Health Expert Leah shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/6509/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/6509/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/6509/index http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/161006/facing-vascular-dementia Thu, 23 May 2013 13:27:00 -0400 Leah What a life, living with vascular dementia!  It seems that every thing is a struggle.  I know the words EVERY  THING should be written as EVERYTHING, but by dividing the word, I think that it increases its impact. Literally ALL that I do is a struggle!  I struggle to remember.  I get embarrassed when I can’t remember.  I get frustrated when others do not truly understand my condition, and they try to laugh off... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/161006/facing-vascular-dementia http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/160208/years-vascular-dementia Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:22:00 -0400 Leah I have suffered with Vascular Dementia for a bunch of years now. Truthfully, I cannot remember when it was diagnosed. The only thing I can relate it to is that it happened after my retirement from teaching, which was, I think, 2004. I had a couple of mini-strokes where I lost my vision for a short time… With medication, I was good for another two years, when BAM! Another set of mini-strokes occurred. I never lost consciousness with any of... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/160208/years-vascular-dementia http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/159847/confusion-confusing Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:01:00 -0400 Leah Miquel de Cervantes once wrote:  He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he who loses his courage loses all.   I love that quote; it symbolizes one of my own feelings about life.  I live with that thought each day as I deal with my moderate to severe short term memory loss.  I make the conscious decision to fight my condition, to not let it get the best of me.   Courage to fight does not... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/159847/confusion-confusing http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/158972/living Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:16:00 -0500 Leah Dementia is a demon, which robs one of the past and gives little hope for the future.  It comes like a thief in the night, its cape capturing your short-term memory, enveloping it in a shroud of nothingness…  One who lives with short-term memory loss lives in the moment…and then that moment is gone…and another takes its place.   I’ve been living with a moderate amount of short-term memory loss for over... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/158972/living http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/158828/resignation Tue, 29 Jan 2013 12:21:00 -0500 Leah I have been very slack about writing my blog concerning life with dementia these past months.  I think I’ve been in a funk.  Please allow me to work through my thought processes to find the reason behind my lack of writing.  Was it that I was in a funk?  Had I resigned myself to having dementia and just didn’t want to think about it?  Was I depressed…  Let’s work through it... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/158828/resignation http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/156006/appointment Mon, 17 Sep 2012 17:25:00 -0400 Leah Life with dementia continues to be a challenge.  My dementia appears to be moving forward.  I am experiencing bigger HOLES.  My definition of a HOLE is a block of time which, in my conscious memory, does or did not exist.  Earlier in my diagnosis, I only experienced small holes of time which I could not recall.  During the past few months, my husband has had to remind me of more and more that I could not remember. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/156006/appointment http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/154250/appearances Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:21:00 -0400 Leah It’s time to talk about appearance…the way one often looks when one has dementia…you know, that distant stare…the smile…   I have it, I’m sure.  My aunt, who is much farther along than me has it for sure.  She is the real impetus behind this particular blog.  I noticed it at a party being given in honor of her husband, my uncle.  While everyone was gathered around, extolling Uncle... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/154250/appearances http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/151985/baking-dementia Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:38:00 -0400 Leah Baking with the assistance of my partner, Dementia, is a big challenge-one that I attempted in a big way last week. I rarely bake anymore...a box mix here and there...   The first bake sale of the year was coming up. I poured over the internet looking for good recipes and finally found four that I liked. After printing them out, I looked over each one carefully to make sure that ALL ingredients and steps were listed. (Never take for granted... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/151985/baking-dementia http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/151797/dementia-takes Tue, 03 Apr 2012 18:13:00 -0400 Leah Keeping one's mind busy-and organized-is not easy when one has vascular dementia. There are activities throughout one's day that require short term memory, the area most affected by my vascular dementia. Cooking is where I seem to run into my biggest problems.   From my earliest memories, I can remember wanting to help my mother in the kitchen. Of course, she started me out helping to stir cookies or pouring cake batter. That progressed to,... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/151797/dementia-takes http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/151159/decisions Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:30:00 -0400 Leah My neurologist visit was a good one. I met with his PA, a man whom I had seen at my Primary Care Physician's office for years prior. He had moved over to a new job at my neurologist's office. It was good to see a familiar face. Mr. J was very thorough in his exam, and we worked as a team to determine whether or not to add or change medications. I did have some concern that my short term memory is getting a little worse, but I decided to hold off... http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/6509/151159/decisions