Good News about Mom's Hands!

all these pics were taken today

So, I've taken some pictures of Mom's hands to show those of you who are familiar with her hands her progress.  

As you all know, the Tylenol has been doing just about nothing for her hand pain even when I give her the maximum the doctor will allow in a day.  Last week, I appealed to everyone for advice on what to do about Mom's hand pain.  I've incorporated three of the suggestions so far.  I will incorporate more later, but I want to try to get some kind of an idea if something works or not before I start the next thing.  I always make the mistake of starting all the good ideas at once and then I don't know what works for mom (or for me) and what doesn't.

The first thing I used was the Bentonite clay.  I have been applying a clay mask to her hands in the morning just after I feed her the mixture of Tylenol and vitamin ground up and stirred into a couple spoons of applesauce.  

To make the mask, I mix about a teaspoon of clay with about a teaspoon of warm water, and spread the solution over her hands.  Then, I wrap her hands in a cloth

I leave the clay on her hands for about twenty to thirty minutes.  

After applying the Bentonite clay the first time, her hands were visibly less swollen.  She kept holding her hands up in front of her and examining them.  I asked if they felt better, and she said, "Was something wrong with them?"  Of course she doesn't remember that she has been complaining that they hurt for months.  But, to me, the fact that she forgot or did not realize that her hands hurt was HUGE.

The next day I added a hot water bottle, and when the warmth started to touch her hands, she looked up and me and her eyes were so thankful and happy.  I can't even describe.  It was a moment of great success for me, as a caregiver.

Then, day before yesterday, I substituted one crushed Magnesium tablet for one of the Tylenol.  I'm not too concerned about the Magnesium because she is already getting it in her multi-vitamin, and Xarelto lists Magnesium as one of its inert ingredients. 

I feel that the Magnesium might be helping pain all over her body and not just in her arthritic hands as when I changed her linens, she did not wince nearly as much when I lifted the leg that has the blood clot.  

Below are a few more pics.  Every single day, they have looked better than the day before to me.  I don't know if its wishful looking or if this system has really made a big difference in her hands' appearance, but FOR SURE there is a difference in the way her hands feel.  She is using them without pain and she doesn't wince when I touch them.  That's a big improvement!

all these pics were taken today

all these pics were taken today

all these pics were taken today

prepare for boredom, but sometimes boring stuff is important, too . . .

I am using Table 1 in the Alzheimer's study I posted about earlier in the week, the one where nine of the ten people's symptoms improved, to try to work out a game plan for Mommy to have as much relief as is possible at her stage and for me never to get this disease at all.

Table 1 is broken into three columns.  The first column is the goal, the second the approach, and the third is the rational and references.

As I've tried to organize how much of this regime I can implement with both mommy and with me, I've been looking mostly at the goal and the approach columns.  I don't have the education to understand the rationale and references.  Brilliant scientists and snake oil salesmen all sound the same to me, so I might as well ignore the rationale bits . . . 

So, to break it down line by line:

The first goal is to optimize diet, minimize simple carbohydrates and minimize inflammation.

In this study the first approach was to give patients a choice of several low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diets. 

I don't have the diets to choose one from, but we will eat as much low gylcemic index foods as possible, we will incorporate fermented foods as they reduce inflammation, and we will have as much fresh food as possible.  We will limit grain consumption to sourdoughs and sprouted grains.  We will try to avoid the foods that contain Xenoestrogens. 

The second goal is to enhance autophagy, ketogenesis.

The second approach is to fast twelve hours each night, including three hours before bedtime.

For Mommy and me, our last food and drink (unless she says she is thirsty) will be at 7:00.  The exception will be for me to drink enough water to swallow my melatonin.   Our first food or drink will be at 8:00, which gives us thirteen hours of fasting per night. 

The third goal is to reduce stress.

The third approach is to personalize this with yoga or meditation or music.

For me, I will engage in meditative prayer.  For Mommy, her Forest and Flower Netflix shows are very relaxing and meditative.  She will watch these daily.

The fourth goal is to Optimize sleep.

The fourth approach is to get eight hours of sleep per night.  Melatonin is used, and sleep apnea is excluded.  I have begun taking melatonin myself, and I will discuss Mommy taking it with her doctor.

The fifth goal is exercise.

The fifth approach is to exercise 30 - 60 minutes per day four to six days a week.  For me, I will walk Scooby at least a mile and as much as two.  For Mommy, this is much more difficult.  I am still pondering it.  When I exercise with her, even a little bit, she seems to have a lot of pain the next day.  I am praying and pondering so that I can build her up to thirty minutes four times a week.  Pray with me and give me insight if you have any.  As a side note, I feel strongly that if we just move Mommy's arms and legs and she HATES it, that it will have a negative and not a positive overall effect.  We need to think of some kind of exercise that she will enjoy. I am planning to try a lion hunt later today.  Wish us luck!

The sixth goal is Brain stimulation.

The sixth approach is Posit or related brain exercises.  For me, I will do the brain exercises available on Brain HQ for ten minutes every day.  For Mommy, we will make physical versions of these games, and we will play them with her.

The rest of the goals and approaches involve a lot of test results and supplements.  Since we haven't had most of these tests done, I've decided to just make as many educated guesses as I can.  For example, I don't know if our homocysteine is less than seven, but the doctor has already prescribed B12 shots for Mom.  Or, I don't know what our fT3, fT4, E2 or T counts/results are, but I know that as women over 35 we can use some progesterone.  Some of the supplements will interact with Mom's Xarelto, so I have to be careful about her supplementation.

Here's our, mostly my, supplement list so far:

alpha lipoic acid (only me until I ask the doctor about Mommy)

Ashwagandha (only me until I ask the doctor about Mommy)

Curcumin (in Turmeric - only me as it will interfere with Xarelto)

Magnesium

Melatonin (only me until I ask the doctor about Mommy)

Multi-vitamin, daily   (many of the vitamins on the paper are in both Mom's and my multivitamins)

Oil Pull with coconut oil (For Mommy we will wipe her mouth and tongue with a cloth and coconut oil)

Progesterone

Vitamin B12

I'm still adding and researching vitamins even as I type . . . 

I'd had this dream of figuring out the whole program and then posting it on the blog.  I thought that I'd be able to do that several days ago, but it didn't work out that way.  First of all, this is a heck of a lot of stuff to work through.  Secondly, I've been dealing with - "why am I not old yet, already" - woman issues for the last week, and I could hardly function.  In the last twenty years, since Amanda was born, I've been inconvenienced twice by my monthly cycle.  This is the second time.  The first was about five years ago, and it wasn't really that big a deal.  (Usually I don't even notice my monthly visitor.)  This time, I'm laid flat by this, and I am in misery and pain.  But, I'm really glad this happened as it got me to finally listen to Jeanie talking about Progesterone, - I have ignored several of her attempts to wake me up about this important supplement (sorry, Jeanie)  Now, I've ordered it, and used it, and I finally have begun to realize how important it is for my health, as well as for Mommy's.

So, this has been a long and boring post.  But, since I'm trying to work this out for both Mommy and for me, I wanted you all to know where we're heading and what we're doing.

Some Hope!

Who'd have thought at this stage of the game that there might be some hope to have Mommy more fully interact with us?

Now, I'm not pipe dreaming that she'll ever be back in full. Even crazy me is more realistic than that, but this study does give some hope that we can do a little something for her to keep her mind a little more clear for a little longer.

Happily, Jeanie had intuitively and through her research done some of the stuff that the doctor in the study prescribed.  (I'm thinking especially of the probiotics, the low-gluten, and the coconut oil.)  That's probably one reason Mom is still doing as well as she is with this horrible disease!

In this study, nine of the ten participants had remarkable reversals in cognitive function.  Since it was only ten people, it is still basically anecdotal, but nine out of ten ain't bad, and I'm willing to change my own lifestyle based on a nine out of ten.  Plus, most of the stuff - except possibly the supplements - are just basic good advice that we all give and get all the time.  e.g. Get enough sleep and exercise.

Here is a link to the study I am talking about, if you are interested, please read it.  It is so amazing.  Click Here.

For me, I'm incorporating as much of this as I can into my everyday life as I really want to stay around bugging you all - in my full mind - as long as possible.  (After that, I might resort to haunting or sainting - depends on my goodness levels, I suppose - he he he.)

For Mommy, I have to be careful not to give her anything that would interfere with the Xarelto.  But, I am going to start to MAKE her do her exercises.  I've been really lax about that.  I know that is wrong to give in to her about the exercise, but it is so hard for me to make her do something when she doesn't want to.  But I'm learning to do just that.  For example, the moving her (like into the kitchen in her wheelchair or over onto one of her chairs) or for the changing out her bedding, I've gotten really good at just doing those things without really giving her much warning and I don't take no for an answer.  I can change her out in no time at all (I'm going to time it just to see, but I bet its less than four minutes, even with BM).  For the transferring her from her bed to the wheelchair.  It is less than five seconds, once I've got her sitting up on the edge of the bed, I just pick her up and swing her over.  Fast as fast.  I count, and I don't get to ten.  (I count because it seems to distract her.)  But, the other day I said something like, "See, I'm getting really fast at this,"  She replied, "I'm glad you think so."  (You can all imagine her tone - lol)

So, the pic is of Mommy and me making sauerkraut, and sour dough, and drinking kefir.  Mom LOVES the strawberry kefir (as Jeanie says - "it's all the sugar ;) yummy!!"  And, I second that.)  We're going to go all probiotic and sour/sauer  :-)

Should add, that we are watching a really opinionated and cool chiropractor make sauerkraut for us.  (I LOVE this guy ;-) At the end of his class, he gave everybody a high-tech sour foods kit.  It was a mason jar - lol )

More visits!

It was so amazing to have another visit from Pete so soon!  Mom was very happy to get this unexpected visit yesterday, but it's hard to document that because she is so ornery about pictures.

Pete stopped here on his drive out to see Marjie.  He's loaning her a car so she doesn't have to be hasty about her next car decision.  A spare car will give her time to ponder.  I've got to say, we have the most amazing big brother.

In this pic you can see both how happy Mom was yesterday evening and how tired she was.  I don't think she took a single nap all day, and she usually dozes for several hours over the course of the day.

Today, she is still basking in her happy-from-the-visit feelings, but she didn't feel up to getting out of her bed and she's dozed a lot.  She has also been smiling a lot.  I like to see that ;-)

Another visit!

Mom's getting another visit from Pete tonight!  And, after her shower this morning, I thought it would be a fun time to break out the curlers.

In the pic above I had just finished putting the curlers in, and she was tasting her applesauce.  I had just asked her if there was enough sugar in it.  I'm not sure what she is thinking, but she said it was sweet enough, so I didn't add another teaspoon.

And, here she is a few hours later when I took the curlers out.  She is a trooper, and I am not a beautician.  (lol)

Mom's dozing and I'm building

My roughed-in spice shelves ;-)

Well, Mommy is just not wanting to wake up today.  I woke her earlier to give her applesauce (with Tylenol and vitamin), and then she went back to sleep.  Later, she didn't wake up, and didn't wake up, and I needed to change out the bedding.  Still, even with me making noise and leaving her door open, she kept right on sleeping.  After a long time, I ran the saw in the kitchen getting these boards cut.  I thought the noise would wake her for sure, but she slept right through it.  So, I ended up waking her to change out the bedding, and when everything was all clean and dry, I asked if she wanted to sit up and eat the rest of her applesauce or wait a bit, she said, "Wait a bit," and we've been waiting ever since.

I go in every few minutes and she is still just resting.  

Some days are like this.

But, in the meantime, I've got these shelves set in and I'm about to drill some pilot holes and screw them into the walls and cupboards.  (They are just fitted in right now.  They fit so tight that they just stay up there with no screws at all ~ brag brag ~ but, I don't think they fit tightly enough to hold my spices on them without any screws :-)  )

In other news, the doctor's office called and the Xarelto prescription is still going to be the same.  She is going to check again in six months and see if the clot has dissolved by then.  Let's pray and keep our fingers crossed.

Well, I tried.

Mom - not very interested in sorting coins . . . 

I think Mommy might have a touch of spring fever.  :-)  The weather was so warm and breezy that I opened the door from her room onto the porch today (as well as all the windows in the house!)  But, after that warm breeze started blowing all around her, Mommy wasn't interested in the television.  She wasn't even interested much or for long in reading Little House in the Big Woods.  She wasn't interested in looking at her stacks of pictures or her mail.  I tried some new things (see the coin sorting I thought she might like in above pic . . . ) But, nothing caught her fancy.

I think somewhere in the deep of her soul she wanted to get up and go and pick some branches of dogwood or some pussy-willow.  Do you remember the armfuls of dogwood branches with buds on them and pussy-willow, just blooming, that Mommy would bring into the house every spring?  I remember.  Maybe somewhere deep inside she does too?