Thursday, November 8, 2012

My lovely Husband

I visited Max in the rest home as usual today.  To start with I couldn't find him and then the nurse on duty told me he was helping the student nurses with their study.

I went over and found him with them.  He had, obviously, been telling them about his family and they checked with me.  They weren't sure about his daughter but I told them he was correct as we both have the same name.  He had also told them the name of his son and his sister and that she had married an American.  All of this was correct.

They then shared with me something else he had said and they had written down so as to remember it - which is why I am writing it now.

'I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENED BUT I HONESTLY DON'T HAVE THE BRAIN AROUND MY NECK TO REMEMBER STUFF.'

With his diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia he has times when he is lucid and times when he is completely confused.

I was so pleased to see them interacting with him as he is often just sitting when I visit.  He then went on to help paint a Santa for their float in the Christmas Parade.

We are still having variable spring weather.  I did two loads of washing before going out and was very pleased to find it dry on my return as the clouds had been passing overhead all day.

I had been due to go away for a few days today but the friend I was going to stay with is ill.  As I had let my food supplies go down I did a large shop before coming home.

I would have liked to get out in the garden this afternoon but was quite exhausted.  I am still not sure why I get so tired but at least I have managed to do a few things in the garden over the past week.

Last night I arranged for my carpet to be cleaned on Tuesday which will mean moving as much as possible out of the way.  Really it needs replacing but the cost and disruption that would cause are ruling it out.  I just hope a clean makes it look better and doesn't make it disappear altogether.

I am pleased with my vegetables and am planning on cultivating another area to put some runner beans in as I have run out of space yet again.

This was my latest veggie garden exactly a month ago.  I had to put some wind cloth in front of it as the north-westerly was trying to rip the plants out of the ground shortly after the photo below was taken.



The photo below is the same garden today.  I am leaving the Italian Parsley to go to seed although if I see some plants for sale I may well rip it out and start afresh.

13 comments:

  1. Even the cat's looking sideways at your Parsley. Are they Banana plants in the background?

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    1. Yes, Bro, they are bananas, last year there was one bunch of small bananas that were delicious - unfortunately, I left them to ripen a bit more and something, presumably a possum ate them.

      Must look for some Italian Parsley plants as that one is getting way out of control.

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  2. Good day, Susan. My SIL thought it a very good idea, however unfortunately she was thinking it would be some more easy to sanitize on a regular basis. I suggested the family giving one, but patients go into others room and take their stuff, so it probably would go "walking" so to speak. *Sigh* such is life is it not? My Auntie had given me a HUGE bunch of her Parsley before the cold weather took it, so I dehydrated it for Winter use. Keep well rested and good day for you ahead.

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    1. Cindy, I threw that in the washing machine before giving it to Max as my friend got it from the op shop. When Max was in the dementia unit things were 'waling' all the time. His glasses disappeared for a week and were found in a lady's handbag. Now he is in hospital level that is not a problem although his electric shaver disappeared.

      Our parsley keeps going all winter as they are pretty mild.

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  3. It sounds like that was a very good visit with your husband. It must have made you feel so good to see him engaged.

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    1. Yes, it is amazing how much better I feel after that.

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  4. So glad your husband is still having these periods of lucidity, Susan. Your veggie garden looks great, so good luck with the beans.

    Could it be that you're a bit anaemic? Might be worth a visit to the doctor to find out why you feel so tired.

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    1. Perpetua, it was when I asked the doctor about anaemia that I discovered I have high Ferritin levels. I have been to the doctor 3 times so far about the problem and all tests have come negative.

      I think that stress could be a major part of it, especially as I felt so much better after yesterday's good visit.

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  5. Sue, it must have gladdened your heart when the nurses told you about M. I'm not surprised you feel tired, you're having an awful lot to go through. Take rest when you can. Your garden looks brilliant

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    1. Yes, Molly, it is amazing how much better I felt. Mind you, I slept in until 8 a.m. this morning - not like me at all.

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  6. Gardening refreshes the body. I just wish I had your climate as it is starting to get cold here. My father in law is in a care facility for dementia but he can still play a good hand of cribbage at 86.

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    1. That is great still being able to play cribbage with his dementia and at 86.

      Yes, the climate is pretty good here although a winter frost would help to kill the bugs. Still my orchids grow outside and many plants that I knew in England as pot plants such as poinsettia are garden plants here.

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  7. Hi Susan! Don't have an email address for you, so I thought I would post here (hope that is fine). Thought you might like to try this one I had just came across in my travels this morning: super-simple quinoa side dish tonight that was really good and just as easy as making rice: 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup light coconut milk, 1 cup veg broth, 1/2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander and hot curry powder, 1/4 cup dried currants, pinch of sea salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, simmer 15 min. Remove from heat and let stand 5 to 10 min. Fluff and eat! Good on its own, under a stir-fry, under our Better Butter Chicken! (thinking the Coconut milk could be substitute with something else maybe?)

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