| Hi: It's me, Betty Weiss. I wrote to you in March 1999, two months after my husband had OT surgery in Germany for Alzheimer's. His improvement continues to be remarkable. He is no longer incontinent! He goes alone to the bathroom like normal people. He now shaves and brushes his teeth except that I put the toothpaste on the brush and pour the mouthwash. He lost the Alzheimer's stoop in the hospital, he walks with his arms and feet moving normally, no more head bent shuffle. He hasn't fallen once since surgery and he did that a lot before. He rides and properly steers a normal two wheel bicycle!
The repetitive behavior is gone, no constant questions and repeating. Stiff arms and legs are gone, knees and elbows bend normally. He follows some dialogue and sports on TV, but crime and war news upset him, so that's avoided. He sleeps normally at night, back in our bed with me, he doesn't turn night into day. He also understands and laughs at subtle jokes.
He goes to adult day care four days a week, is well liked, flirts with the ladies and does well with physical games, spelling bees, answering general knowledge questions, but Bingo is still beyond him. He can dress and undress but he needs supervision, otherwise, he'd never get it done. He tells me how to drive, where to turn, how to park, I believe a true test of improvement.
Before he couldn't read, now he read simple things, headlines, street and store signs, simple books. He can't read complex text because his short term memory is still lagging a bit and you need that to remember each line. His eye contact and response to voices is normal. Eyes are clear, bright and alert. Before you'd think he was deaf and blind. He doesn't pick up
imaginary mites and shadows, doesn't talk to phantoms. He responds normally now to our dog and before he couldn't even pet her.
His voice is once again strong and firm. He'll even answer the telephone and he had stopped doing that long ago. His memory was fading before surgery, but now it is returning. He sometimes remembers that we have recently been someplace if we go back, will carry short-term memory for a few moments, but those times are still rare.
He no longer yells at me about being unfaithful, and that's a biggie! His words are still a bit garbled, but not nearly the way they were before. He is at ease in social situations except when people who knew he was involuntarily committed are surprised to see him. Then he gets emotional because he doesn't know why everyone is so concerned and happy, but he maintains his social stance properly. He has no memory of being in a care facility, the mental institution or the trip to Germany.
Certainly he's not normal, probably never will be. But just a year ago I had to place him in a care facility because I could no longer care for him. I was concerned for my own physical well-being and terribly sleep deprived. Now he lives at home and is easy to care for.
He continues to improve all the time. People say they see his old self 'coming out' and our children and I think we see a 'certain something' that is there, a something from the way he used to be.
Sometimes he is easily confused, talks about things that the rest of us don't see or understand, but mostly he's OK. We just have to wait and see what else the future brings. All his improvements did not happen at once, some took months, but it's been a blessing to have him healthy and back in our lives, to participate in family events and interact with all of us.
The man I hired for 24-hour care now only comes in during the day. I could do it all myself, but I am exhausted from all that has happened the past six years. Any caregiver will understand that!
Betty Weiss
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