A rant about a pork chop!

[LWCARAB]

Hello readers,

I posted once before last year for advice regarding my mum and getting a dementia diagnosis.

I'm now 30 going on 80 with a loving wife and 2 year old daughter trying to support my 62 year old mum who was diagnosed with Alzheimers last summer.

I'll try an keep it short, she had been living in France since 1992 when we all moved out there, I moved back to the UK in 2005 to go to Uni and my Dad died in 2006, she wanted to stay out there which was fine. Then early on last year we started noticing things were very wrong and eventually got a private diagnosis in July which was confirmed by NHS doctors in October.

At the end of last year I moved her back from France, sold her house, rented the house next door to us where she has been living since. This is easier than it was driving to France all the time by my gosh is it exhausting!!

She's been going downhill constantly but over the last couple of months she seems to have lost all concept of time meaning that she's on our doorstep from 6am dozens of times a day whether we're in or not. We make her come for dinner every day as she isn't safe cooking anymore (fire and food poisoning hazard!).

Anyway over the last few weeks we've been trying to get to the bottom of the odour that follows her around, I've raided her shower and swapped the conditioner for shampoo so her hair is now clean rather than looking like it was dipped in chip fat, sadly her concept of brushing her hair now makes her look liked Chewbacca with his fingers in a socket. My wife has been on her hands and knees scrubbing her feet clean. But today I took her to the opticians and look after her handbag whilst she went in, it smelt really bad! I didn't have a chance to look then but my wife did tonight...

I was expecting a mouldy banana or something but no, we found a 3 month old pork chop from the deli counter at Morrisons! Hasten to add, the bag and most of the contents is now in the bin and I'm taking her shopping for replacements in the morning whilst my wife gets some sleep after a night shift.

I know it could be a million times worse but I never pictured my life being quite like this right now!

 

[Otiruz]

Hello LWCARAB

It's absolutely bizarre how the progress of the disease completely alter's the sufferer's senses, in every way possible. Your pork chop tale will resonate with so many of us and I can only commiserate. I do feel pleased that you were able to locate the offending item though. I'm hoping you have contacted all the relevant services for help and just as important, for support for yourself. You are fortunate to have a lovely, and dare I say lively 2 year old daughter and supportive wife. Do not spread yourself too thin you are precious to them too.

 

[cragmaid]

Finally .....so that's where it ended up
About 8 or so years ago, my Late Mum got a pork chop out of the freezer for her tea. The chop was never seen again. It wasn't eaten. It simply vanished. I know this because she rang me to ask if I knew where it went.

 

[Beate]

That reminds me of that Doc Martin episode with the dead bird in the handbag! The district nurses couldn't understand the smell, they gave him a bath and everything!

 

[JohnBG]

Form

Firstly can I say many are overwhelmed at the reality of this condition, it is more than forgetting where you left your keys or the date when the Magna Carta was signed.

Food I could write a book on food, Roman numerals were our sell by dates.....man the fridge a historic journey through time, even the cat from next door declines the milk. Challenging food hygiene where I expressed my concern, food growing bless her, soap in a cake shape attempted.

I take her food shopping now, how she has not been seriously ill I will never know !

Although food is now less of an issue, the garden fence, parking on the road, no heating or use of cold tap are now hourly problems, I know it is her dementia talking.

Good luck today...oh yes 1215.

John.

 

[MollyD]

ahahaha .

Thank goodness for senses of humour in the midst of the utter tragedy of this disease. You've made ms smile out loud (daren't laugh lest I wake mum's sleeping dementia).

Mum is only semi mobile which means fridge and deli stories aren't in our scrapbook. Now commode stories....

 

[Selinacroft]

Any pork chops that go missing in this house means my girl ends up in the dog house for a few hours. As she has long legs plus a giraffe like neck I need to hide things very high up!