As I said in an earlier post, K does not act like someone with dementia anymore. This is this week. What will he be like next week????? Last week he was nasty, nasty. Very articulate and empathetic. THIS WEEK!!!!!! What is going on? Should I have him retested??? It took him hours to write this story the way he wanted it. When I spoke to him about this today he tells me it left him on a big high and still on it today.His memory is vey bad but the aggression is gone. He still demands to do things his own way and will explode if he doesn't get it. Right now he his very co-operative and is so sweet to me. I'm waiting for the other foot to drop. Any ideas as to what is happening!!!! Will he stay this way or revert back to how he was all along?
Below is how he wrote the story.
Yesterday, after supper I was walking near the Link and I could here some very quiet piano playing. I walked over, and there was Carol (Doug's wife) playing the piano quietly.
There were two other people there and we started to sing, slowly at first and then more quickly in the later songs. First one new resident would come to listen and pretty soon sing and then more and more people came and the singing got louder and rowdier.
We were right next door to Vince's room and unbeknownst to us he was in his last stages and all the family where there waiting. They would come out, one at a time and join us in the singing. Pretty soon we had Marge, Brian and his wife, and Kevin out there and they were all smiling and singing up a storm. It lasted for 3/4 of an hour!
I talked to all of them this morning and they said how much they enjoyed the singing.
I believe that ups and downs are normal. The brain is striving to rebuild itself as it is coming apart. Some times things go very well. It is hard for us caregivers because we get confused and it can be like dealing with the dementia for the first time when he comes apart.
I wouldn't do retesting now but I would recommend consulting with his doctor.
One of the things that make this disease so difficult on the care givers is the ups and downs. If every day/week/month/ showed a steady deterioration in our LO's cognitive abilities, I think it would be a lot easier for us to accept, and deal with.
Jazzy, I think you should just learn to enjoy the hours/days/weeks when Kevan is more lucid, and stop trying to analyze the minutia of the disease and how it is affecting him. Some times will be good, others not. Some behaviors will be good, others not. Its all part of the disease.
My experience Jazzy - the unpredictable is the predictable. I finally earned to just go with where my husband was/is at any given moment and try not think about it. I still cry often after leaving him with how sad all the losses are and his ongoing anguish with the constant paranoia. So I guess I still think about things a great deal but I have let go with trying to analyze his behaviors or pushing for more assessments and interventions.
For a long time though I struggled like you wondering all manner of things. I think we try our best to make sense of a situation or disease where nothing makes sense. It is such a hard road.