Fall is in the air, and when I take
the dog out first thing in the mornings, I see frost on the ground and ice on
the stock tank. Each day, I think I’m dressed warm enough for a winter’s day,
but haven’t convinced myself that I’m to the point of needing gloves and a
stocking cap. At least that’s how I feel until the wind hits me.
Halloween will be here soon so my
thoughts turn to things that scare me. I know I’m in the age group where
Alzheimer’s isn’t even considered “early onset” anymore. I’m now included in
the scary statistical risk for women over age 65. One in nine people over age
65 have Alzheimer’s disease. The really scary part for me is that of the 5.2
million people with Alzheimer’s, more than 3 million are women.*
A few weeks ago, I wrote about
showing up at grandparent’s day a day early. Now, I’m so paranoid about
appointments that I keep them in electronic form and write them on the wall
calendar. Yet, I still second-guess myself. I’ve been bringing the music for
line dancing class while our fearless leader is recuperating from knee surgery.
I arrived early to set up the equipment, and no one was there. I glanced at my
watch to double-check the time and saw that it was still ten minutes early. I mentally
assured myself it was the right day. Eventually, everyone showed up and I
breathed a sigh of relief that I was at the right place, at the right time, and
on the correct day.
A few days ago, I opened the
microwave and started to put the gallon milk jug in it. “Oh, my gosh!” I said. “What
was I thinking?”
The next day, I shook creamer into
my cup because it mixes in better when I pour the coffee. I opened the
refrigerator, grabbed the milk, and started to pour milk on my creamer. Wouldn’t
that have been an interesting drink?
Yeah, Halloween is a time to think
of scary things, like Alzheimer’s and the ten warning signs of Alzheimer’s: (1) Memory loss that disrupts daily life. (2)
Challenges in planning or solving problems. (3) Difficulty completing familiar
tasks at home, at work or at leisure. (4) Confusion with time or place. (5) Trouble
understanding visual images and spatial relationships. (6) New problems with
words when speaking or writing. (7) Misplacing things and losing the ability to
retrace steps. (8) Decreased or poor
judgment. (9) Withdrawal from work or social activities. (10) Changes in mood
and personality, including apathy and depression. *
Scary behavior aside, this
Halloween has been special. My brother and I finally put our twisted tales and
yarns together into a book titled Apparitions.
The goal was to have it finished in time
for Halloween. Well, we made it in some respects since the e-book and paperback
are available online. I don’t have the copies I ordered yet. There was a delay
while we tried to get the cover to suit us. Another delay was my reluctance to
let the book go live because of my fear that I’d made a stupid mistake during
the editing process or missed a simple error.
My husband assures me that my mind
tends to jump ahead rather than staying in the present. It might have to do
with mental overload. I have too many appointments, obligations, and an out of
control to-do list. Multitasking has turned into multi-taxing on my poor
stressed out brain.
Halloween is a time of trick or
treat. I’ve decided to treat myself to peace of mind in regard to turning into
an absent-minded retiree. At least with my optimistic attitude, I believe my
occasional odd behavior is from being distracted rather than a sign of early
stage dementia. At least, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
*source: Alzheimer’s Association: 2016
Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, https://www.alz.org/documents_custom/2016-facts-and-figures.pdf
Copyright © October 2017 by L.S.
Fisher
#ENDALZ
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