Mary's Place

A web page about the life of a lady who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

Name:
Location: Piedmont, Oklahoma, United States

I live in Piedmont, OK, with my Husband of 50 years who has been very supportive. We have 2 sons,David and Kenny, 6 grandkids, and 6 great grandkids. I enjoy feeding and watching the birds and squirrels. Before I was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, I ran a Licensed Day Care Home for Infants for 15 years. I noticed I wasn't able to remember important things and having problems with my speech. I was experiencing severe headaches. I would get lost. I didn't know how to use the computer. At the age of 55, I told my doctor. I was sent for an MRI. which showed a large amount of shrinkage. I went to a neurologist who sent me for two days of testing. I was diagnosed with dementia of the Alzheimer's type. My husband and I were both in shock. I had to give up my job. I went to see a social worker. I've taken Aricept for 11 years. I can now use the computer and even do this web page. I also host a chat room for dementia patients. This is a very lonely disease. I don't want anyone to feel as lonely as I did when I was diagnosed (I thought I was the only one over 50 that had Alzheimer's). In 2006 I started taking Namenda. Also I was told I have a mixed dementia, Alzheimer's/Vascular.

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

It is the last day of the month. July flew by… I cleaned the bathroom, dusted our bedroom, finished up the laundry, made our lunch, cut out coupons, did my nails, and made a fresh peach cobbler… Dave reminded me today that I had forgot to flush the toilet again. I told him it must be because I have too much on my mind. At least I never ever forget to wash my hands… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, July 30, 2007

We got rain today and I got out and walked in it. I just couldn’t help myself. I love to be out walking in the rain as long as it isn’t a pouring rain… I did two loads of laundry; the rest will have to wait till tomorrow. I am tired. I think yesterday has caught up with me because I am dragging today. Too much stimulation… Kathy came down and we watched Wife Swap together… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, July 29, 2007

When I woke up this morning I couldn’t believe what the clock was saying. It said it was 12:15… I slept through my church services. I must have been really tired. We were supposed to be at Macey’s birthday party at 2:00 and that is about 50 miles away… We made it there in time for Macey’s 3rd birthday party and what a party she had. I didn’t count them but I bet there were fifty people there. I am so surprised I handled it so well. It must be all that good medication that I am on. It was fun watching the little ones and I enjoyed visiting with the other grandparents… We left there and went to a surprise birthday dinner party for Lori. We all met at the Santa Fe Steak Restaurant in Norman… I am tired tonight but have had a good day… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Happy Birthday Chip!!! Chip is our friend in Florida… I had a really bad night. My knees were hurting and I was having hot flushes all night long. My knees are feeling some better today… I received an email from my friend Chip telling me that he was going to quit doing his journal. He sure will be missed. He wrote what it is like to have this terrible disease. He put it to words like I wish I could. When I would read his journal it was like what I go through each day. Chip, I understand and someday I will be doing the same thing… David, our oldest son came by for a short visit. I showed him our pumpkin and watermelon patch. He picked some okra and zuchinni to take home with him. I tried to get him to stay and eat with us but he had to leave… I had a phone call from Janey in Illinois… Goodnight all… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, July 27, 2007

This morning I went to see Dr. Davoli, my Orthopedic Surgeon. He said there was no fluid in my knees. Before he has told me that my knees were like running on rims. He gave me an injection in both knees. In a few days I should get some relief. These injections have worked for me before. The last one I had was in October. The doctor was surprised that I made it that long… When we got home I made potato soup for Dave and I and I cooked some carrots for the dogs. They love it when I cook them carrots… For supper tonight I fix breakfast… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, July 26, 2007

This morning when I got up I noticed a squirrel under our birdfeeder eating sunflower seeds on the ground. I was wondering how long it would be before the squirrels came here. We have been here for over three years and that is the first one we have seen… I cleaned our bathroom and did laundry… I dreamed last night that I had both knees replaced… We are making plans to attend my 50th class reunion that will be held in Peru, Indiana… I called Lynn in South Dakota… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

I was allowed to use my new ramp for the first time today and it works great… I was out working in my flower garden, deadheading flowers, and etc. Of all the flowers I have I think the butterflies like the cosmos best… I went up to the garden and we are going to have so many pumpkins we will have our own pumpkin patch. The watermelons and cantaloupes are coming on good too. The cucumbers have about quit… I stopped by and visited with Kathy then I went over to get my Marley fix. It has been awhile since I have seen her. Billie was telling me that she has been called to the daycare to feed Marley because she won’t take a bottle for them. So I tried and got a few ounces down her but she really wanted to nurse… I have never seen so many little frogs. The ground is covered with them… I keep forgetting to mention but on Monday I saw three turkeys across the road… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

My knee continues to bother me. Dave called and made an appointment for me to see the orthopedic doctor… I cooked beets and cut up and fried okra for supper. It sure is nice having a garden… Josh and Richard called… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, July 23, 2007

Our Internet was down last night so couldn’t post a journal… Here it is…
July 22, 2007
This afternoon Dave and Kenny built me a ramp out of concrete and I supervised. I got tickled watching Dave and Kenny because it looks like Kenny is turning into his dad. They are reversing roles. I had a ramp but it was one that Dave had built out of wood. I pulled weeds and deadheaded flowers. It sure is hot out there, doesn’t take long for me to get overheated… Tonight we went to eat Mexican food and Kenny, Kathy and Heather joined us… When got home we found half of a strawberry cake setting on our back porch. I knew right away who had brought it because I recognized the plate as belonging to Billie… David and our nephew Dan called… Supervising is a hard job, I am so tired tonight… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma ...

Happy Birthday Vernon!!! Vernon is a DASNI friend in California…
We woke up to a thunderstorm this morning and got a good rain out of it… I did laundry, fixed lunch, and helped clean off the back porch… Joyce called… Going to watch “Saving Grace” tonight, our friend Michael In Hollywood, California is the key grip… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Dave and Kenny went to Arkansas today to pick up a finishing mower for their tractor. I stayed home and did a load of laundry, hosted both chats, and ate and ate… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, July 20, 2007

Happy Birthday Macey!!! Macey is our great granddaughter who is three today and lives in Moore, Oklahoma… I have been busy today, cooked some ham and beans in the crock-pot, made cornbread, did laundry, sewed a button on a pair of Dave’s shorts, fixed lunch, cleaned the aquarium, and hosted the DASNI chat… I called to check on Josh’s toe and he is doing fine… Dave is starting to feel better. He pulled weeds out of the flower garden… We invited Kenny and Kathy to eat with us… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Thursday, July 19, 2007

This morning I went again for my eye appointment and it was the right day. The doctor said I was seeing well and everything looked fine. I don’t have to go back for a year. This was an easy appointment. He didn’t play that game with me of which looks better. I was happy for that… On our way home we stopped by Braum’s to pick up some fruit and we had a yogurt cone… I went to chat and Sandy in Ohio was there to host… I helped fix supper, made fresh nectar for the hummingbirds, bowled at pogo, and that was about it for today… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Dave woke me up early this morning for an appointment with the eye doctor. We got there in plenty of time and the waiting room was filled with people. I went up to sign in and the lady told me that my appointment wasn’t today but tomorrow. So we left there and ran some errands. It wasn’t the first time I have done that and it probably won’t be the last. I think it is better to be a day early than a day late… I broke and shelled beans for supper tonight. They were really good… Dave continues to be very tired and I continue to worry about him… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Happy Birthday Carol!!! Carol is our friend in Louisville, Kentucky...
It was 11:30 before I woke up this morning. I must have been really tired… Dave and I went to the garden and got some vegetable for our supper… I fed the vegetables and flowers with miracle gro in the back yard and I did another load of laundry and got that all put away… I get so tired of having to push myself to get anything accomplished… Tonight Dave and I watched “Just for Laughs” and laughed out loud… Josh called and said that Hobby Lobby called him about a part time job. He sounded real happy. Only thing tomorrow Josh has to go to the doctor to have a toenail removed… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, July 16, 2007

Thanks to Don in Melbourne, Florida for visiting Mary’s Place and signing my guest book at http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mari5113/index.html
I have been busy today. I cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, went to chat, and made a spinach quiche for supper with Dave’s help. We haven’t had a quiche in a long time and we both like it… Everyone keeps asking Dave if I am being a good nurse and I think I am. Dave was really out of it when he got home Friday but during the weekend he was wondering if he shouldn’t be putting drops in his eyes since while he was in the hospital they were putting in two different drops twice a day. So first thing this morning Dave called his doctor and sure enough he was to be putting two different drops in his eyes four times a day. Appears the doctor was pretty lax in his discharge instructions. So they called in the order to the pharmacy and we went in to pick them up. I sure hope it doesn’t cause any damage to his eye since one is an antibiotic… I called my brother George and David called… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Sunday, July 15, 2007

I watched church services on TV and then watched several Gaither video’s… Dave and I went up and visited with Kenny and Kathy. Kathy’s brother was there helping Kathy can some dill pickles. It smelled so good… I haven’t done much of anything today. Tomorrow I will have to get busy… Dave still requires several naps a day and his eye still looks terrible… Kenny finished mowing our grass today. I felt sorry for him and took him out a big cup of ice water. He has ten acres of his own to mow and then ours too. It is very hot today… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Happy Belated Birthday Mary Beth!!! Mary Beth is our niece...
I deadheaded the hibiscus and pulled weeds… Played with the dogs on my scooter and hosted chats… Our neighbors Sean and Billy brought over supper and helped Kenny mow our acreage. Thanks Sean and Billy and Kenny… Our milk was spoiled so Kathy picked us up some fresh milk… Judy called… I am really tired tonight… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, July 13, 2007

It was a Good Friday the thirteenth here. That is except for the thunderstorms during the night. I got a call early this morning from the nurse at my doctor’s office letting me know that Dave’s PET scan showed no more melanoma… The maids came this morning and before they finished Kathy brought Dave home from the hospital. Dave was pretty groggy and he went to bed for a nap when he got up I fixed his lunch and he went back to sleep. I was even able to take a two-hour nap. I must have been really tired… Josh left about 5:30 to go back home. Josh, you just don’t know how much we appreciated you staying with me while Pops was in the hospital… All of Dave’s brothers have called today to check on him… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Happy Birthday Vern!!! Vern is our friend in Hawaii…
I didn’t sleep well last night the weather alarm went off and that startled the dogs to getting nervous and barking. Early this morning it was raining so hard and we expect to have storms again tonight. I am getting so tired of this… This morning Dave called and to tell me his eye was doing okay but that his blood pressure was 86/56, I started to panic. Dave then said: “If I knew you were going to worry I wouldn’t have told you.” Well of course I would worry. Especially when Dave is one with high blood pressure often… Josh and I went to Wal-Mart and he applied for a job and then we picked up a few groceries. Then we went to the bank and he opened up a checking and savings account. Something Grandma has wanted him to do for a long time... Then we went to visit Dave we didn’t have any trouble this time finding the hospital. When we got there Kenny was there visiting him… He said his blood pressure was now a 100 over something and they were checking it regularly. I will be so happy to have him back home and so will the dogs. Tomorrow he will go back to surgery and they will remove the radiation patch. Kathy will be going in the morning to be with him. She is our daughter-in-law who is a nurse and she will drive him home… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Thanks to Julie in Australia for visiting Mary's Place and signing my guest book at http://www.angelfire.com/ok4/mari5113/index.html
Josh has been staying with me since the day that Dave went in the hospital. He is sure handy to have here. He helps me a lot. Last night he drove me to the hospital to visit Dave. It is a long drive and I thought I knew the way to the hospital but I got us lost. We ended up having to call Dave for directions. That made me very nervous because the traffic was horrible. But we made it there and had a nice visit with Dave for thirty minutes. The allowed time we can be in there… Dave said the discomfort wasn’t too bad but we know that he is a tough old bird… He called me this morning and said the doctor told him that there was a good possibility that he could lose the sight in his eye because the cancer was so close to the optic nerve. I sure hope that doesn’t happened… I didn’t post a journal last night because when we got home it was late and I went straight to bed. I have been very tired all day so Dave told me to stay home and rest. Kenny went to visit him today… Tonight Kathy, Josh, Heather and I sat outside and watched the birds at the feeder and the redheaded woodpecker came to visit while we were out there. Sammy and Teddy, Kenny and Kathy’s puppies, came down too. Sammy got into my tomato patch and picked one of the green tomatoes and ate it. I told him they were much better fried… Sally and Martha called… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma
My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Monday, July 09, 2007

Dave got me up around 3:30 this morning. I got my shower and was ready to go by the time Kathy came now to ride with us. I am sure happy Kathy went with us… Dave surgery was scheduled for 7:30 but the doctor was about a hour late. He ran into his room to say hello and he apologized for being late. Dave was in surgery for about an hour and the doctor said it all went well. He said in three to six months we should know if the radiation works. He said it could take up to nine months before we know for sure. So here we go waiting again.... Kathy and I spent about thirty minutes in his room and then left to come home for a nap… David and Lori and Kenny were going to visit him later today... We are having storms so I will post this and shut down the computer… Thanks for your prayers… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, July 08, 2007

I attended church services on TV again this morning. Then I got started on my day. I got caught up on the laundry and since I will be going to bed early tonight I am posting this early. Dave has to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning and we are an hour away from the hospital so that means we will be getting up in the middle of the night… Please keep us in your prayers and I will be back here as I can to keep everyone informed… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Happy Belated Anniversary Claude and Susan!!! Claude and Susan are friends in Canada…
Dave has always said that he wanted to do two things before he died. One was to take a helicopter ride and the second was to fly in a sailplane. He already had his helicopter ride and today he got his sailplane ride. It was a birthday gift from Kenny and Kathy. Dave hasn’t stopped smiling since his ride. I was going to stay home and rest my knee but Dave and Kenny talked me into going to watch and I am glad I went. Kathy went with us too. They had nice furniture in the airport so I was able to prop up my leg. It was a perfect day for a sailplane ride… Pictures are below this journal entry… I washed a load of laundry, fixed supper, and gave the flowers in the back yard a dose of miracle gro… Jeanne in Hawaii called and left a message while we were gone to let me know Laura in Tennessee was in chat. I am sorry I missed her… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com




Dave in Sail Plane


Friday, July 06, 2007

When I got up this morning my left knee went out on me and I was thinking that was my good knee. Guess I don’t have a good one anymore. Dave wrapped it in an ace bandage and I spent the biggest part of the day resting it… David and Richard called. David and Lori took Chris, Jenny, and their four grandchildren to visit their Uncle Richard in Smithville, Tennessee… I hosted chat tonight, I get so much support from my DASNI friends… Goodnight all… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Tomorrow morning Dave will go in for the PET scan and Monday he will have his surgery… I have been trying to keep busy. I fixed lunch, hosted chat, did laundry, made fresh nectar for the hummingbirds, and watched a movie… Tonight I will host chat for Dr. Mitch. This month Dr. Mitch will have Patricia Grimsley (aka Mima) join us again. Her topic wil be:Nutrition, part II. Supplements and food sources for persons with dementia. The focus of part I was mostly on food/nutrition. This month will focus more on the benefits of supplements, to help with both cognition and emotional well being… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy 4th of July!!! Dave helped me clean house today and that makes me feel so much better. I love a clean house with no clutter… I watched a movie this afternoon “Pursuit of Happiness.” About half through the movie it went blank and the rest of the movie I only got sound. GRRRR… Kathy came down this evening and brought okra and cucumber from the garden… David, Joyce, Richard, and Howard called… Dave and I enjoyed the neighborhood fireworks tonight… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

We spent the biggest part of the day at Tinker Air Force Base. Getting our prescriptions filled and groceries… I helped put groceries away and fixed supper… Jeanne and David called… I tried to host the evening chat but I was having computer problems and an anxiety attack… Dave and I are both very tired tonight…. Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, July 02, 2007

Thanks Diane in Australia for leaving me a comment…
Last night when I went to chat Alan in New Zealand was host and Laura in Tennessee was there. What a surprise to see my very first online friend in chat… I woke up feeling overwhelmed. The house was a mess, how can two people make such a mess or dirty so many clothes. I did six loads of laundry and cleaned the bathroom… I am still having anxiety attacks. Maybe they will go away once Dave has his surgery and we find out the radiation works. When I talked to my doctor about Dave she asked me if they had done a PET scan. When I said No, she ordered one and the hospital called today and he is scheduled for a head to toe PET scan on Friday… I hosted the afternoon and evening chat and we had two new people with dementia. One was in England and the other in Florida… I picked our first red tomato… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma
My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com

Sunday, July 01, 2007

A new month and it is still raining, 19 days now… I attended church services on TV this morning and it felt good… I fixed us a good lunch then we got ready to go to the mall. I got new towels for our master bathroom… Then we went to the Crossing Community Church; they were having a Celebration of FREEDOM. We were so glad that we went. They honored all the military. I was so proud to be there with my man who put 21 years in the Air Force. I got tears in my eyes several times. Fritz Klein was there. He has been portraying Abe Lincoln since 1976 and did a great job of doing so. Also David Phelps was there. I have been watching David Phelps on the Gathers for some time. He is one terrific singer… We stopped at Sonic and had our supper and while we were there we saw a rainbow. I called George and Carol and Chip. David and Lori called… Kathy came down tonight with some vegetables she picked from the garden… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma
My email: marylockhart@atlinkwifi.com