And that's not all...

Andy began wondering if there wasn’t more going on than just the Alzheimer’s.  He was having significant tremors in his right hand, causing atrocious hand writing (yes, uglier than usual – ha, ha).  Then his teeth started chattering, and his legs were weak and shaky.  A friend thought he had Parkinson’s symptoms and we should get it checked out.

So I called his neuropsychologist and told him the symptoms Andy was having.  He said to make an appointment which we did.  When we got in to see him and he got checked, the doctor told us it was very good we came in.  He wanted us to make an appointment at Cooper Hospital for a DaT scan which is a fairly new test, only around for 6 months and in New Jersey, only available at Cooper.  The DaT scan shows conclusively whether a person has Parkinson’s or not. 

Well, last Tuesday, we were scheduled for this test.  We had to be at Cooper by 8:30 am.  Andy had to drink a liquid then wait an hour.  After the hour, he was free to go but had to be back at the hospital by 1:30 for the scan.  This was an interesting test because while having the scan, he was supposed to lie perfectly still.  For someone who has tremors, that is next to impossible.  So of course he moved in the first hour, and they had to re-do the test.  Fortunately, the test was ok the second time around.  And we were given the ok to go home.

Then we had to wait till Friday for our followup with the doctor to hear the results.  We were told Andy not only has Alzheimer’s, he also has Parkinson’s.  So now what?  The doctor told us the U of Penn is doing a Parkinson’s study and if we wanted to, we could see if we could get in.  So we’re in process of seeing if we qualify for that and if there are still openings.

After we got over the shock of Friday’s news, we enjoyed the rest of the weekend.

On Saturday friends of ours picked us up and we drove up to Washington’s Crossing to hike along the Delaware Canal.  It was a delightful fall day.  The sun was shining and it wasn’t too cold.  Believe it or not, we hiked 2 miles up and 2 miles back.  I couldn’t believe Andy was doing so well.  A couple of weeks ago, he couldn’t even go 1 mile without taking some time to rest because of the weakness and shakiness in his legs.

After our hike, we stopped for lunch.  It was a “dive” of a restaurant but the food was delicious.  We sat at a table near a window that rattled and shook every time the front door was opened.  It rattled and banged so much, it felt like it was going to fall over on us.  It was scary enough that we moved to a different table!  Oh, the memories we made!

On Sunday morning, we got a call from this same couple who said they had tickets to see the play, Pride and Prejudice, at the BristolTheater.  They had bought 4 tickets for themselves and their daughter and son-in-law.  We had been telling them the day before how much we love that story, so when their daughter called to say she had sick kids and couldn’t go, they thought of us.  What a treat!  It was a delightful play and we enjoyed it immensely.

I've been thinking about Job and his wife.  We've always been pretty critical of her because of her advice to Job.  But now that my own husband is suffering, I can understand her frustration.  I still don't think she was right, but I can understand.  I don't like to see Andy suffer, either, but I prefer Job's response then, ("the Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord"), as well as later in chapter 13 ("though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him").  

I am also inspired and encouraged by the response Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego gave to King Nebuchadnezzar when they were ordered to bow down to the image.  They told him:  "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  

I hope and pray that I would have that same resolve and courage in the face of overwhelming circumstances. No matter how much hardship comes my way, I want to trust that God can save me from it.  But even if He doesn't, I will continue to trust Him.

Poor and Needy

"Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy." Psalm 86:1

Fifteen years ago, I decided I needed to more proactively memorize Scripture.  I am so glad I followed through on that because there's nothing like God's Word to comfort and encourage when you are facing hard times.  The first full chapter I memorized way back then was Psalm 86.  Every night, I say the psalm to myself as I'm falling asleep.  Sometimes I get through the whole psalm, but often I just make it to the first verse.  I do feel very poor and needy but thankfully, the psalm goes on to describe how it is that we can call on God in our neediness.  He hears our cry in the day of trouble (verse 6), there is no one like Him and no deeds compare with His (verse 8).  He is great and does marvelous deeds (verse 10).  His love is great toward me and he has delivered me from the depths of the grave (verse 13).  He is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness (verse 15).  And verse 17:  "Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord have helped me and comforted me."

God has given me many signs of His goodness and he has helped and comforted me.  Let me give a couple specific examples.

A number of weeks ago, someone called me to tell me that God had awakened her in the middle of the night and impressed on her that she should give Andy and me a check for a very specific amount.  She said she was going to send the check to us and we were not to return it because God had told her to do this.  The check came a day or so later and I was shocked to see the amount for $740.00.  I wasn't sure what to do with it, but decided to just stick it in the bank in a designated category for our health expenses.  When later that month, I was figuring out our visa statement and adding up all the co-pays, doctor visits, prescriptions and expenses related to health, I was so amazed to discover that the total came to $743.00.  Wow!  Talk about God giving us a sign of His goodness!

We feel God gave us our home and property that we enjoy, but with Andy's illness and my preoccupation with taking care of him, we haven't had the time or energy to take care of upkeep and maintenance recently.  We have so many beautiful trees on the property but with that beauty comes a lot of leaves to rake up in the fall.  Again, someone felt God was leading them to help us out and offered to come with their family and rake up all our leaves.  They came yesterday with their 4 children and raked for 4 hours.  It was a beautiful day and they seemed to really be having a good time outside doing all that work.  What a relief to have that job taken care of.

I confess that in spite of these and many more signs that God is taking care of us, this morning I was struggling with feelings of worry and fretting.  What is our future financial situation going to be like?  How quickly will Andy's illness progress?  How will I ever take care of him?  But God's Word comforts and helps.  Here are the verses that spoke to me today:

Psalm 32:7:  "You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

Psalm 62:1-2:  "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Yes, there is no doubt that I am poor and needy, but "God is my refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble."  (Psalm 46:1)  Fortunately, I don't need to depend on me but I trust in the One who knows the end from the beginning and gives careful attention to every detail. 

Naomi's & Claire's Birthdays

"Good things come to those who wait."  And Naomi had to wait a very long time to have her birthday overnight with us.  Her birthday in June was right in the middle of all the drama with Andy's sickness and myriads of doctor appointments, so we were unable to have her come over then. 

But now Andy is somewhat evened out, his depression seems to be under control, as well as the low grade infection he was dealing with.  This past week, we had no doctor appointments, so it seemed like a good time to host our little 8 year old.

I was able to leave work on Monday around 1:00 to go up and get her.  She was all packed and waiting outside the house when I drove in the driveway.  I think she was a little eager!

When we got home, she wanted Andy to teach her how to play solitaire on the computer.  He is still very good at that, winning every game.  He likes to check his statistics and is able to sit and ponder and patiently figure out each move in order to win the game.  So he patiently taught Naomi how to win solitaire.  And she got pretty good at it, too.

Her favorite dinner is chicken noodle soup.  She likes the way I make it (sorry, Mommy!), so I made that while she and Andy were playing games.  The grandkids also like my homemade rolls, and I like to keep them in the freezer for just such an occasion.

After supper, I taught her how to play Phase 10 - a favorite of Dawn and Amy's.  Naomi watches them play every time we're together along with Grace, as well.  So maybe next time, Naomi can join them.  She needs a little more practice in playing offensively, but she is getting the main idea, anyway.
 

Of course, at Grammy and PopPop's house, what is an overnight with us but watching a movie and having ice cream!  We watched The Cat from Outer Space, a Disney comedy and had a bowl of ice cream - um,yum.  After the movie, Naomi and I went upstairs to the attic room.  But before calling it a night, we had to read Uncle Remus stories till we both got tired.  I love hearing the giggles as Brer Rabbit outfoxes Brer Fox.

The next day the breakfast of choice was blueberry pancakes, then more Phase 10, Computer Solitaire and another movie.  This time we watched 101 Dalmatians.  I hadn't remembered the details of that movie, but it was so fun to see the good guys win and the bad guys, including Cruella DeVil, be outsmarted and outwitted by all the animals ganging up against them. 

We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, then back to our house for a few more games before heading out to take Naomi home again.  Having Naomi this week was good timing because Claire's birthday was Thursday so we could take her birthday present up with us.  We were able to visit with the family, then enjoy a delicious dinner that Christy had made and sing happy birthday to Claire. 

We're glad our grandkids like to come to our house because we like having them.  There's something about children that lightens the heart and gladdens the soul and helps keep a person young.

Blessings

Just because we are living with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s, our life isn’t over.  Far from it.  God has given us this life to enjoy and we are determined to do just that as long as there is still breath left in us.

It’s a beautiful time of year.  It seems like the leaves have been especially colorful or maybe I’m just more sensitive to the beauty of our world this year.  Andy and I are taking every opportunity to make excursions to the woods and revel in the loveliness of south Jersey’s woods. 

A week ago, the trees were still green leafed, but yesterday there was more yellow and less of them on the trees.  The weather was beautiful, perfect for hiking or just sitting on a bench to enjoy the day.

 

 

 

Another blessing we’re enjoying right now is our family.  While Andy is still relatively functional, let’s get together and party! 

On Saturday, Andy and I drove down to Dream Park in Gloucester County where the 3 oldest Lindsay kids were involved in an Alpaca Show.  The ride down and back was absolutely gorgeous with the sun shining off the different colors of fall leaves on the trees lining the highway. 

Then when we got there, how fun to watch the kids in their show and interact with C & C and Asher and Claire.  We thought it was ironic that the only boy in the show got the pink ribbon.  He was a good sport about it even though he wondered if his mom could dye it.

My personal opinion is that alpacas are one of the cutest animals.  After their show, they came back to our house and had dinner together.  Since it was so nice outside, the kids were able to play for a while outside.

Then on Sunday, Amy and Ricky came down with their kids and went to church with us.  That was a special treat to have them sit in the service with us.  After church, they came to the house and we had lunch together.  Amy had made chicken, bacon, rice soup and had also brought rolls and chocolate chip cookies from Shady Maple.  And again the weather was beautiful so the kids were able to play outside again.

Yesterday was another delightful fall day so as soon as I finished my house cleaning, off we went to Smithville Park for another hike. 

 

Who knows what the future holds?  But we don’t live there…we’re in the here and now and NOW is good!  So let's live it up!