I write my blog posts around three topics: Mental Illness, LGBTQ and addiction. Those are three areas of my life that challenge me. Last week I added a fourth: Major Neurocognitive Disorder, an umbrella term that replaces the stigma inducing term: dementia.
Receiving this diagnosis has been life changing. I’m still largely in denial, my brain unable or unwilling to process the extent of what this diagnosis means. My experience with memory loss has been based on my own experience with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the actions of my mother who was just starting to have memory issues before she died and my grandmother who had dementia. I’m seeking out answers through doctors and more tests. I’m being proactive. I ordered a medic alert bracelet and made an appointment with a memory care facility. I hopefully won’t need to deal with these things right away but this way I’m in control. I get to pick out where I go when Brittany can no longer care for me.
There isn’t a lot of information available for people who have dementia. Most books and articles deal with the caregiver for a dementia patient. So, I’m going to do my best to share my story for others who have to deal with this. I don’t know how long I’ll have before my brain becomes my enemy but I refuse to stop doing what I love to do: write.
This is scary. I’m struggling to remember I am a child of God and He will be with me along this tumultuous journey. But fortunately, this isn’t the last chapter, it’s one more reason to rely on God and share my story.
Photo by jesse orrico on Unsplash
Comments