In Darkness Let Me Dwell....

Anne Bonny · Post by **Anne Bonny** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:10 pm

On the 16th Pat had a Seizure, is now on Keppra to decrease the chance of this happening. It is a new and very scary and dark addition to her downward spiral. I will definitely need an antidepressant and to reschedule my visit with the psychiatrist canceled because the seizure happened the day of my initial appointment. I am looking into the use of virgin Coconut oil that is not hydrogenated - when you are desperate you will try anything, we will see. In Darkness let me dwell....

Carly · Post by **Carly** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 8:59 pm

I started on coconut oil for my parkinsons 2 weeks ago. I have had some effects from adding it to my therapy. I have occasional periods of return of my sense of smell that I had lost about 6 years ago.

Anita · Post by **Anita** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 10:45 pm

I'm sorry to hear about the seizure. That adds to the uncertainty of your caregiving. I hope that antidepressants can be of help to you. It may take some work to find the right one, but they can really help some people. My youngest sister finally got them at age 65, and she's glad that she finally agreed to do it.

I see that I have been given this because perhaps I have the right characteristics to fulfill this mission, perhaps I have something to learn - cruel way to learn but in my faith we are all only traveling through this existence briefly, everything is temporary - our means, our possessions, our health, everything.

I had meant to answer this, and then forgot that I hadn't.

For whatever reason, it feels right to be here taking care of LeeAnne, and I was not someone who was a born nurturer. LeeAnne began coming to our support group years ago, at a time when it was just the three facilitators and no one else. All chiefs, and no Indians...anyway, LeeAnne had problems even then, and they began to get worse.

I had to make a decision to 'step up' the level of our friendship, and I was not troubled by doing so. It was a harder decision to move in here, but I knew that I was committed to taking care of her, and it made more sense to be there with her.

Besides, she needed a two-bedroom for her kids to stay on custody weekends, and she was in danger of losing it--she couldn't afford it on disability income. By me moving in, she kept the apartment.

I had not heard of coconut oil for medical purposes. I used to go to a holistic doctor years ago, and got familiar with some natural treatments and herbal remedies.

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 9:50 am

Anne I am really sorry to hear about this. Hang in there.

Zari

Anne Bonny · Post by **Anne Bonny** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:10 pm

Thank you all, and it is good to know that Coconut oil (unrefined/not hydrogenated) has brought back your sense of smell intermittantly. I performed the Mini Mental State Exam (made my own copy from her record because it is copywrited so cannot download it). out of a total score of 30, my wife scored 3, under 9 is severe cognitive impairment - incredibly upsetting. This will be our baseline, will test every 7 days after starting 6 tsp of pure virgin coconut oil per day having some with each meal instead of butter or margarine, perhaps even drinking it. Coconut oil and other MCT Medium Chain Triglycerides contain ketones which can be absorbed by brain cells and used for fuel when they are not able to take in glucose because of impaired insulin function in the brain. Dementia has been posited as a type III diabetes and is why the brain atrophies as cells die - they cannot take in the fuel to keep themselves alive. This is not the whole story of alzheimers but this could stabilize brain tissue, restore some function delaying decline if not reversing the overall process.

Becoming a caregiver we are simply following the nursing theory of Dorthea Orum - filling in deficits that the patinet cannot do for themselves, I have had to fill in more and more as time goes on. For myself it is a sacred vow, a fulfillment of my commitment and love for my wife. But it is a noble thing to step in and to care for those who cannot take care of themselves. You are to be highly commended for doing so.
And remember this entitles us to eat all the ice cream we want so to speak because we deserve it (we meaning the person we are caring for and for ourselves because we are in this together). Take care Anita.

Anita · Post by **Anita** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 7:03 pm

Coconut oil and other MCT Medium Chain Triglycerides contain ketones which can be absorbed by brain cells and used for fuel when they are not able to take in glucose because of impaired insulin function in the brain

This is interesting. I seem to remember that this part of any fasting program that goes over three days. At that point, the body switches over to processing ketones instead of glucose.

This sounds like it has a chance of helping. I wish continued strength for you.

Anne Bonny · Post by **Anne Bonny** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:23 am

Actually when coconut oil is metabolized the liver makes ketones which can cross the blood/brain barrier and it is readily taken in by the brain cells as fuel so that they do not die. During starvation our body breaks down fat to make ketones otherwise we would die. There is a Ketonic diet but the other alternative is to consume these MCT oils such as coconut oil. Glucose requires insulin to cross the cell membrane so when insulin in the brain is impaired and insulin resistance develops brain cells die, the brain atrophies because it loses it's only source of fuel - Glucose. But! brain cells can also run on Ketones. This is supposed to be helpful in a number of neurogenerative diseases such as parkinson's, different dementias...others. After 3 years the author of Alzheimer's What if there was a cure? states her husbands brain was reported to be stable, no change in the degree of atrophy. Personality has returned, sense of humor, ability to read, run, walk normally without that funny gait for instance. Now there is nothng that can be done about brain cells that have died so there is a limit - But suppose the process can be kept at bay while waiting for a drug that will reverse the plaque deposits?
May not work at all - but since leavng the hospital my wife has improved, I started giving the coconut oil on Saturday the 18th, she was discharged on the evening of Thursday the 17th still recovering from all the sedating drugs. She has not been "raging" she knows my name! She is holding sensable conversations, and laughng. It took her a long time to get into this state, recovery will take as long, I do not expect a miracle or full recovery. oh - and she also knows the city we live in! It is so much better to have some hope I will test her again this coming saturday to see if she scores higher than a 3 on the MMSE, and each saturday - this would be an objective scientific measure to see if this seems to be working or not. Oh well.... we will see.

Anthony Simon · Post by **Anthony Simon** » Wed Feb 22, 2012 1:56 pm

I know from the experience of an older woman friend of mine that the brain can reorganise itself after one of these attacks. About a year ago she lost her power of speech almost entirely. It has since returned to enough of a degree where she can make herself understood. I think it's more a question of the neural pathways in the brain resetting themselves than anything else - anyway that's the impression I've got.

She's had MS for decades, but is as tough as old boots, this woman. Really cussed. She used to be an analyst and made numerous enemies out of it. But probably that's one thing that kept her going. That's one thing to think about when your wife has a go at you, Anne. In a sense it proves she's still fighting.

Anne Bonny · Post by **Anne Bonny** » Fri Feb 24, 2012 10:40 am

My wife was completely unresponsive, motionless, not breating - "dead" for what seemed like a minute at the end of the seizure. I rolled her on her back, made an innefective palpation for her carotid, pumped her chest ineffectively 4 times, forgot to reposition her head to open the airway, made one innefective breath, then at the same time remembered in adults you are supposed to call 911 after an initial cycle of CPR (which this was not) I paniced seeing her lying there I was very upset and literally thought "Is THIS IT?!" emotion. I jumped up and ran to the back of the house yelling upstairs at my teens "CALL 911!" I ran back to our room and called 911 myself, after talking to them - and they did not even try to ask about the patient (my wife) or try to guide me to feel for a pulse!!! they just took my information, name address, what was going on. Fortunately when I was finished with the ambulance on the way, the fire truck showed up first she started breathing and began to stur. I imagine this was the brain resetting itself after the electrical activity - threshold had been effected. Thank God this has not occurred since, she is now on Keppra - and has been remarkably improved since, probably the addition of the Keppra, Seroquel at night, stopping Methylphenidate, but I will continue with the coconut oil anyway as it takes time and objective testing to see if this is going to have an effect probably 2 weeks at a minimum if done correctly.

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sun Feb 26, 2012 11:04 pm

Anne I'm glad that your wife seems to be doing somewhat better.

Zari