And how are *you* doing?

I have been noticing some significant changes in my persona since this horror began. At first, I thought it was for the better, strangely. I felt calmer and began living more in the moment -- when the almost-worst-thing in the world happens, you start to wake up a bit. I did shift my priorities, too. Family first, and health. And oh, yeah, since I may get dementia, too, FLD having some hereditary link, I'd better figure out fast what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. This gave me more focus and determination.

Now things are starting to fray. I feel very, very close to the edge many days. Say the wrong thing and I'm likely to shout or break into tears, as my kids have discovered (and quite a few rude drivers). There are other stressors on top of Mom, including my daughter's hearing problem, my own month-long bout with bad bronchitis, and my husband having to go out of state to work, there being no suitable job around here at the moment.

To some extent, I feel entitled to a breakdown. I'm thinking perhaps I should start some kind of therapy, or a help group at the least, and I'm considering some kind of medical intervention, too. It's beyond yoga. I"m starting to worry that it's affecting my work, too -- I'm more careless, and I worry constantly that I'll snap and, say, tell someone off, or just walk out.

As a matter of fact, I'm having difficulty typing this. Going to take a break. And I"m not even the main caretaker for my mom! How are you all doing? How do you cope?

Studies linking nutrition and FLD?

Does anyone know of any studies involving nutrition and FLD? I read The China Study, a book about the benefits of going vegan, and while it sounds extreme, the results are undeniable. There has been some link between diet and Alzheimers, so I'm curious, and will investigate and report back.

When it rains, it pours

We just found out last week that one of my girls has significant hearing loss in both ears -- bad enough to require hearing aids. I know there is so much worse my kid could be going through, but why this, and why now? We all deserve a break, not more sorrow. Sorry to whine, but enough already. As bad as it all is with my mom, this has now taken first place on the worry list, as the kid is fairly traumatized about getting the aids (even in pink). My other daughter has also been acting out a bit in school; nothing really bad, but her attention wanders just a bit too much. I don't think it has anything to do with Mom's illness, even though they were as close as it's possible to be when my daughter was younger. I mean, she knows about Nana's illness, but I don't think it's weighing on her. I guess I'd better have a talk with her, though, right?