When going into Scripps yesterday, a young black athlete had injured his foot and was hopping on one foot until they grabbed a wheel chair for him. He was a good looking tall guy, and husband told him he would feel right at home in Australia. The kid laughed and said he hurt his foot on the field when he clashed ankles with another player.
When we were leaving Scripps, another tall slim healthy looking black man of similar size was walking around and sat down on a bench nearby. Husband said "That is quite a change. Did they have a magic cure for your foot?" That young man was equally pleasant with my husband and laughingly asked if something was supposed to be wrong with his foot. (I am thinking ... Good Lord ...why does he have to talk to everyone he passes by? Yes, he does do that.) Of course, husband continues on ...and asks him ..."aren't you the guy that was hopping around on your foot a little while ago?" So he finished with ... "you sure look like him" and we went on our way.
Just before we reached our car, there was a very heavy woman, who probably weighed literally 400 lbs walking in front of us. Husband said as she turned to go in one direction and we went another, "Man, I could park my truck in that ..." and before he finished I said, "Jerry! You have already told a black kid they all look alike and now you are going to insult a woman for her size?" He said, "I am not saying it to her." "But she can hear you ... Good Grief! Just think once in a while and don't speak what you are thinking."
Sometimes I think it would be easier to handle this role in life if the disease was further progressed, but I guess that remains to be seen. In other words, I am going to need running shoes trying to keep up with this man since he wants to be on the go all the time but his filter doesn't work and he acknowledged yesterday that he would never have found the clinic had he gone by himself. That's kinda interesting, because the first woman to evaluate him in Charlotte, N.C. told me the FTD could go down different paths ... a patient could become pretty much mute and become immobile ...or a patient could be just the opposite and always on the go creating a management challenge. She added, "I believe he is going to be on the go." In my memory, she said that with a smile. She suggested I order business cards with a message to slip to people which reads ..."My husband has dementia...... etc." I guess that would be nicer than cards that say "He is being an a**, so ignore him." The latter is tempting for right now.~DrJ51
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