The Wrecking Ball

There are times, there are moments that stop you in your tracks. That was me at the start of this week, you know when your doctor calls you for an in-person visit when they are doing phone visits these days, things are somehow going to be different. You try to brace yourself, you try to convince yourself that it’s nothing to be concerned about. Yet somehow you know, you feel it in your gut, you know your doctor, you know, you just know.

So the first thing you see is the letter from the specialist that starts with the words, this is a situation where it is better to be lucky than good….and you know, beyond the good the bad will be coming, and he goes on to say that he is happy with how my cpap is maintaining me through the night. Yup, that’s the good news, the silver lining, ok well it’s something. Then comes the “regarding her remaining complicated medical issues.”

Some things were not surprising to me, and knowing all the difficulties these last ten or eleven months have presented me with, I knew in myself that there have been significant changes. Yet somehow and I don’t know if it’s just me or others with dementia, I have lived with this sort of ideal that I have been doing fairly well especially being that I am now moving into my 7th year since diagnosis, so knowing they said 3 to 8 years, but fully believing I could give myself a lot more and maybe I somehow can still have a few more. Add in the new piece regarding my lungs and repiratory issues that have been a challenge since March, upgraded to severe, shit, you can’t figure out how or why, when you have worked so hard at exercise, nutrition, all the things your supposed to do. The inflammation componenant that has been so worrisome, and there it is, Myositic syndrome, this rare, sometimes, you just feel like someone let the wrecking ball loose on you.

For all the research for all I have done, it is yet another little known component that can be part of vascular dementia. It is why I have the fatigue, why my lungs, my vocal abilities, my issue with my arm, the intermittent rash on my face and the muscle issues everywhere in my system. I didn’t see it coming, somehow, I felt like I would just somehow through all the hard work get back to feeling like I was managing with my dementia very well. And then the change in my prognosis comes, even though dementia is a terminal illness, I was considered stable within those parameters, in other words doing well. That has now changed from stable to ” very guarded”, there really is no words needed to say what that means or says. Yup the wrecking ball hit full on.

Physiotherapy is a must, my walking coach is a must, many more bits and pieces have to be looked at now. It’s very difficult because the specialist says my body is ageing prematurely, is it dementia driving it or all the other complicating bits, the truth is we will likely never know, and how quickly it will age is unknown but the last year’s setbacks have not been a good indication. Sometimes the pain is unbearable, but I soldier on. There are no magic pills or potions. The hardest part is on the outside you don’t see it, I still look ok, so people disbelieve you, it is hurtful. The invisibility is at times welcomed at others not, especially when you know people whisper and talk behind your back, because you don’t look like you have dementia or any of the other devastation and destruction that is going on inside your body.

My quality of life is starting to be impacted more and more each day. But I believe with my strong will and attitude, I will learn to live with for as long as I’m given to do that. That I will continue to advocate for others, so that after I am gone, maybe someone else won’t’ have to deal with some of that stigma. I am writing about this deeply personal new chapter, not because I want or need anything, but so that maybe just maybe it will help others to see that you can’t always see the many many layers of things that people living with Dementia deal with, we not only have to deal with learning to live with our dementia, but we still have all the other curve balls life throws at us. So maybe just maybe this will help others see that judging because someone looks ok, is not ok.

But right now, I am mourning, yes mourning, it’s a huge loss, its a lot, it another part of me that I am losing. People often overlook the losses faced with Dementia, they add up and they can have a very real and negative impact on our overall well being and quality of life if we don’t acknowledge them, this is a case where I must take the time to allow myself to be sad, to feel the fear, and the agony of facing another huge hit. I will try to take that time so that I can get back to striving to have the best quality of life I can in any way I can.