Linda, Just from the research I've done, I believe mom is in Stage 5 of the Alzheimer's staging (1 to 7). She was "diagnosed" with Alz/-dementia two year's ago...at that time, she had an MRI, blood tests and a full psych exam by a pscych dr who specializes in dementia and Alz...after that evaluation, she diagnosed her at moderate stage. It was then that she was placed on Aricept, so she's been on Aricept for two years and the combination of Aricept and Namenda for about 1 1/2 years. You said your mom was fine...just curious...what do you mean by fine? I guess I'm confused because you said she was on Aricept... At this point, my mom does very little for herself. Probably easier to tell you what she can do rather than what she cannot. She gets out of bed herself, washes up and dresses (I have everything out for her in the bathroom...laid out exactly where she wants it to be). She goes to the bathroom herself and so far is continent - she's had a couple of accidents, but I think that's all they were, just accidents. She is able to swallow her medication and eat on her own (her meals are prepared for her and she is served and her pills are given to her). I've notice over the past few weeks she has a tough time using a knife and has at times resorted to using her fingers. I do help her to undress at night because she is SO TIRED and help her to bed. Walking is a problem because her balance is so bad; she has a walker to use around the house but she goes from wanting to use it to not wanting to even see it ("it makes me feel like an old lady!"). She is able to communicate, but not long conversations..just short thoughts... I think what I find the most difficult about caregiving is not taking care of Mom, but feeling that I'm all alone. My sisters are of little help and truth be told, my husband is not much of a help, although if you ask him, he thinks he is, so maybe it's a matter of perception, who knows. I find myself getting very depressed, but this comes and goes. What's been really bothering me lately is I just cannot understand why mom's friends and family have stopped calling and seeing her? I know it is very difficult to have a phone conversation with her; after all, she remembers nothing, but that doesn't mean they can't call and tell her about THEIR day...I don't know, maybe it's me...it's like everyone has written her off. I have thought about writing to her friends and somehow, very nicely, suggesting that they come by and have lunch with her or take her out to lunch or just come for a visit...I'd love some input on this...thanks, Mimi

For those following that have not seen her new post; link is below. Posted by emeraldisle624 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 11, 13 at 18:34 Hi everyone, I know I haven't posted much lately but I am here at least once a week seeing what you are all up to. I feel like I have been wishing the days away, trying to keep my mind busy and letting my body and medicine do it's thing. It's been a long 7 months since the endometrial cancer was first diagnosed. I had my 3rd and final d&c last week at MGH in Boston. Everything about the procedure went like clockwork, unlike the last time. I was the FIRST patient allowed into pre-op in what seemed like hundreds that showed up at 5:30am. The lobby at MGH was seriously like a bus terminal, never seen anything like it. I wasn't the first one to show up nor was I the first one to see the people in the surgery check-in lobby but somehow I got to be the first sent down to the nurses in pre-op and get a room/prepped for surgery (everyone else had been told to take a seat and they'd be called soon). Then I was the first one wheeled to surgery and then the first one discharged! I swear God was holding my hand and making things as easy for me as possible, I had an aura-type feeling about me all day. If it was just my imagination, it's ok I'll take it! I never saw or talked to my doctor, I think it was because everything was on schedule (or maybe even a bit early as my husband got the call at 8:30am that I was on my way to recovery) and they had me knocked out when she arrived. Breezed through recovery, out in record time just to go home and wait 7-10 days for the results. I had such anxiety leading up the surgery that my whole body hurt. I swear I hurt even more in this past week waiting, like I tensed up while sleeping or something. I didn't feel too stressed during the day while awake as I have been pretty good at going with the flow and trying to put my trust in having everything work out the way it's destined to. Since tomorrow is day "7" of the 7-10 days I was going to email the nurse and ask if any results were available yet. She knows I am anxious and that I would be waiting every last minute. Depending on the results, I'd either be scheduling an appointment with the fertility specialist or to have my inevitable hysterectomy. I got a call this afternoon that said "blocked" on my cell phone. My stomach dropped as I knew who it was going to be, the doctor or the nurse with my results. I just wanted to update you all that I will be calling my FERTILITY SPECIALIST to make an appointment to get in there as soon as I can for the next step. All of the pathology came back with no malignancy found! I even had her email me a copy of the report because I was so afraid that she called the wrong person and was giving me someone else's information! I have it in black and white, NO MALIGNANCY FOUND, in 2 different places next to my name! I of course couldn't stop crying and I was waiting for my husband to get home. He got home and the dog ran outside with him. He's getting the mail, chasing the dog, all these things while I am just patiently waiting for him to come in. And I told him the doctor's office called and quickly went to add that the cancer was gone, I am to stop my meds and get in touch with the fertility doctor tomorrow. I felt like I was dreaming. I thanked God so much for answering all the prayers that were said for me and for giving me this opportunity. I still have a long road ahead of me and there are absolutely no guarantees of anything. But I am going to try my hardest to make our dreams come true. I am so very thankful and humbled by everyone in my life (online and in person) who have reached out to me and helped me more than they will ever know. Please continue to keep me in your prayers, I hope there is a miracle in the making. I am on a short timeline and I should have a better idea after seeing the fertility doctor again soon. (I think the meds have to be out of my system 30 days but I don't recall exactly.) Sorry for the long post, I didn't want to leave a word out in case this and my other posts ever help someone else. I hope you are all doing well and please know I think of you all often. Your prayers and healing messages changed my life and today is living proof of that. I am by no means cured of cancer, in case anyone just diagnosed finds this thread by googling or whatever. The only thing that happened is the medicine counteracted the hormones and, in my fancy medical terms, chased the cancer cells down and ate them. So, slowly but surely, since I am no longer taking the hormones, the cancer will slowly grow back and there is no way to know how fast or slow that could happen which is why time is of the essence to get pregnant now. When/if I get pregnant, my body will naturally make huge doses of that missing hormone and actually protect me from the cancer during pregnancy. I will have to have a hysterectomy within a few months or after pregnancy no matter what due to the cancer risk. I can't grasp how remarkable our bodies are. Thank you again. emeraldisle624 Here is a link that might be useful: Just a quick update!

I have read that they both got infected from another worker. If another worker at the field hospital was not noticeably sick, they may not have been wearing protective gear around them. The CDC is apparently investigating. But for those concerned about this, keep in mind the vast differences between America and rural Africa. The CDC and WHO have said that a big problem is that the people there don't trust these medical workers and want to hide their family members who are sick and take them to traditional healers. All the while, they're caring for them and exposing themselves. We also don't wash and prepare the bodies of dead family members ourselves. There is a big difference in sanitation as well, since many areas there don't even have running water and certainly no hand sanitizer. The flu has killed many more people than Ebola. A lot of us have probably had or know someone who has had the flu, and most people just don't think about how deadly it can be because it's something we're used to. I think that even if a traveler were to bring Ebola to the US, we could contain it a lot more rapidly than they have in Africa. That is because of the cultural differences I mentioned above in addition to the fact that we have modern hospitals readily available, not field hospitals without running water. It is just not possible to have the same level of sanitation in a situation like that. We also have plenty of trained medical professionals who are used to treating deadly things like Hepatitis C and HIV.

Oh, how tragic. My heart and prayers go out to that poor family.