13th FEBRUARY 2008

The medical report is finally out. When I opened the envelope to reveal the contents, I was unable to believe what I saw.

Mum has been tested positive for Alzheimer disease.

At first, I couldn’t believe that it was true; Mum had always appeared to be healthy, how is it possible that she has Alzheimer disease. I mean, yes she's forgetful at times, but wasn't it all probably due to stress and tiredness? At first, I was hoping that there were errors in the medical lab reports.

Doctor Ron explained to us the effects of the Alzheimer disease. He told us that it was the most common cause of dementia, afflicting 24 million people worldwide. Alzheimer's is a progressive and terminal disease for which there is currently no cure. How could there be no cure? I believe there will be a cure for mum in this world. If I pray hard enough, maybe God will hear me and grant me my wish. I’d give anything for God to take away this terrible disease from my Mum. He also told use that in its early stages, short-term memory loss is the most common symptom. It’s just as what Mum has experienced the past few weeks, I had initially thought that it was caused by aging or stress, but I realized she forgot things that happened not long ago more frequently as time went past. Later symptoms include confusion, anger, mood swings, language breakdown, long-term memory loss, and the general withdrawal of the sufferer as his or her senses decline. Gradually the sufferer loses minor, and then major bodily functions, until death occurs. What would happen to the Mum I know now, will she change due to this disease? Will she still care for me? Will she even be able to remember my birthday? Or will she even eventually forget my name?

Within the conversation with Doctor Ron, what struck me most was that no treatment has been found to stop or reverse the disease, and it is not known whether current treatments slow the progression, or simply manage the symptoms. If only I had known, I would’ve encouraged Mum to practice preventative measures against Alzheimer's disease. Such as mental stimulation, exercise and a balanced diet, they are both a possible prevention and a sensible way of managing the disease. It’s my fault; I should’ve taken better care of mum. Now that I am aware of her condition, I’ll ensure that she practices them in order to manage the disease and prevent it from worsening.

However, Doctor Ron has warned me that Mum’s condition may still worsen in time to come and due to the incurable and debilitating nature of the disease, care-management of Alzheimer's is essential therefore I must be prepared to provide care and concern for her and be mentally prepared...

(by Kelly Tan)

posted @ 7:47 PM

Banging!

`When I saw her
laying in her bed
Fragile as a child
Pale just like an
angel taking flight
I held her as I cried

DigThis!

i want you back...
Ownership of Lily

FollowThis!
rule #1 : R
rule #2 : E
rule #3 : S
rule #4 : P
rule #5 : E
rule #6 : C
rule #7 : T

KnowMe!

my name is Lily
i am 24 years old
i live in singapore
with my 54 year old mother
i love my mother alot...

iWISH!

mummy would get well
and our family can be happy
just like...
once upon a time...

MoveAlong!

wikipedia google alzheimers organization

myPAST

! <$BlogArchiveName$>

credits!

bg&pic: zhenzhen
layout: bev