More Updating

It feels just yesterday I was giving a "little update".... (I kid). It feels like maybe a year ago. 

I made some super hard decisions to handle our new normal. In April Jordan's doctor was very clear that Jordan now required 24 / 7 care. My piecing together care with gaps between the caregiver leaving and my getting home was no longer going to work. Immediately I had to change my work schedule to manage the previous gaps in care. It was a tough balance. My employer was so understanding. They agreed to work with me in any way I needed. So I decided to take a leave of absence.

At some point during the leave of absence, it became clear that I wouldn't be able to go back to work. 

I am now Jordan's full-time caretaker. 

It has been one of the scariest decisions I've made. Leaving my job that I loved was hard. Making finances work is a different kind of balancing act. 

The second big change was made in tandem with leaving my job. We relocated to Wilmington. 

Our daughter is here. Plus, it is a small beach town which gives us new things to appreciate. The slower pace is palpable. There have been challenging days that I do not feel equipped for. I'm definitely not trained for it. 

There are not all rosy days...but there are still good days. Still days with no bad spells, still days when we are silly with lots of laughter. 

A Little Update

I've been working on strategies to best address our continuingly changing "new normal". My sweet husband has dealt with several of the "complications" of Alzheimer's. I don't remember if I mentioned Jordan's seizures. They were very distressing for him. 

I've found that one of the most difficult things is to negotiate the medical maze and actually getting an appointment with a Doctor. He has several doctors that I am very pleased with. They are compassionate and willing to aggressively treat his conditions. But, they are booked ahead for months. 

The first course of treatment for the seizures was taking him off one of his medications "cold turkey". It is one that possibly exacerbates the potential for seizures. The cold turkey medication withdrawal was very hard. Very, very hard. Every day I reassured him that he will feel better soon. Thank goodness he has felt somewhat better. 

We added an anti-seizure medicine which has worked. 

In April it became clear that he was having hallucinations. I'm not sure if he had them during the time I was addressing his seizures. Like if the seizures masked them? 

Jordan says this is scaring the Sh*t out of him. We have an appointment with another specialist this week for this. 

I'm not quite sure how far along the Alzheimer's journey. We all understand that Alzheimer's means the memory fades. But, I had no idea about the other complications. 

An Altered Life

So, my husband has Alzheimer's. His 59th birthday was just 11 days ago. He's way too young to have this particular condition. His is called "early-onset", which I appreciate. It's an acknowledgment that this is not usual. In fact, Alzheimer's is not "typical" at any age, it is not a "normal" part of aging. 

I'm a Serious, Enthusiastic, Amateur Photographer

This is a pic of Jordan when we were at the Cherry Blossom Festival a couple of years ago. He taught me everything I know about photography. I would call myself a serious, enthusiastic, amateur photographer. But, Jordan? He's an artist. He's modest so he won't like that I wrote that. Jordan studied photography in college. He has a BFA in photography.