Re: What do they know?Leona, /Ron

[Guest guest]

Wow Ron, heavy duty weekend for you, then your mother making the comment she

did! I

hope you are getting through it all OK emotionally. I know you could try to

prepare

yourself but then your mom wondering what to get for your dad's birthday could

have

really taken you off guard! Have a good cry if you need to. It does help. We

can't be stoic

and suppresss our feelings all the time.

I've just shed a tear or 2 myself. My eldest daughter from whom I've been

estranged for

the past 3 years just let me know she wants me to attend her wedding next month.

I will

go.

> > >

> > > I have an interesting story. Most of the time anyone watching

> Ray would

> > > think there is nothing left there except his body. He does not

> talk much

> > > and seldom shows any reaction to anything. Seldom smiles or

> seems to enjoy

> > > anything. But the other day, I had him outside the nursing

> home, in the

> > > wheelchair riding on the street. There were some maple seeds on

> the ground

> > > and picked one up and showed it to him. " What's this? " I

> asked. " Maple " he

> > > said!!! I was absolutely amazed. Until four years ago, he was a

> logger so

> > > he knew alot about trees and the woods--and I guess he still

> does.

> > >

> > > Seroquel keeps him fairly calm most days. he still has periods

> where he

> > > gets very agitated and anxious but usually the chewing gum will

> quiet him

> > > down. He is on 12.5 mg seroquel 1 pm and 50 mg at night. It

> has stopped

> > > his hallucinations as far as I can tell. One thing I will say

> again, it

> > > took a long time for it to have any effect on him--three weeks.

> So give it

> > > some time. More than that (they double dosed him when he was in

> the hospital

> > > and I protested) put him to sleep for three days. We had a good

> father's

> > > day get together at my daughter's house for breakfast this

> morning. Good

> > > luck to all!

> > >

> > > Leona: Caregiver for husband Ray, age 67, diagnosed 2/04 with

> Parkinson's

> > > Disease. Changed doctors, diagnosed 6/06 with LBD. Almost

> continual downhill

> > > slide no matter what drugs we try. 5/2/08 Ray was placed in

> Sunrise Nursing

> > > Home in Oswego, NY, 45 minutes from home. So far, so good!

> Hardest thing I

> > > have ever done in my life, however.

> > >

> > > There's a magical tie to the land of our home, which the heart

> cannot

> > > break, though the footsteps may roam. Eliza Cook

> > >

> >

>