Thursday, December 10, 2009

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh, My

We have progressed to an interesting but frightening stage with this disease. The hallucinations and delusions have begun. I read about them but nothing has prepared me for this. It started rather slowly, a comment about visitors in the house. "Where did everyone go?" I would at first argue that there was never anyone here and then finally resorted to... "They have all gone home." It seemed to satisfy him.

Then he began imagining visits from people. "They were here. I sat and had a conversation with them. Two young men came in and tried to take my money from me. I fought them off."

I put the Christmas tree up. The next night he informed me. "What a beautiful tree. Adele did a beautiful job, don't you agree?" I responded, "Yes, she did." He then asked me, "So how long have you been working for the company?" I said I was retired. He smiled and said, "That's nice. I wish Adele would retire. "

He imagines people and creatures darting in and out of the house. "Did you see that boy/cat ...he ran out so fast."

A few nights ago, he awakened me, "There is an alligator in the bathroom." I had placed a nightlight in the bathroom to make it easier for him to navigate at night. Perhaps, the shadows startled him. He got up agitated. I reassured him. I turned on the bathroom light. He said, "It moved. Did you see it?" I became upset and insisted there couldn't possibly be an alligator in our bathroom. Then I realized logic no longer works and I remembered what I used to do when my grandchildren were afraid of creatures in their room at night. I opened the window and shooed the alligator out.

The doctor has prescribed medication that should calm these episodes down. But I find this disease both frustrating and with some perverted curiosity of mine, fascinating. His brain is obviously short circuiting but are these delusions part of dreams that have become his reality? My husband is slipping away but I am ever watchful of his mind's demise and I want to learn as much as I can so that somehow that knowledge will serve others. Meanwhile, I am prepared to battle alligators and the like when they invade our home.

No comments: