Thought I would introduce myself. Happy new year to everyone.
My husband was diagnosed with posterior AD in September 2005 at the age of 52 but I new now looking back he had symtoms before that. It made me really ill as my father was ill at the same time and I was trying to hold down a new job with a huge learning curve at 50 years old. My employers were very supportive, but in the end due to the location of my workplace being the other side of the town and the devastation that the diagnosis have given us I terminated my job. The actual build up to the inevitable, the confusion of what was happening, the reaction of my husbands employers, the tests was too much and I ended up on anti depressants reluctantly, but I knew I needed help, as we both did. So much has happened in the last 2 years, the journey has been unreal. Living and fighting for benefits has been a nightmare, never asked for help all our lives allways worked. We had so many plans, children grown up, both working in decent jobs now all taken away. Our marriage has been effected n a big way, we were so close, joined at the hip I suppose but we were so happy and loved each other so much. The feelings and relationship is so different. We have 2 children, well they are adults, but I see and feel the pain in their eyes as well as my own. We drift from day to day, argue loads and I still cry at what we have lost. I fear for the future and panic, its like being on a roller coaster but not able to get off. I could never imagine the effects of the illness and I thought it just effected memory but was I in for a shock. My husbands sight is effected he has severe visual impairment, spacial awareness, no concentration, cannot write or read, gets confused, panics and gets anxious. He cannot use stairs or escallators as he feels he is placing his feet into infinity. He cannot see any depth when confronted with water, and is anxious when he looks into glass. The problems are endless. There is nothing he can do to pass his time as all his skills, diy etc have diminished. All he does is watch t.v and I am not allways convinced that he is taking it in as he cannot recall what he has watched. All his emotions have gone. It is so hard to except that it is the illness and not my husband when he is being awkward or saying things to me that he would never have said befor this monster took over him. I could go on forever, the journey is getting harder but I will carry on as I have to remember the good times and take each day as it comes, but it is really hard. Sorry for going on , I have the comfort of knowing that I am not on my own .
My husband was diagnosed with posterior AD in September 2005 at the age of 52 but I new now looking back he had symtoms before that. It made me really ill as my father was ill at the same time and I was trying to hold down a new job with a huge learning curve at 50 years old. My employers were very supportive, but in the end due to the location of my workplace being the other side of the town and the devastation that the diagnosis have given us I terminated my job. The actual build up to the inevitable, the confusion of what was happening, the reaction of my husbands employers, the tests was too much and I ended up on anti depressants reluctantly, but I knew I needed help, as we both did. So much has happened in the last 2 years, the journey has been unreal. Living and fighting for benefits has been a nightmare, never asked for help all our lives allways worked. We had so many plans, children grown up, both working in decent jobs now all taken away. Our marriage has been effected n a big way, we were so close, joined at the hip I suppose but we were so happy and loved each other so much. The feelings and relationship is so different. We have 2 children, well they are adults, but I see and feel the pain in their eyes as well as my own. We drift from day to day, argue loads and I still cry at what we have lost. I fear for the future and panic, its like being on a roller coaster but not able to get off. I could never imagine the effects of the illness and I thought it just effected memory but was I in for a shock. My husbands sight is effected he has severe visual impairment, spacial awareness, no concentration, cannot write or read, gets confused, panics and gets anxious. He cannot use stairs or escallators as he feels he is placing his feet into infinity. He cannot see any depth when confronted with water, and is anxious when he looks into glass. The problems are endless. There is nothing he can do to pass his time as all his skills, diy etc have diminished. All he does is watch t.v and I am not allways convinced that he is taking it in as he cannot recall what he has watched. All his emotions have gone. It is so hard to except that it is the illness and not my husband when he is being awkward or saying things to me that he would never have said befor this monster took over him. I could go on forever, the journey is getting harder but I will carry on as I have to remember the good times and take each day as it comes, but it is really hard. Sorry for going on , I have the comfort of knowing that I am not on my own .