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)

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Decorating for Christmas?!



This morning I ran to the grocery store and stopped by to say Hello to Barb & Gary at KFC. While I was gone I left Cathy & the kids with Gayle... let's just say I think he was glad when I finally made it back! (I tend to not be a very fast errand runner... I am easily side tracked...) He said he would put something down & she would pick it up, she was already rearranging the furniture in the living room from where he had moved it, & the kids were busy too. He finally had the brilliant idea to let the kids smash old popcans with a hammer... they of course LOVED this idea & were sitting in the back of the gator when I got back smashing away... I of course was nervous they were going to cut themselves, so I switched them to plastic bottles. (Mean Mom that I am) When I came in the house Cathy had brought the Christmas tree box down from upstairs, had water in the crockpot heating up (for the roast I was bringing home), had cut her hair again (argh!), and was attempting to untangle Christmas tree lights!!


I tried to talk her into waiting for Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas... but it was useless... so I helped her put the tree up. We started singing Christmas songs & I actually began to get into the Christmas spirit! She spent the next 45 minutes untangling Christmas lights... or so I thought... but the pile she was untangling was retangling itself... so I then spent the next 20 minutes untangling her untangled/retangled mess... Uffda! But... we finally got the lights on! Hooray! Now we are just waiting for snow...


It is quite nice sitting in the rocking chair with the glow of Christmas lights again...


No movies today... Disney channel.

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