Welcome to 2016. I invite you to log onto the home page (www.thealzheimerspouse.com) to read my New Year's message and remember those lost in 2015. Please post comments here. Thank you.
Thank you dear Joan for finding the energy to post your message and those beloved souls lost in 2015.
When you can be here, it is wonderful and when you can't, I completely understand. I don't want to speak for others but you know how much we all love and value you. We are all in this together and stand as strong as we can here on your amazing site.
Joan, thankyou for all you do for us. I did notice one interesting fact in the list of those we lost this year. Although the incidence of Alzheimer's Disease is almost the same in men and women, out of 23 deaths this year on this web site, only 2 were women (Wolf's wife and mine). All the rest were husbands. My explanation is that women are more willing to discuss their feelings than men. Thus men are less likely to be on this site. But the difference (2 out of 23) is larger than I expected.
Thanks Joan, let us hope that 2016 will be better and brighter for all. I too still feel adrift and lonely. Still do not know who I am as a single person. I read somewhere where you never get over it and that you just learn to be comfortable with different. God bless
Our "freedom from AD" anniversary is in 2 weeks. I am very glad to have all the "firsts" over with except for the day he went to Heaven. I have done well this past year until the Holidays hit. Thanksgiving was harder than I ever dreamed it would be. I just made myself stay busy. I assembled a few Christmas decorations that day. I was very weepy but never fully gave in to it. I am typically a very strong and resilient woman and that day really shocked me. So, on Christmas I stayed busy all day to avoid being sideswiped by sadness/loneliness. WE had our family get together and celebration on Christmas eve so it took a lot of planning to have "things " to do on a day when the world shuts down. It was an OK day. I am sure that on the 16th I will relive every moment of that day a year ago. Ya know ladies...the way we relive the entire day of the day we went into labor and subsequently had our first baby. We remember every detail. I may just go with it this time. I think that perhaps that day deserves whatever full on feelings I experience. Then, knowing me, I will put on my Scarlet O'Hare façade and push forward one day at a time. Ya know...when anything threatens to ruffle my feathers...I will just worry about it tomorrow! P.S. This is only MY way to deal with things...not saying it is the right way or the best way! Ipray that each one of you are pushing through in a way that works for you. Just keep pushing!
A great friend found this website in early june 2015. I immediately had some questions about whether my burning issues might find an answer so I thought I should read to see if they were already covered. I am up to sept 2010. I have learned so much and am so grateful. This website, message boards, etc. Have been the most helpful thing I have found even tho the medical system we use has been rated in the top 100 in the nation, even tho I live in a high tax state with great social services. I try to read 12 to 15 minutes every day. I am very moved by all that has been said and done. There is nothing else in 2015 that has helped me as much as this website and discussions I have. It is my daily cry session but I don't care.
As soon as I realized what happened on june15, 2015, the day ad took control of Sid, I understood what lay ahead. I truly understand joan's grief and life the rest of the year. As a late comer, I know I have missed the center of this effort, but I truly think its appeal is universal and cannot be lost.
At the beginning of 2016 I need it more than ever.
I found the strength to come here today after staying away for some time. Tomorrow is the anniversary of Marv's passing. This week knowing it was almost one year has been a struggle to get through. Today I have tried to stay away from it in my mind but have found myself having little teary moments which I have fought not to give in to. Perhaps it is better to just let it come and work through the memory of the final day. Thank you for the Memoriam to remember Marv and all the rest who passed this year. Carry on like good soldiers.
I have to give applause to the new ones who have gone back and read through all the past post. When I joined in 1/2009 I did that and thought how much there was. I see there are 281 pages and 8402 threads. That is a lot of reading but also a lot of information, guidance, suggestions and support.
I just joined but have followed the blogs for a few years while caring for my husband. The information was a godsend in many cases and just knowing I wasn't alone in this struggle helped so much. My husband died on November 10, 2015 so I guess that's one more person to add to the list. He had just turned 63 and we were married 40 years. My heart is broken. But it has been slowly breaking for years as I watched him struggle with this brutal disease. My heart goes out to everyone here who is fighting this battle.
So sorry for your loss, Valofroze. It happened at a bad time of year...not that there is ever a good time. Hope you are getting some rest and finding some peace as we get into the 2016.
Hello Valofroze and welcome. So sorry your name had to be added to the In Memoriam list but happy you had previously found this site which has been a lifeline for so many of us. My husband died last May at age 65 after a very quick decline - less than 4 years after we first noticed symptoms. If you feel up to it at some point, please tell us a bit more about yourself and your journey..... take good care.