A Patients Guide to Living with Alzhiemers and Other Dementias Tapa blanda - 2014

In another life I was a Captain in the Gulf of Mexico. I used my limited licence to obtain an unlimited able seaman and sailed around the world. I expected to rise quickly to officer rank but I started having trouble remembering things. I found I could no longer remember Morse code and other things started to slip. People I had sailed with for years suddenly were hard to name. I had a case of aphasia while talking to my wife that lasted twenty minutes, I could only laugh and say no, no. She was crying and begging me to tell her what was wrong. Finally I began havingshort periods of blindness while stering our ship. It was an ammo ship, the USNS Flint and I would start a count, one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi when it happened. I figured I would call for help if I got to ten Mississippi but I never got past seven so I didn't say anything. I did go to our medical officer and explained what was going on. we went through his medical books and could only find one diagnoses Early Onset Alzheimer's. I was acutally a little relieved, after all, my problems weren't my fault. I went to see my doctor in San Diego when we made port a few days later and that's when we found the tumor. After sucessful removal some of my symptoms went away but some became worse. I found the doctors did not know much about dementia, many would contradict each other and often both would be wrong. I learned to find doctors that knew what they were doing, but it took some looking. I also tried to find any thing I could read or watch about dementia. I found many books for caregivers but very few for patients. Finally I decided to write one myself. I use my own book for advice because I often don't remember it myself. I've made a good life here in Florida, I live in my old family home with my wife and a pet blue heron. We have made our love strong. I believe that is the real secret of life. Love, peace and contentment. I am a happy man.