, I think I am finally at the end of this. Now as long as I don't get the next virus that comes thru--I should be good for Christmas.

Joan and Florence, I'm praying for you. Ritzy, I hope you are feeling better. Judy in Torrance

Florence,
You and your family will be in my prayers for healing..all kinds of healing. It has been a rough few months for everyone, means we are earning our roses in Heaven, right?
And I still need everyones prayers for my family, my sister is not handling the death of dad very well, and she wants mom to stay with her, and it is not a good scene down there, and after 47 years of not really having my mom, I'd like to have some time with her! Prayers for Anita who has never totally taken care of herself and I'm sure that scares her, but I am hoping I am doing the best for mom by bringing her here to be with me so we can be together and she doesn't end up in front of the tv for the rest of her life. I believe good care has to extend to her brain, intellect, emotions, not just feed her and keep her clean.
Oh well, please pray for me too, I am so trying not to lose it with my brother and sister.
Merry Christmas to all and God Bless you
Joan

Hi all, I've been AWOL for some time now, I think this happened to me last year this time too, just too many things to do! I've become a total Scrooge b/c I just don't find time to ENJOY the holidays, it's all just stress to me... oh well, that's minor stress this year. I wanted to update you all b/c I truly believe in prayer and need all we can get... Mama hadn't been gaining back her strength like we had anticipated, plus continues to have nausea & bowel issues, a week+ ago she had to have another transfusion, but still was weak after that, so the doc ordered a CT scan, and Monday we were told her cancer is back. There's a large tumor in her stomach & other lymph node issues. So she's back on a weekly drug infusion, it's not chemo but has a fairly good record of shrinking these tumors in relapse patients, we'll know next month if it's helping, or helping enough. But she's so weak & losing weight it's just tough to see her like this, and of course it's a good way to ruin the holidays...
PLUS, Monday when we learned this, my DAD was in the hospital getting tested every way possible. He passed out in Church on Sunday, and had had 2 dizzy spells prior. We now know that it was a combination of meds that were messing with his blood pressure, but Monday morning we really knew nothing.
ADD TO THAT, Monday was our quarterly Board meeting at work... The Board is primarily family, b/c it's a family business--so this was the first time we've had it w/o my dad... it's a newspaper business... and if you've seen anything in the news about newspapers, you know it's not good... We had to lay folks off in October for the first time in ~125 years, and will probably have to do more next year. This is really rotten, and of course my therapy is my quilting and I've been too danged busy to sew!
so please, know that I'm thinking of you all, checking in when I can, and will get back ASAP!!
Hugs, Florence

Me, too! Judy in Torrance

Saying prayers for all! Mary Kay

Ritzy, I'm on my way to bed and prayers. I pray you will be better soon!

Sandy, Your note brought tears to my eyes. I am so afraid that will happen to mom. When I was with them Oct/Nov for that month, we did have a few little sessions where she forgot her mom was dead. I can't remember the context, but she said, "I'll have to ask my mother" which took me quite by surprise! I had to explain to her that Nanny was dead, and she said,really? when did that happen? The next day she mentioned her again, then said, but you told me she is dead now? Other than that, and not recognizing people, and her short term memory gone (did you take a picture of the flowers I sent to your father? I think my neice and I took 5 or 6 that night at the wake jsut so she'd see usdo it each time!) she is ok. Of course, how ok is that? But she can boil water in her little pot (I'm not allowed to touch the stove) and make instant oatmeal and she makes toast, and tea if my sister is not up or the caregiver is not there yet. Once she is here with me, we can eat together, and she can help me with things.

I am looking forward to having her here, as she is a different person from the mom I grew up with. Is that terrible to say? But my sister was her favorite, and I was the one being yelled at all the time. My sister had a dislocated hip and was in a body cast for a couple years, which helped me not to spoil my own son who was born with a birth defect, but anyway, I have no happy memories with mom from growing up. But with good counseling, I can go on, and now I have a chance to make happy memories with her, and it is like a new treat for me. Love and forgiveness at 55!! Not that I never loved her, but we were never close, and now with this dementia, we are! I may have to wash her, and dress her, and yet it is a pleasure, and then we say prayers together, roles reversed as I sit on the edge of the bed with her.

Anyway, I am rambling. Better get to bed, praying for all of you.
Joan

Hi folks, this is minor in comparison to what you all are dealing with but I have been sick for almost a month now and I really would like to get well before Christmas. I would appreciate a prayer when you have a minute. Thank you.

It was so hard to see my mom become someone I did not know. I can remember dad calling me because mom wanted to talk to me. She would ask me where dad was and why had he left her. I would explain that dad had dialed the phone for her and he was there with her but she saw an old man she did not recognize and not the much younger dad she was describing. Or the nights she was afraid because she did not recognize dad as was afraid to go to bed because that old man would get in bed with her. Dad was having dementia problems also and would get his feelings hurt... Or the days she would try to get away from us because she wanted her mom and we were keeping her from her. She would be very violent one minute words coming out her mouth that I never knew she knew and crying the next because she was scared and didn't know what was happening. She would become so stressed I was afraid at times she was going to have a heart attack.

She is on different medication and in a different stage but at least she is calmer with fewer mood swings and she seems to be happy now. We have our moments but they are few and far between. She is up in her wheel chair for most of the day and is able to 'walk it' up and down the halls of the nursing home and attends some of the activities but wants to be on the outside looking in.

I was very concerned about mom when dad passed away in January because you saw one you saw the other. She remembers dad and asks for him but it's as if in her mind he is just out of the room and will be back in a minute or two. Mom seem to have been in a different place in her memory for several years; she was a young girl living at hom with her mom and two younger brothers. She constantly wanted to go back to that house and that time. I learned early on that it did no good to explain that her mom and brothers were dead so I learned to go along with whatever she was seeing in her mind until I could redirect her focus.

I see mom but I miss my mom. Alheizmer's is a terrible thing to happen to a person and the family but we get through it with God's help.

Joan it was great to read what you wrote to Rachel my mom passed away 13 years ago I miss her she was very bossy and hard to handle at times but she was my mom and I loved you and I miss her so enjoy your mom and I hope that you two ladys have fun together Love Happy

Thank you Rachel, for thinking of us while going through your own crosses. Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's but when I was there last month I kept her busy with computer emailing, she did the keyboard typing, and would remember how to make a capital letter, and to use the space bar between words, and just even thinking of a sentece to write to her sister got her to use her brain! We also played easy games of sudoku, I would work with her as I would tutoring a child with a worksheet "now what do you think goes here?" and questions like that until we finished the puzzle, and by the end, she was understanding what to look for. And I also taught her a modified blanket stitch and she stitched around 9-10 leaves on blocks that I will turn into quilts. She also cut them out after I fused them on fabric. One of my dad's nurses saw her doing all this whenever she came, and she's been around taking care of dad for a few years, and she said she has never seen my mom do anything, did she do it before her dementia? I told her no, that I was teaching her this to keep her busy and brain active, and she said Alzheimer patients don't learn new things, so that mom may have dementia/short term memory loss, but probably not true Alzheimer's. What do you think? I also have mom doing word searches. I am looking forward to having her come and live with us. We will keep eachother company!
well anyway, just rambling on I guess. Better get to bed. Hope all of you are doing well tonight. You will be in my prayers.
Joan