Alzheimer's Disease Support Group
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration with declining activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. An early symptom is memory loss (amnesia), usually manifesting as minor forgetfulness that becomes pronounced with illness progression, with relative...
Almost all articles refer to life expectancy is 8-12 years from diagnosis. BUT my husband has PTSD and Alzheimer's so I am not sure how that applies, he was diagnosed with PTSD in 1999 but not the Alz until 2008. My gut is that the Alz started long before but was masked by the similarities in symptoms between the two diseases. I'm sure that I am not the only one who thinks these thoughts, sometimes I find myself looking up the life expectancy and thinking, "Okay, I only have this far to go.." but then I start to cry because I think that he will then really be gone, like right now. It is such a weird combination of feelings.
I have the same back and forth awful mixture of feelings. For a while I was obsessed with the question of if he could actually die with a pacemaker...feeling horribly guilty each time I realized what I was thinking.
This aspect of this miserable monster has to be one of the worst, although truly almost every aspect is the worst....
Every day I wonder how long will my mom live. At 90 she is outliving her money, she's had a full life. I calculate out if she lives 10 more years to be 100 what will we do. I feel so bad thinking like that. It feels so selfish. I wonder how bad will she get and will I be able to deal that much longer. Where has my life gone?
Recently the doctor announced my mom is now in late state and comfort care now something we talk about, as if I didn't know that long before seeing him. But I also know this could last years and years. She's still healthy, just her mind slipping away.
It must be this way for any kind of chronic illness...when there is no cure, knowledge it won't go away yet will get worse. It's such a long grieving period, never ending.
OMG.....give me strength.