Living with dementia in lockdown for me.

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I remember all started with a panic. See if we all have enough food and money. My youngest ordered lots and lots of masks and sanitizer, which is very good. For me, anxiety set in. When I am anxious, it feels like my head becomes a stone. It cannot think, reason. My words became less and less.

I dwindled down to being unable to count or any figures, I cannot read or follow a recipe anymore. I did not blog, because think is difficult, even find words. As time went on, tension become more and the moment there is conflict my brain shut down. I can literally not move or communicate. Then I cannot talk for few days. Miss every third or forth word. Difficult to hold conversation, because no social interaction. I do however have my Dementia Mentors friends with whom I try to zoom every day.

My concentration is down, I will wonder around wanting to do something, forget then find something else and then forget that something else as well, went back to my chair. When my daughters or husband go to work or somewhere, I become anxious, because I cannot remember where they went or when they come back. Then I want to send them Whatsapp and forget that and later wonder if they will be angry if I don’t send message and then forget that too.

My filter also broke. Saying things I should not say, like hurting someone or tell someone something I shouldn’t, not that we keep secrets, but sometime there are things you don’t say in public or to you family or to anyone.

It’s getting on my family’s nerves that I ask say 3 times in a row how they are and just forget I did. The forget thing is weird. I forget… it is like a black hole where nothing even ever existed. I started making jewelry, that helped keeping me stimulated, but lately I cannot think up new designs. I went to my GP yesterday and he asked me to take off my jacket and I asked him which one, as I was wearing two. He looked at me and said both…. that’s a bummer and I remember it. I don’t feel in control anymore. I get anxiety when left alone for a few minutes. Then I don’t know where everyone is.

I don’t know if any of this makes sense. I don’t catch a joke anymore, no matter how many times you explain it. It is difficult to communicate without seeing someones face. So video call works better for me to understand something. In this time of lockdown I really have no sense of day, date even time anymore. It is one big sleep time and awake time.

A human being needs to socialize, if your brain don’t function and the basic requirement of socialization even on the most basic and way, like saying hello to the lady in the pharmacy are deprived of, it shuts down. The few thoughts you have gets muddled. The other night I was lying in bed and the weirdest thing happened. I tried to think, but all the words were like a lot of colored marbles in a bag, refusing to form a sentence even a picture. That happens more and more with me. Communication, it becomes more and more difficult. When there is confrontation, I just use swear words and say bad things, because I cannot sort matter in my brain to fix confrontation.

Got to go, stay safe.

Lots of love

Saro (Elmarie)