Ever since my wife has been diagnosed with this disease, PSP, her personality has changed a little. This is directly attributed to the disease. It’s not a necessarily a bad thing – just different.
As I have said in my earlier description of what she is going through, her actions are slower than they were previously. When I ask her a question, it takes longer before she answers. She is not as quick as in the past. When she gets tired – and that is usually about an hour and an half of being up – she becomes exhausted. Sometimes it takes longer and sometimes it hits quicker. When she is really exhausted, you can barely hear her talk. I have to get right next to her to understand her sentence because she talks in a whisper. Her eyes also tell the story.
When she asks me a question, she now ends it with “dad”, instead of maybe honey or baby, like she used to. Example – “What time is it, dad?” And, most anybody she encounters, she ends the sentence with “honey” or “baby” on the end. Even her parents get this added affection on the end of her sentences. There is nothing wrong with this, in fact, it actually adds a little more feeling to the sentence. But, it is different from the Sandra I used to know.
She wants to do what she used to do. Like any of us, she will get up and having done this particular activity many times in the past, she just simply forgets that she cannot perform this task like she used to. And, if I am not close by, she will eventually lose her balance and fall. She gets so frustrated because she has limits now as to what she can do.
Like today, she wants to go to a movie tonight and maybe a meal afterward. But she will probably give out after the movie and we will have to come home. All the wants and normal feelings are there but the body is not willing a lot of the time.
Well, I will conclude this part of our journey and ask for all to continue to keep Sandra in your prayers.
Joel Bailey
My prayers are always with you both Joel because I see the changes all the time. My heart goes out to you both
ReplyDeleteSandra has always been such a sweet & caring person. I know how hard it must be for you & her too. No one knows what it takes out of you when you're the caregiver of the spouse you started with so many years ago when you were young & carefree. My prayers are with you to give you both strength to get through another day.
ReplyDeleteThanks to you both Kathryn and Lynda for your prayers and thoughts for Sandra and me. We appreciate them all very much.
ReplyDeleteI will continue to post here this journey we are taking and how it affects Sandra and I.