Our Families Journey Caring for a Mom with FTLD-MND

It is important to know as you read this journal that this was Cathy's life post diagnosis...

To know Cathy Truly you must know that she was: a Wife, Mother of 3 boys, Grandmother of 9, Sister, Niece, Aunt, Daughter, and Friend.

Our families journey began with Cathy's diagnosis the week of Thanksgiving 2006, Cathy was 52. Her original diagnosis was Pick's Disease/FTD. Looking back her symptoms most likely began 3-5 years before diagnosis. Most of the Doctors have told us that from onset of symptoms to death... the average timeframe is 4-7 years. (sigh) In the end her brain autopsy showed Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration with Motor Neuron Disease FTLD-MND. (Basically... Frontal Lobe Dementia with Lou Gehrig's Disease)

Friday, October 5, 2007

Dish Soap

Dawn dish soap strikes again!
Rhonda & Larry just spent a week in Wisconsin spending time with Cathy, helping Gayle with Deer Stands, & just hanging out with friends. (Oh yes, & shopping at Cranberry Fest!) I talked to Rhonda while they were on their way home today. She has been a good friend to Cathy & I know it is hard for her to watch her decline. She said that Cathy's sleep schedule is changing again. One night Larry saw her outside at 2:30 in the morning. She also got up one morning around 4:30 and started breakfast. Gayle also told me about the "funny" tasting bacon. He said she was up early making him breakfast... which she still tries every morning. (Even when she is at our house she gets up & makes Gayle bacon & eggs.) He said the bacon tasted funny, he only ate 1/2 of it & then snuck it into the trash... as to not hurt her feelings. He then warned Rhonda & Larry about it. It was then that they realized why it tasted so funny. You see Cathy was wiping out the pan with a papertowel covered in Dawn dish soap... but then not washing it out. So the dish soap was just sitting on the pan & then she was cooking in it. Hmmm.... I ate alot of Bacon over the summer up there. This is a good reminder why I need to watch her closer.

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