正文
5）日落综合症 - 阿尔茨海默病的现实
对贝蒂的每一次探访，都是泰迪和我的快乐。我们和贝蒂一起看家庭相册和剪贴簿，玩拼字游戏，和家人一起吃饭。让我奇怪的是，她通常是拼字游戏的得胜者。有一次，她坚持要我留下来，据说是把我当成她童年的玩伴了。
很多时候我和泰迪都觉得贝蒂的病没有那么重，甚至想把她转到一个年龄较轻患者的部门去。我们对她所在部门患者的状况感到震惊。
不过，我们一般在下午5点以前离开，因为贝蒂吃晚饭比较早，饭后就睡觉。病人为什么要这么做？因为他们，包括贝蒂，患有一个阿尔茨海默特有的症状，叫做日落综合症。太阳落山后，他们变得不安，焦虑加重。阿尔茨海默症患者逐渐失去记忆，先失去近期记忆，然后失去长久记忆。比如，贝蒂让泰迪带她回家，听起来很合理，但她想去的家是她儿时的家。
当贝蒂失去了对环境的记忆和认知，每一刻都要重新了解她在哪里。由于她不知道自己在哪里，不断会感到害怕，感觉被抛弃和不安全。我们也听说，贝蒂跟我们在一起的时候，是她最好的状态。
阿尔茨海默病患者的现实是残酷无望的。
6）通向天堂之门的最后路程
贝蒂的健康状况在2007年迅速下降。她的双腿变得虚弱，背部的伤痛加剧了她的痛苦，最终限制了她的行动。更糟糕的是，她得了胆结石。85岁高龄时，她动了手术，把胆结石取了出来，还在恢复期逃过了肺炎的一劫。当我们在2007年7月4日独立节探望她时，露丝跟我们分享了她对这位勇敢而甜美的小女人的钦佩。
就在我们准备为她庆祝一下时，医生在她的腰椎上发现了一个骨折。不料，在他们决定手术方案之前，贝蒂倒下了。我们刚从假期回来不到一周就得到通知，贝蒂被送到护理院，她的时间指日可数了。
星期二，贝蒂决定不再吃食物、喝水了。她告诉护士，“有什么用？” 贝蒂曾经说过，当她停止走路时，“时间就到了。”是的，贝蒂做出了自己的决定，下决心走了。
我们星期三赶到护理院。贝蒂睡在床上，进出昏迷。她的嘴唇有些干裂，偶尔疼痛得哼一下。每当她醒过来，看到泰迪，听到罗杰(泰迪的哥哥)特有的声调时，她的脸上浮现了慈爱和满足的微笑。
护士加大了吗啡的剂量以缓解她越来越重的疼痛，她的呼吸变得更加困难。星期五下午，护士对她进行了最后一轮检查。贝蒂的肾脏正在关闭，肺部充进了水。她的牧师来了，我们，包括泰迪的哥哥、姐姐及其家人，围在贝蒂身边，为她举行了最后的祷告。
后来，露丝劝我们先去吃点东西，她觉得这位勇敢的女士可能还有一段路程要走。我们匆忙离开，不想露丝的电话没有多久就来了。从星期二到星期五，四天的时间里，贝蒂走完了人生最后的路程。终于，她自由了，高高兴兴地由天使陪伴着进入了天堂之门。
我感谢婆婆贝蒂给了我一个可以执子之手的人。我也感谢她向我展示了一个勇敢而优美的暮光之旅。
-- My Mother-in-Law Betty and Her Battle of Alzheimer (Part III) --
5) The Sundown Syndrome – The Reality of Alzheimer Disease
Every visit to Betty was a joy to Ted and me. We looked at family photo albums and her scrapbook together, played scramble games, and ate out with families. Surprised to me, she often won the game. One time she insisted that I stay. I was told that she thought I was her childhood playmate.
Quite often I did not feel she was sick, and we even thought of moving her to a unit with younger people. We were really shocked by the conditions of the patients in her unit.
However, we were encouraged to leave before 5 p.m. as Betty would have an early dinner and go to bed afterwards. Why did the patients do it? Because they, including Betty, had a sickness called the Sundown Syndrome. When the sun was gone, they became restless and their anxiety became worse. As Alzheimer patients gradually lose their memories from the most recent to the remote, they would lose their sense of security, not knowing where they were. For example, Betty asked Ted to take her home, which sounded reasonable, but the home she wanted to go to was her childhood home.
As she lost her memory and recognition of environment, every moment she would have to be told where she was. She constantly lived in fear of abandonment and insecurity. We also heard that Betty was in her best condition when we were around.
The reality of Alzheimer’s patients is cruel and hopeless.
6) Her Departure to the Gate of Heaven
Betty’s health went into a downward spiral quickly in 2007. Her legs became weak and back injury aggravated her pain and eventually limited her mobility. To make it worse, she got a gallstone. At age 85, she underwent an operation to take the stone out and even survived a pneumonia during the recovery. When we visited during the July 4th holiday in 2007, her nurse shared her admiration of this brave and sweet little lady - with tears.
Before we could celebrate her victory over the gallstone, her doctors found a fracture on her lumbar spine. Before they could decide about surgery, Betty collapsed and could no longer stand. A week after we came home from the holiday visit, we were told she was in a nursing home and her days were numbered.
On Tuesday, Betty had decided not to take food and water anymore. She told the nurse, "What's the use?" She once said that when she stopped walking, "that's it." Yes, Betty made her own decision and determined to go. We rushed to the nursing home on Wednesday. There, laying in her bed, she was in and out of coma. Her lips were a little dry, and she turned around with occasional cry of pain. When she saw Ted and heard the signature laughter from Roger, Ted’s brother, however, she smiled, with such fondness and love.
She was given morphine to ease her growing pain, and her breath was more labored. By Friday afternoon, the nurse made a final round of check on her. Betty’s kidney was shutting down and her lung was filled with water. Her Pastor came, and we, including Ted’s siblings and their families, stood around Betty and said final prayers.
Later, Betty’s nurse told us that this brave lady might still have a while to go. We left to get something to eat until the nurse phoned. From Tuesday to Friday, it took her four days to walk her last steps to the Gate. Finally, she was free and happily entered the Gate with the angels.
I thank my mother-in-law Betty for giving me a person who I trust to take my hands. And I thank her for showing me her courageous and graceful sunset journey.
Every visit to Betty was a joy to Ted and me. We looked at family photo albums and her scrapbook together, played scramble games, and ate out with families. Surprised to me, she often won the game. One time she insisted that I stay. I was told that she thought I was her childhood playmate.
Quite often I did not feel she was sick, and we even thought of moving her to a unit with younger people. We were really shocked by the conditions of the patients in her unit.
However, we were encouraged to leave before 5 p.m. as Betty would have an early dinner and go to bed afterwards. Why did the patients do it? Because they, including Betty, had a sickness called the Sundown Syndrome. When the sun was gone, they became restless and their anxiety became worse. As Alzheimer patients gradually lose their memories from the most recent to the remote, they would lose their sense of security, not knowing where they were. For example, Betty asked Ted to take her home, which sounded reasonable, but the home she wanted to go to was her childhood home.
As she lost her memory and recognition of environment, every moment she would have to be told where she was. She constantly lived in fear of abandonment and insecurity. We also heard that Betty was in her best condition when we were around.
The reality of Alzheimer’s patients is cruel and hopeless.
6) Her Departure to the Gate of Heaven
Betty’s health went into a downward spiral quickly in 2007. Her legs became weak and back injury aggravated her pain and eventually limited her mobility. To make it worse, she got a gallstone. At age 85, she underwent an operation to take the stone out and even survived a pneumonia during the recovery. When we visited during the July 4th holiday in 2007, her nurse shared her admiration of this brave and sweet little lady - with tears.
Before we could celebrate her victory over the gallstone, her doctors found a fracture on her lumbar spine. Before they could decide about surgery, Betty collapsed and could no longer stand. A week after we came home from the holiday visit, we were told she was in a nursing home and her days were numbered.
On Tuesday, Betty had decided not to take food and water anymore. She told the nurse, "What's the use?" She once said that when she stopped walking, "that's it." Yes, Betty made her own decision and determined to go. We rushed to the nursing home on Wednesday. There, laying in her bed, she was in and out of coma. Her lips were a little dry, and she turned around with occasional cry of pain. When she saw Ted and heard the signature laughter from Roger, Ted’s brother, however, she smiled, with such fondness and love.
She was given morphine to ease her growing pain, and her breath was more labored. By Friday afternoon, the nurse made a final round of check on her. Betty’s kidney was shutting down and her lung was filled with water. Her Pastor came, and we, including Ted’s siblings and their families, stood around Betty and said final prayers.
Later, Betty’s nurse told us that this brave lady might still have a while to go. We left to get something to eat until the nurse phoned. From Tuesday to Friday, it took her four days to walk her last steps to the Gate. Finally, she was free and happily entered the Gate with the angels.
I thank my mother-in-law Betty for giving me a person who I trust to take my hands. And I thank her for showing me her courageous and graceful sunset journey.
我的婆婆也是这个病，也走了。我永远怀念她也感激她给我一个好老公。