Dementia

I can't believe there are no pictures on my phone.  Except for little Mermaid photos and I've already posted enough of those.

At least that is what I thought when I started writing this post.

On This is Us (Okay, Okay I just might have to admit that I am addicted to this show if I am thinking about it enough that I am typing about it twice within the last month on my blog) the last two weeks they've been hinting that Rebecca has the beginning phases of dementia and the signs they are using as indicators are a little concerning to me.  Why?  Well, let me go through them one by one.

Rebecca loses her phone all the time and can't remember where she puts it.  Miguel just had to buy her a new one because she couldn't find her phone recently.

I lose my phone all the time and can't remember where I leave it.  In fact just this week I put it down at the post office and forgot it on the counter and didn't notice I left it until about an hour later.  Last summer, when I was changing my flat tire on a bike ride, I put my phone down on the tailgate of the truck and ruined it and Brad had to buy me a new one.  

Rebecca gets angry and argumentative when her child, Randall, tells her what to do and what is wrong with her.

I get angry and argumentative when my child, Riley(whose name also begins with R like Randall and is a genius like Randall), tells me what to do and what is wrong with my form when I weight lift and I'm just trying my best!!!!  I hate that Riley who is 108 lbs can deadlift way more than me!  Ya, he deadlifts 166 lbs.  Ya I'm bragging.  I also hate that he's almost taller than me... and that he leaves me selfies of himself on the phone so much.  

Okay, I don't hate it.  I love it and hope he always does it.  I digress.

Rebecca gets disoriented sometimes.

I've felt disoriented.  Last night I wasn't sure I brought my youngest home with us.  The circled one in the picture below, that youngest.

I got out of bed to check if he was here.  If that's not disorientation I don't know what is.

Old Rebecca has old person neck.

I'm starting to have old person neck.

I took the picture above to show these beautiful girls (ha! ha! getting my Little Mermaid pics in here folks, yep):

how much I love them by wearing this necklace to closing night.  They bought me this necklace when I took them to see Wicked last fall.  And when I took the picture I thought "old person neck, just like Rebecca".  I'll put it in one more time just for emphasis here.

Finally, Rebecca takes pictures of everything.  Remember the pictures she is taking of Randall's office?  They're hinting here, her memory is starting to fade due to you know, dementia, so she compensates by taking photos with her phone.

I take pictures of everything so I can remember.  Really everything.

• Pictures of goings on during the week so I won't forget what to write on my blog or what to write Jordan: 

like a before shot of Ben's hair before we cut it.  I forgot to take an after shot.

or a picture of the beautiful walk we went on the other day.

• Pictures of recipes I like or want to try.

• Pictures of how to do stuff like melt regular chocolate for my new chocolate fountain

• Pictures of books I want to read.

• Pictures of backsplash ideas I like

• Pictures of the website I can order the kind of couch I like from.

• Pictures of Good gift ideas.

• Pictures of wrestling schedules (yes Ben started wrestling this week).

So the point?  I think I might be getting dementia people.  Especially if I thought I had no pictures to post this week.  I'll keep you updated.

**If you have read this please know that this blog post is totally written tongue in cheek.  On a more serious note I also recognize that dementia is a terrible disease that takes away people.  I know because my grandmother had dementia and alzheimer's disease and it was horrible.  I'll never forget the first time we began to suspect something was wrong.  My grandparents had come down to visit my family for a special religious event, the baptism of my daughter.  I had been conversing with my grandmother when all of the sudden she said to me, "You are such a beautiful lady.  I'm sorry we haven't met.  What is your name?"  Perplexed  I answered, "Grandma, it's me Chelsey,"  I believe it was that same year that my grandfather passed away of brain cancer and my grandma was diagnosed with alzheimer's and dementia shortly thereafter.  As I watch this beautiful show it saddens me to know that soon, this is what they will have Rebecca experience.  Families can really go through some tough times.  To anyone who is experiencing or has experienced the loss of a loved one due to dementia or alzheimer's my heart reaches out to you.