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.

Monday, January 31, 2011

I was woke up early this morning with a phone call from the terminate inspector. He came to do our annually termite inspection… I did laundry, fixed lunch, and went to chat. It was good having Lynne back in chat today… We are expecting ice and 11 inches of snow and winds up to 50 mph tonight and tomorrow. I am not looking forward to that. Our neighbors, Billie and Sean called to see if we needed anything from the grocery store. It sure is nice having neighbors who check on us… Brenda, the nurse’s aide came to visit me and she changed the sheets on our bed and put the flannel sheets back on… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, January 30, 2011

You won’t hear me bragging about our weather today… Church this morning and then watched “Doctor Zhivago” again.., I did laundry, went to chat, and later we went to Kenny and Kathy’s for a pot roast supper. It was yummy. Thanks Kathy for a great meal… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, January 29, 2011

I didn’t sleep well last night and I am blaming it on the steroid shot I got yesterday. It seems to do that to me. But the foot is feeling better… We are at 74 degrees today. I wish it would be like this all the time. We are to get a winter storm next week with ice and snow… I ran the dust mop, fixed lunch, and chatted with my online friends… Dave went with Kenny and Kathy to a gun show today… We are going to Kenny and Kathy’s later so the guys can shoot their guns and I will visit with Kathy and then we will go for ice cream in Guthrie… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, January 28, 2011

This morning I went to see the foot doctor again. He gave me a steroid injection in the hurt area of my foot. He said I not only have a sprained foot but also have tendonitis. This is in my good foot. The other foot has a Desmoid tumor in it… We left the doctors and went to visit some old friends. Jim, Dorothy, and Merry their daughter. Jim and Dorothy are 90 years old and they have been married for 69 years. They were happy to see us. I feel bad that we have waited so long to visit them. We are going to try and do better… I have to tell you about our beautiful weather in the middle 70’s. Dave watered all the trees and shrubs and filled the bird feeders… Josh came to spend the day with us and I watched a movie with him “Inception”… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, January 27, 2011

I didn’t post a blog last night because I was busy having a big Pity Party. With the Asthma and having to use the rescue inhaler twice a day, my lower back was hurting really bad and then the sprained foot. Not to mention I have Alzheimer’s. I know there are a lot of people worse off than me but last night it was all about me… Today is a much better day. Thank you God… I ran the dust mop, cleaned bathroom, took care of the house plants, and did laundry… Brenda, the nurse’s aide and Brender, the nurse came to visit me this afternoon… Lori had surgery this morning and doctor said it all went well. I hope she has a fast recovery… Good Night All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

I slept well last night on the new mattress and I didn’t even toss and turn like I usually do to fall asleep… This morning I had an appointment with the foot doctor. He said I have a sprained foot. I didn’t know what was wrong with my foot but I knew it hurt. He said he could put me in a brace but he said it would be very uncomfortable. I will go back Friday and he will give me a cortisone shot. I don’t understand why he didn’t do it today. He said it was something to do with insurance… We left the doctors and went to Tinker Air Force Base Pharmacy. We picked up a couple sacks of medicines. Then we went to the commissary. They didn’t have my green tea so we made another stop at Buy For Less to get the green tea… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, January 24, 2011

Our new beds were delivered this morning; we got two twin extra long. We already had the adjustable frames… Brenda, the nurse’s aide came and put fresh sheets on the new beds… I did laundry, chatted with friends, and fixed supper… Our water is very very hard here. So we had a guy from Advance Water Solutions come to talk to us about whole house reverse osmosis. We are still undecided on what we are going to do… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, January 23, 2011

I watched church services this morning and then watched a couple of old movies… Dave went to Kenny’s and I stayed home so I could do the laundry and chat with my friends… Now we are watching a football game… Good Night All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Last night Dave went for a sleep study in Edmond. So I was alone all night. I wasn’t afraid because I had our four dogs. He doesn’t have any results from the sleep study yet… Today after chat we went into town to look at mattresses. We found one we liked and they will deliver it on Monday. After that we went to get groceries… I am tired and my back has been hurting really bad. I have to have an ice pack to it each night before I can fall asleep… I called Lynne and she said they had a shower for them today and they got about everything you could imagine and some cash too… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, January 21, 2011

Josh came this morning and spent the day with us. Josh washed all my white woodwork for me. What a fine grandson he is… I visited with Josh and went to chat. Most all of my friends were in the chat room today. Jeanne and Vern have a new puppy named Mele. Jeanne says she is so smart… I was on the phone today taking care of business. Once I was on hold and got cut off. That didn’t make me very happy… Rosselyn, the nurse came to see me today… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Thank you Gayle, for leaving me a comment here on my blog... I slept late this morning and we woke up to icy roads and a little snow I am happy to say we didn’t have any place we had to go today… I cleaned the bathrooms, did two loads of laundry and got them all folded and put away, ran the dust mop, fixed lunch, and chatted with my friends… Bill called… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

We woke up early and got ready for our trip to Iowa Park, Texas. It was a good day for traveling. We arrived there at 11:00. Lynne and I sat in our car and visited while Dave was visiting with Larry. The fire inspector was there going through all their stuff and that took a very long time. Then later went out to eat at Cracker Barrel… Lynne was happy to get the laptop we took her… We got home at 7:00 and it is good to be back home… The dogs were good while we were gone. They kept their legs crossed the whole time… We are tired but had a great day… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Happy Birthday Andrea!!! Andrea is our niece in West Virginia… I went to chat today and fixed supper and that was about it. I am so lazy sometimes… I watched a beautiful sunset tonight. I wish all of you could have seen it… Tomorrow we are taking a laptop to my friend Lynne. I can’t imagine being without a computer. Lynne is like me, suffering from dementia. She lost her computer in a fire… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, January 17, 2011

Brenda, the nurse’s aide came to visit me this morning… I did laundry, fixed lunch, went to chat, and fixed supper… I called Larry to see how he and Lynne were doing. For now they are staying in a motel… I was back to calling AT&T again. We continue to get those calls in the middle of the night. GRRRR… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Happy Birthday Jim!!! Jim is our friend in Chandler, Oklahoma… This morning I attended church services on television… Then I watched several movies, went to chat, and fixed our lunch and supper… I made rice krispies treats and they were yummy… Now I am going to watch Golden Globe Awards… I just heard from a close friend that our friends, Larry and Lynne had a fire at their house and have lost everything. They and their pets are fine and for now are staying with neighbors... Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Happy Birthday Judy!!! Judy is Dave’s sister in North Carolina… Happy Birthday Jeanne!!! Jeanne is our friend in Hawaii…
Kenny picked up Dave this morning and took him to Wiley Post Airport so Dave could fly a Piper Cherokee 140 plane. Dave hadn’t flown in a long time. The instructor said he really did well… I stayed home all day waiting on the nurse to come. Tammy, the nurse finally came about 5:30 and gave me a Vitamin B/12 shot. I sure needed it… Dave and I fixed a big supper tonight and we will have leftovers tomorrow… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, January 14, 2011

We are getting warmer; it was up to 53 degrees today…
I was rushing around this morning getting ready for the maid’s visit… Brenda, the aide came to see me and changed the sheets on our bed… I went to chat, did a load of laundry, and fixed supper… I called Lynn, Jan/Mina and Sharon. Sharon is Chip’s widow who recently got engaged. I am very happy for her… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, January 13, 2011

We made it up to 43 degrees today… I had a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Wilbanks this afternoon. I have Diverticulitis and he took a urine specimen to see if I also have UTI. He prescribed Cipro for me and we picked it up at the pharmacy in Piedmont. I also have something wrong with my good foot. The doctor is referring me to a Podiatrist… I did three loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, and fixed supper… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Dave had an appointment this morning and had to get out in the cold weather. It was 10 degrees this morning. I stayed under the covers… I went to chat, made a pot of chili, and did a load of laundry… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We had a chill factor of below zero this morning and I had to get out in it. I had an appointment for a pulmonary function test and then after that I had an appointment with Dr. Fixley. We had about an hour and half to kill between appointments so while we were there we went down and had lunch at the Heart Hospital. It was very good… While I was waiting for my test some lady came up for her appointment and she was told that her appointment was tomorrow. I remember doing things like that… Brenda, the nurse’s aide was here waiting for me when we got home… That cold dry air sure is hard on someone with Asthma…. Dave fixed our supper while I rested… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, January 10, 2011

This morning Dave and I watched the inauguration of our first lady governor, Mary Fallin. It was a freezing cold day but they still did it outside… We went into Piedmont for an interview at the Piedmont Gazette. They are doing stories for Valentine’s Day on people who have been married over 50 years… I fixed supper and watched a movie “Rebel Without a Cause” … Now I am going to watch “The Bachelor” … Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Happy Birthday Ruth Ann!!! Ruth Ann is a cousin in Logansport, Indiana… This morning I attended church services and then watched a few movies… I got all the laundry done and warmed up leftovers for supper… Tonight the ice cream truck came and took us for an ice cream. It is freezing cold outside but it is never too cold for ice cream… Norita called… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Happy Birthday Aralee!!! Aralee is a long time school friend who lives in Texas…
Today I have been watching John Wayne movies… I went to chat, fixed our lunch, and supper with some help from Dave… I feel lazy today… Sad about the shooting in Arizona today… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Friday, January 07, 2011

Karen, thank you for leaving me a comment here on my blog… Brenda, the nurse’s aide came to visit me today… We had a new lady in our DASNI chat room today. She was only in her 40’s and has this lonely disease Alzheimer’s… I fixed lunch, took a power nap, and then I fixed supper… It was another day in the 50’s. But those temperatures will soon be gone… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Happy Birthday Matthew!!! Mathew is our great grandson in Kentucky… I made potato soup for our lunch. Then we got ready to go to Tinker Air Force Base. I hadn’t gone with Dave out there in several months so today I decided to go with him. It was another beautiful day… We made a stop and had the oil changed in the car then off to Tinker we went. We went to the pharmacy, Credit Union, BX, and Commissary. When we got home I helped put groceries away and fixed a quick supper. I am really tired tonight. That trip always makes me tired… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

We have had a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, temperatures in the 50’s and very little wind. Not many times can I say we have very little wind… I went with Dave for a doctor’s appointment with Dr. Mosca, the doctor who did his kidney surgery almost five years ago. Dr. Mosca looked into Dave’s bladder and he said it looked good. We were so thankful to hear that. We got to meet Dr. Mosca’s new therapy dog,.. Dave and I got a haircut and I got my nails done. We went out to lunch at Wendy’s… I fixed supper… Dave watered our shrubs and trees… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Last night we had another phone call come in at 1:30 AM so I was back on the phone calling AT&T today. I was on the phone for one hour then it was time for chat so I turned the phone over to Dave and he was on for another half hour. I pray this time it is taken care of. I am so tired of not getting a good night’s sleep… Brenda, the aide came this morning and she did some light housekeeping and this afternoon Brender, the RN came… I changed the sheets on our bed and did laundry… Jeanne in Hawaii returned from her cruise and was back in chat today. It was sure great having her back… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Monday, January 03, 2011

Dave gave all four dogs a bath this morning and I washed their beds. I cleaned the bathroom, ran the dust mop, and fixed supper… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Sunday, January 02, 2011

This morning I barely woke up in time for church services. We had another call come in at 1:30 this morning. It was another one of those calls that showed up on caller ID as our number calling. So this afternoon I was back to calling ATT and telling them about it. Hopefully they fixed it this time. When a call comes in at that time in the morning I have a hard time getting back to sleep… Last night the OU Sooners won their game. Dave and I watched it… Kenny and Kathy came over last night and Kenny came back today… I went to chat and pushed myself into doing a load of laundry and fixed lunch and supper… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Happy New Year!!!
Thanks to Gayle and Karen for leaving comments here on my blog…
This morning I watched the Roses Parade… I chatted with my online friends and the rest of the day I watched movies… Dave fixed a delicious supper with a little help from me. We had ham, black eye peas, cabbage and corn muffins… Goodnight All… Keeping The Faith In Oklahoma