I haven't posted in a while. I've been really depressed, and a little disconnected. Last month, Mom's symptoms have progressed more rapidly than I have ever seen. Shes been really depressed, and always seems so tired.
She is having trouble walking and balancing. She had a fall today that could have been a lot worse. She was lucky, and landed in a cloths basket full of clothes. It broke her fall, but she did still end up with a bump on the head and a skinned up arm. There have been many close calls over the last few weeks. We take her shopping whenever we go, but shes getting really slow, and quickly gets fatigued. We have to keep the trips short now.
Speech has also degraded a great deal. There are many times in the last few weeks that I could not understand what she was saying. Many times she will get frustrated with having to repeat herself many times and just gives up. I tried to delicately suggest having a system to communicate, like flash cards or something, and she immediately stopped that conversation. She did restart speech therapy today, and I like the new therapist. She is working with mom on maintaining and hopefully strengthening her speech. She is using some techniques the previous therapist did not use, that seem to make sense. All we can do is hope.
There have been some good days over the last month, and I know I need to put more emphasis on the good. Thanksgiving was good for mom. She spent the day at her Nieces house with her sister, brother, and family. I know she really enjoyed the visit. We've also had some fun days, getting ready for the holidays, and doing stuff with the kids. I hope I can catch a second wind, focus on the good days, and be positive for mom. I always put on a happy face, and talk positive when I'm with Mom, but sometimes I'm pretty sure she can see through me.
