Posted 4/21/23 (Given the title of this piece, I wish I would have written it on 32123 instead…
In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.” -Isaiah 27:1
Not much to report right now. Mom is about the same. She didn’t eat breakfast yesterday which, of course, was a huge scare given that many folks with the same cocktail of brain ailments under the dementia umbrella she has stop eating… and die. Obviously we were concerned, but my stepfather fed her lunch and it went ok. It may have been another seizure that was unnoticed or perhaps a bad blood oxygen morning or, who knows…maybe she didn’t like what was served. The latter is very unlikely given that they rarely deviate from a standard course of the same things on a weekly basis, but who knows??
My preparation is still in the works for my Longest Day event in June. I am not doing as well on the prep this year and the task is even bigger than previous years (!!!), so I need to get my rear in gear. Even my fundraising is off to a slightly slower start this year, but that doesn’t concern me since things ramp up the closer I get to the date(s). 🙂 Here is my Longest Day Link and Here is my SeniorAge Link (click Donate, then choose Runnin’ Til I’m Purple in the list of designations) if you would feel so inclined to sponsor this crazy shark jump. 🙂 I would very much appreciate it! We are getting closer every single day. 🙂
I am in the process of being approved for another clinical study at Washington University that will happen over the next month or two. It examines and compares the effectiveness of the various types of radioactive dyes (tracers) used in PET scans. Here are two videos about PET scans. LINK and LINK. It is critically important because new drugs treating the disease will require early detection, and the PET Scan (along with soon to be released blood tests and with cognitive tests) are the key to diagnosis. I will be getting 35% of my yearly allotment of radioactivity for the year, so I will need to be a bit more careful the rest of the year. No worries, I am nothing if I am not careful. 😉
Speaking of radioactive, check out a song I like the beat of, filtered imperfectly through a dementia lens:
“Radioactive“ released by Imagine Dragons in 2012…where has the time gone??? (They are secular, but they make very emotionally charged, and generally quite positive music…) Here are the lyrics:
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa
I’m waking up to ash and dust
I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust
I’m breathing in the chemicals
[Inhale, exhale]
I’m breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa oh
I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
I raise my flag and dye my clothes
It’s a revolution, I suppose
We’re painted red to fit right in
Whoa oh
I’m breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus
This is it, the apocalypse
Whoa oh
I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
All systems go, the sun hasn’t died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside
I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh, whoa, oh, oh, oh, I’m radioactive, radioactive
“I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones
Enough to make my system blow” -Nearly 14 years ago I slumbered. Then one day they said my mom had a mild form of dementia…but I didn’t process it. She was “fine”. I didn’t see or hear anything concerning. Within 8-9 years she no longer knew my name. I am wide awake, friends. I feel it in my bones now… Please don’t let it slide like I did when you see warning signs. Don’t write it off. Act. Do. Ask. Search. The time is now. 6 million plus are waiting.
“Friends…welcome to a new age“. As Tony Gonzalez beautifully shouted here (paraphrase) to our group while protesting the Leqembi Medicare non-coverage in front of the White House: “This is the beginning of the treatment Era!” The VA gets it and is covering the new class of drugs for our veterans. We need CMS to do the same with Medicare, and now!
“I raise my flag and dye my clothes
It’s a revolution, I suppose
We’re painted red (the surely meant purple…come on Imagine Dragons! 😉 ) to fit right in
Whoa oh“
“All systems go, the sun hasn’t died
Deep in my bones, straight from inside” Don’t give up, friends! Focus on what is left with your loved one. My mom shook her had yes to me two days ago to something I said. That is, frankly, the best response I have had from her since 2020 when they called us in to a special Covid-safe area to say goodbyes because she was on her last days. (LOL not LOL). She never got any worse and they kicked us back out again until Covid was over. (This ignoring the importance of freedom from isolation was one of the biggest tragedies in Covid) We will keep loving them with all our hearts even when the old them is gone. We won’t give up. Not at least until we #EndALZ
One more thing…a bit of a reminder. I add links to my articles. They do not sell things. They are typically links to further reading. If one ever comes updo broken or goes somewhere weird, please email me at mark.applegate@senioragemo.org or call/text me at 417-955-2513 . I care very much when I find links for you. It is part of why I do what I do here…I seek to help you find usable, encouraging resources among the much and junk on the internet. 🙂
