LBD & Careers

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Jan, for sending the article on LBD and

careers. It's an odd assortment of clergy, teachers,

farmers, welders, etc. Worth looking into.

My husband was also dx with LBD in October 2003, and

I'm 58 and he's 71, so also an age difference, but not

as great as yours and Jim's.

Just a couple thoughts about recent postings....while

on Sinemet my husband had his worst hallucinations,

all seemed to deal with war, like he was in a foxhole

and people were shooting at him. Once off Sinemet,

the bad ones stopped. So unfortunately that's not a

go for him. He's done very well on Namenda, but

others report bad results from that. I hesitate to

add anything.

Falling -- my husband falls frequently, and yes, I

think it's always backwards and sometimes involves a

spin. Fortunately, he hasn't hurt himself more than a

bruise or a scrape. Last week he fell and took out

his VCR, so I bought him a DVD player. Maybe it was

his way of getting a technological upgrade --painful

though!

I posted here before about the time my husband told

me, " You don't know what it's like inside my brain, "

and I don't think we really can ever know that. I

think our LOs get pretty good at disguising it or

maybe even keeping it from themselves. Often I think

he's understanding something I've said or read, but

then he responds in a way that I know he hasn't

grasped it at all.

Sometimes I mention to people that my husband has a

very hard time coming up with the right words

(aphasia), so he's usually pretty silent but I think

he follows a conversation okay. And those people

sometimes say, " Oh, I have that problem, too. " I find

that very unhelpful because what we all experience as

we age -- the occasional frustration of being unable

to think of the word we want -- is nothing like what

people whose brains are being rearranged by Lewy go

through. It must be incredibly frustrating and

frightening.

Welcome, ! I am new to this group, too, and

you'll find the people here warm and welcoming,

willing to discuss anything, and armed with loads of

good advice about LBD. I am sorry about your

husband's diagnosis at such an early age, but you've

come to the right place to learn and contribute.

Jan, your story about the dusty sculpture was

hilarious. I wonder how Jim's daughter would fare if

faced with her LO's soiled diaper, or worse.

Florrie

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