Update on Dad

I haven't written lately about how dad is doing and thought I would give you a quick report.  Overall he is doing well and his anxiety level has decreased significantly which is good for both of us.  His health is good and although we have a neurologist appointment coming up on Tuesday and another appointment with a dermatologist the following week, all is well.  The neurologist appointment is just to monitor his seizure meds which seem to be working really well.  No more seizures so far!  The dermatologist appointment is to check a small growth on his face.  It seems to be getting a little bigger and a little red around the bump.  I often see him rubbing it and I worry that it may be a little sore.

Our typical day has involved a short trip where he takes his daily walk and then we run a few errands and then about 3 p.m. he would start getting agitated so we would go for another drive.  On Sunday we went to church and came home and never left the house the rest of the day.  Since then he hasn't wanted to go any where in the afternoon.  I love that but yesterday I needed to go to the store and when I told him we needed to go out he wasn't very happy with me!  I did convince him to come with me when I told him we could get an ice cream at McD's!  His memory is definitely in decline and today I understood a warning they have talked about in the various stages of the disease.   We went into Winco to get a few things and I needed to use the bathroom.  I took him over to a bench that was just outside of the women's bathroom and told him to stay there while I used the bathroom. When I came out a few minutes later he was gone.  I looked around and caught a glimpse of him leaving the store!  I hurried after him and thankfully he was behind an older gentleman who was walking slow.   If I hadn't seen him go out the door I may have gone back into the grocery area and I don't know what he would have done then.  Bill and Bev bought him a med-alert wrist band and I haven't had him wear it unless we were going out of town but now I will have him put it on whenever we leave the house just in case he does wander off.  Another interesting new thing is that two days in the last week he complained that he was wet. He was wet enough that I thought me must have spilled something but in further checking he was sweating like crazy!  He was just sitting on the couch so nothing would explain it.  It happened again today so I went online and sure enough Alzheimer patients can have a condition that causes extreme perspiration.  Who would have thought of that!