I have been reading the posts on this site for a few months now and am amazed at the way everyone reaches out to help each other. Some of the posts I have found absolutely heart breaking, and others truly uplifting. I have joined TP because my husband was diagnosed with dementia just before Christmas although the symptoms have been coming on over several years. Hubby refused to see a doctor and every time I broached the subject the answer was always the same .."There's nothing wrong with me !" One day just before Christmas I had to leave John for a short while to do some shopping and when I arrived home he had cut his hand on a kitchen knife. I couldn't stop the bleeding although it was only small cut it was very deep. Outcome was we finished up in A&E and the senior nurse who treated the wound soon noticed there was something wrong as my husbands speech is affected and the nurse asked me if my husband had had a stroke. I explained the situation with the dementia and the refusal to see a GP and the nurse phoned our surgery and the next day a GP turned up on the doorstep ! From then on it's been a bit of a rollercoaster but I have found reading the posts on TP so helpful as all aspects of this terrible disease seem to be covered in one way or another.
The most difficult thing I find is to cope with is the personality changes this disease brings. From being one of the calmest people on the planet my husband now swears and shouts when I can't understand what he is saying. I know it's frustration but still very upsetting when it happens...Also has hallucinations, mostly at night, so we don't get much sleep. I think I will need to get some help in the future but at the moment just take each day as it comes and we cope the best we can.
The most difficult thing I find is to cope with is the personality changes this disease brings. From being one of the calmest people on the planet my husband now swears and shouts when I can't understand what he is saying. I know it's frustration but still very upsetting when it happens...Also has hallucinations, mostly at night, so we don't get much sleep. I think I will need to get some help in the future but at the moment just take each day as it comes and we cope the best we can.
There are so many people here offering the cyber-hand of friendship, and there are few problems that someone else hasn't experienced at some time.
