Thursday, February 10, 2011

Re-jigging the attitude.

Considering the vastness of blubber covering this blogger, my health isn't all that bad. No smoking, very little drinking and lately, no chocolate eating which means my blood sugar level is down to 7.1. The depression which has been dogging me is snivelling in a corner somewhere, no doubt it'll be back as soon as I get up enough courage to weigh myself.

But yesterday gave me some perspective. My cousin, who I still think of as a child, has been diagnosed with a particularly aggressive form of Alzheimer's at age 53. I kept thinking of all the things I was doing at 53 and how much I was looking forward to the years of freedom (well, that didn't happen) but not Alzheimer's. I mean it's an old people's disease, old, old people get it but not always and at 53, she's still bodily healthy but deteriorating mentally.

Wake up call. The body might not be the best but I remember that aches and pains are telling me to take it easy and mentally I'm still with it even if I never get the hang of Sudoku. But 53 and already back in childhood racing to disappearing point gave me a big jolt.

8 comments:

Ampersand Duck said...

Another person I know has recently had her husband diagnosed with early-onset Alzeimers too. It made them both rethink their life, with him taking things slower and her learning to deal with him taking things slower.

I love a good attitude shift, though. Every week when I visit the Aged Poet's nursing home, I return younger and bouncier. For about two days, then the body bites back :)

Eat more chocolate, I say. Keeps the braincells happy, despite the body.

Kath Lockett said...

Alzheimers at 53? That's too young!

My best buddie's mother has just been diagnosed at 69 and we're strugglign to come to terms with that, too. Such a disrespectful way to finalise the years of someone kind, active, intelligent and decent.

Why coudln't Andrew Bolt or Tony Abbott have it instead?

Elephant's Child said...

Way too young. And it means a double grieving period too. Once as the person you know disappears and another when the end comes. Aaaargh.

And I'm with Ms Duck - chocolate is a wonderful thing (says the woman who is starting to look like the Michelin Man)

JahTeh said...

Duckie, being so young no-one noticed any early signs, just bang and it was there. It worries me when I wake up and can't remember what day it is.

Way too young, Kath. The scientists know what causes it but can't get a handle on a cure. In the old days, there weren't too many who lived long enough to get it and if they did, they were shuffled off to the attic.
As for those two non-humans, you have to have a brain first.

EC, it's the inbetween stage before they don't know anything, when there's still that spark every now and then, it must be hell.
You can be the Michelin man, I'm more the Pilsbury dough boy from Ghostbusters.

WV is dinglob, that's us

BwcaBrownie said...

that is very sad. there is a film on that theme (recent) with Julie Christie playing the woman slipping away.
I read somewhere once that eating blueberries can prevent Alzheimer's so guess what I have done ever since? They taste good too.

River said...

Alzheimers at 53? oh no!
I've heard that it can be a genetic thing, if your parents got it then there's a fair chance you will too, if they didn't then you might not either. So I'm hopeful, since both my parents were in their own minds when they died. I've also heard that keeping the brain active with crafts and puzzles etc helps to ward off Alzheimers, so once again, I'm thinking I'm okay there.
I struggle with Sudoku too. I can do the very easy ones, but even they take me a while. My girls and one grand daughter however, look at them and say oh, this is 3 that there is 9 etc and just like that *finger snap* the sudoku is done. But I beat then hands down at the code cracker puzzles.

Jayne said...

53?
That sucks catshit.
Far too young.

JahTeh said...

Bwca, omega-3, coloured vegetables, vitamins will slow it down but if it's aggressive, no chance. She's already childlike, loves walking with her dogs and father at the beach but I didn't like to ask about her children.

River, I'm terrible at all these brain type puzzles and I can't do crosswords as I'm dsylexic about words that go down, I can't make them out. It's why I can't do craft from patterns.

Jayne, The first thing I said was, 'but she's just a kid'. Funny how you remember them when you don't have much to do with them, all grown up. I mean I have trouble thinking of my granddaughter as 18. I remember the day she was born, it was yesterday.