Off Aricept for a week

[Guest guest]

I have just returned from visiting my mother a week after removal of Aricept,

not sure how

I would find her. She seemed better cognitively than she has in months! She

opened her

eyes and saw me for the first time since Christmas, initiated conversation

twice, instead of

answering simply yes or no to questions, even strung 6 words together, saying,

" You were

good to get here " and told me she needed a handkerchief for her drippy nose. I

had to get

her to repeat handkerchief 4 times but she did with cueing until I understood

her. For the

last month she has only tried to initiate conversation twice, both times

mumbled. She

even had a witty comeback to something said that made me laugh and feel for the

moment like I had a part of Mom back.

The eyes stayed open for about 1/2 hour. I took her to the inhouse church

service they

offer, and for the first time she tried to hold the hymn sheet instead of my

holding it, tried

saying the Lord's Prayer for the first time in about a year, ended up crying and

stopped,

but she tried! The chaplain was surprised with the open eyes and immediately

came over

to say hello to Mom.

Her Tylenol 3 times a day was reduced to twice a day about 5 weeks ago, so I am

not sure

what has made the difference, but it was obvious today. Even a front line

caregiver

mentioned that she has had a better week in different respects.

Thank you again for all the support encouraging me to stop the Aricept.