The other day talking to a good friend I asked after spending a great day with MIL and then a so so day with her, why is it with memory issues they often talk about memories but fail to remember the whole or mix it up a bit? Did she see the same in her mom also?
I know this sounds like Im beating a dead horse but this part of the disease really intrigues me and I want to understand it better to cope with these issues.
So after my visit with MIL I come home to tell hunny and his friend MIL said hi, of course friend was here with us years ago so Im not surprised she remembers him she was in the correct time frame but other items she touched on like where we really live verses her memory got me on one of those tangents....something clicked for me that night.
I came up with this (now y'all know me well enough by now to know Im not flowery so here goes)
Like the Radio analogy I often pull outta my hat to explain to someone what AD is like or why they act a certain way I retold the story to our friend as he had questions about it.
Like a plug in radio if you cut the cord, take the ends and press them back together sound comes out of the speakers, its fixed right?
Well no it isnt while you are getting sounds out of the speakers its not entirely clear, it crackles but you can hear in the background the station...
With AD the tangles and plaque choke the brain and destroy connections BUT the brain is always in motion gently undulating (but with AD and its causes, its movements are a little more restricted) so is it any wonder why they have these good days as well as bad?
When the brain is in motion is it so far fetched to believe like the "Radio analogy" that it does move to create a connection where it does line up somewhat perfectly at one point to produce that "Good Day" when memory is a little more clear.....
Thoughts anyone?

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It's such a great thing to have my "real" mom for even an hour.

Oh, man... even five minutes is a treasured blessing!!!

Oh trust me DG Ill think on this one and get back to it I agree this is the great things about ECO we all somehow work together for a common goal to understand the big picture of this disease...
Im grateful everyday for this.
And may I say glad your a part of this wonderful group of individuals who share their personal journey here to help others your a wonderful addition

Hey BG!! Ya know -- one of the great thing about this EC Forum is you find out your lo aren't the only ones with a particular situation. Let me know if yo figure it out. I've actually felt (rarely for sure) that being "on" isn't worth the week after being "off". It's such a great thing to have my "real" mom for even an hour.

DG now ya just brought up another facet to this that puzzles me that tired on they get for that week after dang it now Im gonna hafta set down an think on that! I thought that was just something MIL did and its noticeable like it takes a real effort to be that "good day" like runnin a marathon or somethin

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Originally posted by Moms_Buddy:

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When she is good I call everyone and say mom is in the building -- go see her NOW.

Kinda like the flashing light at Krispy Kreme when they have hot donuts!
Get 'em while they're hot!!!

Yeah, a don't waste a single minute -- it may not last that long.

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When she is good I call everyone and say mom is in the building -- go see her NOW.

Kinda like the flashing light at Krispy Kreme when they have hot donuts!
Get 'em while they're hot!!!

It always amazes (and puzzles) me what they do and do not remember. I live the closest to mom so I see her often. She remember's my H and always asks what Dan's doing and how is he. Then she won't remember that I was there yesterday. If she gets over stimulated (too many visitors at once) she kinda perks up and fakes it well but TOTALLY is unable to remember and is exhausted for a week after. Interesting but sad on the down days (today was not a good day). When she is good I call everyone and say mom is in the building -- go see her NOW.

great radio analogy! just on our recent trip, 100 miles away we passed an area where we were getting 3 staions at once and none of them clear broadcasting. just snippets and crackling. then all at once one would come in more clearly than the others. on the way home, the same pattern until it sttled on home base. i went from talk radio to hard rock, county and even got snippets of my moldie oldies. great thought. makes things as clear as mud!

...I dunno, BG, but I think I'm picking up Radio Free Europe...

Seriously, I think your analogy is pretty accurate. The nerve impulses are getting through intermittently... sometimes signals from another portion of the brain that depend on memories stored elsewhere are not firing in synch and thoughts start getting squirrelly. Our brains store our memories all over our brain for safekeeping. For example, our memory of the object, an apple, is not stored where our memory of the image of an apple is stored which is in a different place from our memory of that the word apple looks like, which is in a different place from the scent and taste of an apple are stored, etc. So for us to see an apple, smell it, remember its taste and smell and know what it is and its function, we have to draw data from many places in our brains at the same time... LOTS of room for things to wander off course when tangles and plaques are chewing up the wiring...