Alzheimer's Community

that should be "It is now December 1...". Sorry about that.

Hello, all-

It seems like we were just talking about the brand-new year, and now it's almost Christmas again. I love this time of year, from Thanksgiving on.

For some reason, I've been inspired to get most of my Christmas shopping done much earlier than usual, which is a good feeling. I'm excited about what my sisters and I are giving my mom. She got a new dog earlier this year, from a no-kill shelter, and has said several times that she'd love to know what breeds Riley is made up of -- there's certainly nothing identifiable! We're having a DNA test that will identify the breeds of her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. It should be interesting, and I know Mom will be delighted.

Dave, it's good to hear that your dad is still doing well and that there has been such an improvement in your father-in-law.

I wish everyone a happy holiday season, and look forward to hearing from you.

Carol

Hello Everyone, So far we've had a beautiful December. It is just now getting really cold in the last two days here in NE Ok.

Dave, It's always good to hear that your Dad is doing so well, and now your father-in-law is better. That is great!

Carol, it really is interesting that you can have a DNA on animals. I'm interested in knowing how that turns out.

Tomorrow I will attend my first Caregiver meeting.It's in the same building where we eat lunch. It's still
in the organizing stages. I was asked what would be the best time for us to come and I said 11 am. as we eat at 11:30 and the meeting is short to start with.

Ken continues to do better with his Alzheimer's. His last lab showed his kidney problem is a little better. He is supposed to have an iron infusion in January. I learned today that low iron saturation causes leg aches. The MD told him today that his legs hurt because his legs are small and his body is big and that causes a lot of stress on the legs. The Dr. added that he had arthritis in his side thigh. We thought his problem was in the muscle (and I still think so). He continues to exercise and has a great attitude. He is also on insulin now. It's not as bad as he expected and now he's at a level where his blood sugar is coming down. He still hasn't reached a maintenance dose.

We just bought a 9.7" tablet yesterday. He is very interested in reading, and I'm in the process of getting books downloaded. I ordered a sturdy stand so he can sit at the table and not have to hold it. The tablet also has audio and it will be able to read books to him when he can't read.

We're looking forward to having Christmas with all our children and grandchildren. I've done most of my shopping online. I like it better all the time.

May you all have a Blessed Christmas.

Kathy

It's good to hear from you, Kathy, and I can't tell you how happy I am to hear how well Ken is doing! His improvement is really amazing.

I often have muscle pain in my legs, especially the fronts of my thighs, and it's from having taken Lipitor for a few years. I haven't taken it for five or six years now, and the pain isn't as bad as it was then, but it's never gone away. I didn't know about low iron also causing leg pain.

The results of my Mom's dog's DNA test were very interesting. Mom had been told at the shelter that Riley is a pug mix -- I guess because her tail is curled, because there's absolutely nothing else about her that looks like a pug. Anyway, it turns out that she has no pug in her at all, and the curly tail apparently came from an Akita a couple of generations back. She's mostly Border Terrier (which I'd never heard of) and Cocker Spaniel, with a little Lab and other breeds mixed in. She doesn't look anything like any of her components!

The caregiver group sounds like such a good thing for you -- I hope it's a big help. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the first meeting.

I'm glad you and Ken will have your children and grandchildren with you at Christmas. There's nothing like having your family around you.

Take care.

Carol

Hi Carol,
Just to clarify about the iron. It seems his iron level is good, but it's the saturation level that is low. On your lab report, look for 'saturation' under iron. You may need to ask your doctor what the range level is, then you will know whether it is good or bad. Since the doctor is on vacation now, Ken will go to the hospital in January to have iron intravenously. I may not be saying that right. So low saturation of the iron can be part of the cause of his muscle aches. Also, just having kidney disease will also do this. His legs seem to be getting weaker, but he keeps biking a mile each day and very rarely uses his cane. Tonight we went to our 8 yr old granddaughters Christmas concert and he didn't even want to take his cane, but as we walked about 1/2 block back to the car, he thought it was a long way.

Your Mom's dog mix is really interesting. We used to have an Akita. It strayed to our house during a storm. She was one of the best dogs we ever had..

I wish you and your Mom the best.

Kathy

This thread is almost six months old. Would it be possible for someone to un-pin it?