Bruce Willis diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia
Link to tweet
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Oh, man.
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I wouldn't wish dementia on my worst enemy.
I watched my late husband die from this curse.
Frontotemporal dementia is bad, very bad. 
...I remember that I was going to apply for some caregiver respite voucher from a local Alzheimer's Association type place and, as part of the application, they ask you what type of dementia the patient was diagnosed with. It listed Alzheimer's, Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Dementia, and some other types, I believe. I basically never completed the application because I was never told exactly what type my mom had.
only way to positively dx Alz is via autopsy. For other types, brain scans can sometimes be helpful, but if one’s primary isn’t knowledgeable enough about various types and characteristics, a neurologist would be the person to go to.
Sorry about your mom’s dementia
I was just watching something about this the other day.
They were comparing MRI scans of the brain of someone with Alzheimer's disease and another with vascular dementia.
Neither one of them are any damn good at all! 
!!
They would not run an MRI scan on my late husband.
That would have shown vascular dementia and I would have known that his time was short. I wish I had known this before he died.
I found out when I received the death certificate in the mail!
It was a horrific thing to witness.
I still see it playing over and over again in my mind. It was last year at this same time that I realized how seriously ill he was. He died in May at the age of 85 years. 
I don't know what I could have done differently. 
At least I did not dump him into an "assisted living center". That was one option I was given, that or palliative care for $1500 a month. I never quite figured out what the palliative care was. I think I was doing that already.
I hate receiving bad news the way I did.
I do not understand why they just did not tell me!
The health care provider I see finally told me a couple of months ago that vascular dementia is the worst way to go as far as what type of dementia was it. I kind of figured that one out already in Feb. of 2022 when it began to get really awful.
How I made it through that whole thing I will never know.
It has left me cold and I don't believe in much of anything any longer I am afraid. Nope.
All I know is that its been one year since things began to get very very bad.
Hospice came to the house and told me he'd be around for a long time.
He was dead three months later.
I was not prepared for it and I screwed up in many ways.
I'm still trying to recover financially as nothing was left for me to have.
I've been blessed with a few new friends however. They have been very helpful towards me.
I wish I knew what to write except do the best you can, that's all anyone can do.
I hope the situation rectifies itself sooner rather than later for BOTH of you.
It is a hell I never cared to visit, that is all I can say.
Take care of YOU, that's what is important as it is up to you it sounds like.
It as a lonely boat to hell is how I felt. 
Last edited Thu Feb 16, 2023, 06:09 PM - Edit history (1)
My husband fell and broke his hip. When he woke up from the surgery, he could not breathe nor swallow.
I've been through a hell I hope to never visit again.
I am sure you feel the same way.
I'd never heard of vascular dementia before.
It was like he was here one day and gone the next.
I am sorry to read of your loss and yes, I can totally relate.
Take care.
I can't imagine having to help a spouse at end of life with dementia, especially when they have been the center of your world. That is just the worst. So heartbreaking.
And yes, here one day, gone the next. But I do believe they are waiting on us, "just around the bend." It's our time now to savor every moment, just as they would want us to.
And you are right, no matter how hard you try, she will continue to decline, but it's not because you aren't doing your best. It's also okay to ask for help. In a non-medical home setting, we are not equipped to deal with the very severe issues that arise at end of life (incontinence, aggression, etc). Just having the patience and strength to be willing to be there for your Mom at this time is a very heavy lift-- it consumes your life. Be gentle with yourself and know you are doing the best you can. Get help wherever you can, hospice in particular. Her doctor may be a resource or have info that can help. Reach out. It can make a difference.
Message me privately anytime. Hang in there.
It was going on for a few years yes.
But, in Feb. of last year it was like a 
went off.
My god what a hell I have lived through with NO HELP AT ALL, none!
Why I am still here baffles me and I miss him so very much.
I understand and let me know if I can be of any assistance having "been there" so to speak.
I found the silence of others (including his family) to be deafening.
...and do still struggle with dark days. In 2017, the year my Mom came to live with me, I also lost my Dad and two other immediate family members, both in their early 50s. One right after the other. I was in a deep depression, and felt like "what's it all for?"
As hard as caring for my Mom was, it was the right thing for me to do and I am doing my best to be at peace with her passing and the years I sacrificed.
Though I am still recovering, I am grateful to have a family who need me here and engaged in life. So I started just doing each day for them, whether I wanted to or not. In the process, I am getting a little better every day at doing it for myself. I know my Mom-- and Dad, and all whom I've lost-- would want me to find joy again. So every day I try to do that. It's not easy, but for me it's all I know to do.
I hope you and W_HAMILTON can find your joy again one day. We all must travel our own path and find our way. All my best to you both...
❤ ❤
a couple years now. He, or rather his handlers, filled the last several years with smaller parts on lots of low budget films. It was all he could handle; a couple short days work for a couple million dollars. By last fall, he couldn’t even do that.
Sad
It is a very painful thing which you never fully recover from. I am glad you made it through.
