‘Balloon Boy’ Dad Gets 90 Days In Jail; 4 Years Probation; Lighter Terms For Mom

Based upon the excessive manpower and the money needed to "save the boy", I voted that the sentence was too light. More info and to vote………

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2009/12/coming_up_sentencing_of_balloo.html?sc=nl&cc=brk-20091223-1238

And, yes, I’ve been lax in blogging. I plan to comment and to try to clarify Lynn McGaha’s recent thought provoking comment as well.

Now I Have 2 Types of Dementia

No, I’m not bragging. I had my 6-month visit with the neurologist on Friday down in Pittsburgh. Even though it was only 20 degrees, it was a nice 2-hr sunny drive. On the way back, we stopped at Pam’s sister’s for a late lunch.

It was quite an interesting visit. Since I was the last patient for the morning, he was more relaxed than usual. And, of course, friendly, as usual. He spent more time than usual discussing and explaining about dementia.

Since I’ve been feeling quite well recently (I told him about the bad 6-8 week spell I had in August), I’ve found myself going into denial again. Thinking that I have been misdiagnosed and that I really don’t have any type of dementia and that its all psychological.

He once again showed me the results of the SPECT scan which I had a little over 1 year ago. He reviewed it and explained it to me. I’ve looked all over the web for SPECT scan pictures. I was not able to find one that looked exactly like mine. But I did find some which show relatively normal and abnormal results.

 

 

                             Relatively Normal                          Abnormal

On SPECT scans, the colors which are pink, red, orange, yellow are the normal areas. Those which are blue and green are abnormal. The above scans are taken from a different cross section from mine, so they do not represent the same pathology as mine. I posted these just to show the contrast in colors.  

Very baffling to me. How can I be functioning at a relatively high level and have such highly abnormal scans? The majority of my pics were green and blue with a scattering of red, orange and yellow, consistent with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). He explained to me that individuals with FTD are highly intelligent with a high cognitive reserve which allow them to function in a relatively normal way and not always noticed by others as having anything wrong. He also said that I have the "slow" type which will allow me to go much further in life before becoming totally impaired. (Funny. I’ve never seen myself as all that intelligent. I was what I was and just took it for granted.)

He’s very pleased with the Aricept—Namenda combination and doesn’t want to change the dosages or combination. He also smiled and said that if I wanted to I could now go out and work.

"You’ll never be able to go back and function as a physician, but you could get a factory job or any other type of job which doesn’t involve the complexities of thinking required by a physician."

Now then. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Able to work again? That has to be some kind of a miracle, I told myself! But I’ll gladly accept it.

Needless to say, my mind has been racing with all kinds of things I’d like to do vs. what I could actually do given our residential location and driving conditions.

I did check online with the CA disability retirement plan which says that I can work as long as the salary + retirement benefits don’t exceed the amount which I made when I worked full time. Another unbelievable moment. I’m actually going to call them and discuss it on the telephone to make sure I’m not just seeing things.

Needless to say, I am excited. I’ve already started to look online for local job possibilities.

I just wish Pam could feel better and get the same kind of good news from her Docs as well. She’s been done with the pain, dizziness and trouble moving her arm and shoulder. She sees the "brain" neurosurgeon this Friday in Pittsburgh. Then we’ll also follow through with seeing the orthopedic surgeon, the physiatrist and physical therapy.

Some sad news though. I just spoke with a dear family-like friend whose husband suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease. He has now progressed to the point where he literally doesn’t know what "up" and "down" are. She’s finally worn down to the point of anxiety and depression. I gave her some recommendations to take to her PCP which I hope will help. Gil has the same neurologist that I do. He feels that Gil will need to be placed in a facility by this summer. Dorie doesn’t feel that they’ll be able to make it that long. I feel very sad about it. Life is just not fair.

Enough rambling for today. Going to watch some football…

 

Warmly………David

NEVER List for Caregivers

I’m not sure where I read this. Perhaps it was from an email, from  one of the comments on the blog or from a forum. However, it is worth repeating. I take no credit for it.

"As a caregiver I know first hand how important it is to avoid aggravating, agitating, confusing or making demands on my loved one.  The lbd forum is a good place for more insights." 

I repeat the NEVER list from that source.

1. Never "argue", instead "agree"

2. Never "reason", instead "divert"

3. Never "shame", instead "distract"

4. Never "lecture", instead "reassure"

5. Never "remember", instead "reminisce"

6. Never "I told you", instead "repeat"

7. Never "you can’t", instead "do what you can"

8. Never "command or demand", instead "ask or maybe"

9. Never "condescend", instead "encourage or praise"

10. Never "force", instead "reinforce"

John 15:5,8 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) . All Rights Reserved.

Warmly………….David

Wandering VS. Getting Lost in Individuals with Dementia

The Alzheimer’s Association reports that of the estimated 5.3 million Americans living with the AD, six out of 10 will wander from their homes or care giving facilities at some point during their illness.

Read more…

 

Warmly………..David

A Review of Vitamin C. — Are you taking enough?

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin. Unlike most mammals and other animals, humans do not have the ability to make their own vitamin C. Therefore, we must obtain vitamin C through our diet. Since it is water soluble and quickly secreted through the urine, vitamin C supplements are more effective if divided into a minimum of twice daily. Dividing the dosages into 4-6 hour increments is even better.

Vitamin C is required for the synthesis of collagen, an important structural component of blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and bone. Vitamin C also plays an important role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter, norepinephrine. Neurotransmitters are critical to brain function and are known to affect mood. Research also suggests that vitamin C is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol to bile acids (components of bile, which are formed by the metabolism of cholesterol, and aid in the digestion of fats), which may have implications for blood cholesterol levels and the incidence of gallstones.

Severe vitamin C deficiency has been known for many centuries as the potentially fatal disease, scurvy. Symptoms of scurvy include bleeding and bruising easily, hair and tooth loss, and joint pain and swelling. Such symptoms appear to be related to the weakening of blood vessels, connective tissue, and bone, which all contain collagen.

Disease Prevention

• Vitamin C is useful in wound healing of all types. From cuts and broken bones to burns and recovery from surgical wounds, vitamin C taken orally helps wounds to heal faster and better. Applied topically, vitamin C may protect the skin from free radical damage after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• Common cold
• Allergies
• Role in Immunity
• Cataracts
• Coronary Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Hypertension
• Cancer
• Gout
• Lead toxicity
• Diabetes Mellitus

As shown in the table below, different fruits and vegetables vary in their vitamin C content, but five servings (2½ cups) of fruits and vegetables should average out to about 200 mg of vitamin C.

Food	Serving	Vitamin C (mg)
Orange juice	¾ cup (6 ounces)	62-93
Grapefruit juice	¾ cup (6 ounces)	62-70
Orange	1 medium	70
Grapefruit	½ medium	38
Strawberries	1 cup, whole	85
Tomato	1 medium	16
Sweet red pepper	½ cup, raw chopped	95
Broccoli	½ cup, cooked	51
Potato	1 medium, baked	17

Supplements

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is available in many forms, but there is little scientific evidence that any one form is better absorbed or more effective than another. Most experimental and clinical research uses ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate.

Natural vs. synthetic vitamin C

Natural and synthetic L-ascorbic acid are chemically identical and there are no known differences in their biological activities.

Mineral ascorbates

Mineral salts of ascorbic acid are buffered and, therefore, less acidic than ascorbic acid. Some people find them less irritating to the gastrointestinal tract than ascorbic acid. Sodium ascorbate and calcium ascorbate are the most common forms, although a number of other mineral ascorbates are available. Sodium ascorbate generally provides 131 mg of sodium per 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid, and pure calcium ascorbate provides 114 mg of calcium per 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid.

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids are a class of water-soluble plant pigments that are often found in vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits. There is little evidence that the bioflavonoids in most commercial preparations increase the bioavailability or efficacy of vitamin C.

Ascorbate and vitamin C metabolites

One supplement, Ester-C^® contains mainly calcium ascorbate, but also contains small amounts of the vitamin C metabolites dehydroascorbate (oxidized ascorbic acid), calcium threonate, and trace levels of xylonate and lyxonate). Don’t try to remember these. Although the metabolites are supposed to increase the bioavailability of vitamin C, the only published study in humans addressing this issue found no difference between Ester-C^® and commercially available ascorbic acid tablets with respect to the absorption and urinary excretion of vitamin C. Ester-C^® should not be confused with ascorbyl palmitate, which is also marketed as "vitamin C ester."

Ascorbyl palmitate

Ascorbyl palmitate is actually a vitamin C ester (i.e., vitamin C that has been esterified to a fatty acid). In this case, vitamin C is esterified to the saturated fatty acid, palmitic acid, resulting in a fat-soluble form of vitamin C. Ascorbyl palmitate has been added to a number of skin creams due to interest in its antioxidant properties as well as its importance in collagen synthesis. Although ascorbyl palmitate is also available as an oral supplement, it is likely that most of it is hydrolyzed (broken apart) to ascorbic acid and palmitic acid in the digestive tract before it is absorbed. Ascorbyl palmitate is also marketed as "vitamin C ester," which should not be confused with Ester-C^® (see above).

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for Vitamin C
Age Group	UL (mg/day)
Infants 0-12 months	Not possible to establish*
Children 1-3 years	400
Children 4-8 years	650
Children 9-13 years	1,200
Adolescents 14-18 years	1,800
Adults 19 years and older	2,000

*Source of intake should be from foods or formula only.

 

Linus Pauling Institute Recommendations

For healthy men and women, the Linus Pauling Institute recommends a vitamin C intake of at least 400 mg daily—the amount that has been found to fully saturate plasma and circulating cells with vitamin C in young, healthy nonsmokers. Consuming at least five servings (2½ cups) of fruits and vegetables daily provides about 200 mg of vitamin C. Most multivitamin supplements provide 60 mg of vitamin C. To make sure you meet the Institute’s recommendation, supplemental vitamin C in two separate 250-mg doses taken in the morning and evening is recommended.

Older adults (65 years and older)

It is not yet known with certainty whether older adults have higher requirements for vitamin C than younger people. A vitamin C intake of at least 400 mg daily may be particularly important for older adults who are at higher risk for chronic diseases. Because maximizing blood levels of vitamin C may be important in protection against oxidative damage to cells and biological molecules, a vitamin C intake of at least 400 mg daily is particularly important for older adults who are at higher risk for chronic diseases caused, in part, by oxidative damage, such as heart disease, stroke, certain cancers, and cataracts.

Warmly………….David