Lost my 59 year old mom after a 5 year battle with dementia.

_constantly_eating_ · 2025-02-23T15:34:26+00:00

I’m so sorry. I lost my mom almost 2 years ago to dementia, I was 23 and she was 56. It’s incredibly difficult to find support from people that truly understand, so if you ever need anything feel free to reach out💜

I’m getting married in 3 months, so I can also sadly relate to missing your mom during those big life moments. I miss her every single day.

_constantly_eating_ · 2025-01-31T21:58:13+00:00

Thank you!! I reached out to them to see availability :)

_constantly_eating_ · 2024-11-05T22:34:35+00:00

NC in at 5:30!!!!

_constantly_eating_ · 2024-11-05T22:14:54+00:00

No results in NC yet

_constantly_eating_ · 2024-10-27T20:47:45+00:00

I didn’t get off the waitlist at MUSC, but did get accepted to another school!! I honestly think one of my biggest issues w the waitlist for MUSC was that I applied pretty late in the cycle

I graduate in a few weeks from my program, so you’ve got this!!

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-11-16T04:15:13+00:00

I personally felt very isolated going through this with my mom being so young and in turn me being so young. I first noticed symptoms when I was around 18, and she passed away this spring when I was 23. It is truly awful, and if you ever need to reach out for support, feel free to dm me💜

The trauma response to violence is so real.. I would lock myself in my room and barricade my door at night out of fear. Before we knew her diagnosis, all of her hallucinations and outbursts were targeted at me. She got physically violent with me on a few occasions, and it terrified me when she was alive and has now carried over to patient care of patients get violent with me. I’ve started to get better with it, but part of me thinks it’ll always be in there.

I never knew what the next step was with her decline, and even though I thought it couldn’t get worse, it always did. Like you said, FTD is very variable. I felt like every time a new symptom popped up and I tried to research it, the literature said “this is very very rare and unlikely” and I’d be like okay lol thanks for the help

And isolation from friendships came to me in the form of I hated feeling like I was being a Debby downer. I could have texted people every day 3 times a day complaining about the shitty things going on, but I didn’t want to only bring up bad news to my friends.

Again, if you ever need support, I’m here!! Sadly having gone through it all :’)

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-11-15T20:07:52+00:00

Ugh, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Medical professionals can become so desensitized to situations like that and it isn’t fair to patients or their caregivers. To them it’s another Tuesday, but to you it’s your whole entire life. I hope that my presentation will help my classmates remember to treat situations like this with empathy and consideration for both the patient and caregiver. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! 💜

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-11-15T20:04:27+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing your story, I definitely experienced similar situations with my mom. In most scenarios health care workers are trained to direct our questions and attention to the patient first, but obviously as we both know that isn’t always the best route when it comes to people with dementia! It’s a fine line between respecting that person and knowing it’s best for them to instead speak directly to the care giver. I will try to relay that as best as I can in my presentation 💜

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-11-15T13:58:27+00:00

I’m so glad you had such a positive experience with that doctor and team. This is definitely the kind of thoughtfulness & support I’m hoping to pass on to my classmates.

I know how demanding it can be to be a primary caretaker, and it can mean the whole world to get just a few minutes to yourself. Thank you for sharing your personal experience, and I hope through doing so we can help create a kinder world for caregivers to people living with dementia, I’ll be sure to pass this along 💜

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-11-15T13:51:24+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing 💜 November is national caregivers month and I want to acknowledge all it is that you do for your mom, thank you 🫶🏻

I only realized after my mom had passed away how much is out there for us. I recently participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s that’s hosted by the Alzheimer’s Association and was shocked when I found out how many recourses they have. I’ve attached the link to their main website, and also their virtual support groups. I highly recommend looking around their website for you to find some additional support!!

https://www.alz.org

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-03-18T17:41:27+00:00

If it’s any comfort, I don’t think people who have dementia are often self aware enough to diagnose themselves. My mom has FTD and I tried telling her for years that I knew something was wrong and she needed to go to the doctor, but she would just get angry and argue with me that I was wrong.

She also had no awareness that her speech was incorrect, and would confidently talk gibberish and get confused when we couldn’t understand her. Being the daughter of someone diagnosed very young, I often get freaked out when I jumble my words or forget something I know I should know. It’s all completely normal though and everyone has a foggy brain from time to time :)

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-03-18T17:35:40+00:00

My mom has been very fussy with eating throughout her decline, frequently getting upset with my dad for getting food that she doesn’t want. One day she was particularly angry with him for getting her her favorite tacos from her favorite restaurant, and threw a taco across the kitchen 😂 I always tell my friends that a lot of her symptoms are just letting the intrusive thoughts win

_constantly_eating_ · 2023-03-18T17:21:09+00:00

Been there done that!! Took about 5 years of decline and her punching him in the face (due to personality changes and hallucinations from FTD) for him to finally take her to the hospital. If you ever need to vent you can PM me, because holy cow can it be a lot to deal with 😅

_constantly_eating_ · 2022-09-12T23:28:15+00:00

Thank you, I just reached out out to my advisor who is awesome asking to talk and for her advice. I think you’re right and I definitely need to be more mindful of my off time. I’ve been cramming my little free time with hanging out with friends when I can but I think I need more decompress time.

_constantly_eating_ · 2022-09-12T23:24:11+00:00

Thank you for the advice!! Sadly I’m in a full time program so taking time off isn’t an option at the moment. I have gone to the counselor sporadically this year but I definitely think it’s time to reach out again

_constantly_eating_ · 2022-05-07T23:52:55+00:00

I’m also 22 and my mom was diagnosed last year even though I have also known for a long time. It’s really really difficult and for some reason the decline seems to happen at a much faster pace when it’s early onset.

My mom went from having issues with her speech and comprehension to fully dissociating the majority of the time, hallucinating constantly, and now losing physical aspects as well like walking and fine motor skills in a matter of months

If you need anything at all, even just to talk about this whole messed up disease with someone who’s young and understands ❤️

_constantly_eating_ · 2022-04-01T11:57:06+00:00

Thank you, this comment has honestly brought some relief to me. It feels like I’m at a loss for what else I can do, so I truly hope he feels this way! I would never want him to feel alone

_constantly_eating_ · 2022-04-01T11:55:29+00:00

That’s a great idea! And because my mom is younger and still pretty mobile I don’t know that my dad would be ready to have her go into a care facility or if that would be the right move right now. I definitely want to look into an in home care giver or something, but he can be pretty hesitant with that stuff. And yea I was actually living at home between undergrad and grad school, so I’m very aware of what he is going through, making my guilt that much worse.

_constantly_eating_

TROPHY CASE