Alzheimers Research sponsored ride. Training begins - sort of!
Well we don't really have any excuse not to get on with it - exercise that is. It has never come naturally to either of us - exercise for the sake of it, but we have committed ourselves to ride with the Alzheimer's Research team on the Prudential Ride London at the end of July. While 46 miles isn't really a terrifying distance, it would be better to do it in some style and comfort and arrive at the end looking cool and fit.
Today we went for a quick spin around the block - about 11 k - Kent is very hilly so it took about half an hour. I think this will be our default route when we havn't got more time - its pretty quiet on the car front and very beautiful. I admit I did have to stop half way up Cowden Lane to catch my breath - but hopefully in a week or so I will be able to report shorter times and no stopping.
So the main reason for doing this is to get into a fitness habit which we can continue for the foreseeable future - My gorgeous Rich was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers Disease (EOAD) just over a year ago. Aged 56. Keeping fit and well was pretty much the only advice the Neurologists were able to offer us. There is no cure for this disease.
He takes a drug called Donezepil everyday which basically gives his neurones a bit of a boost - a bit like a sharp shot of coffee. But it doesn't do anything to halt the build up of Amyloid plaques in his brain.
The name of this blog spot - Can I make you tea - came from my earliest suspicions that all was not well with Richard. As anyone who knows Rich will understand, tea is very important to him. He makes it well and he makes a lot of it. The pot is always warmed and the blend is usually Assam with a hint of Lapsang - delicious! I can't pin down when it started to worry me but I began to notice that the question "Can I make you a cup of tea?" did not always result in the expected mug appearing. Sometimes nothing would come but the question would be asked over again. Then maybe again. Sometimes cups would appear in succession so I would have two or three on the go in their various stewing stages. Of course there were many many more pointers towards the final diagnosis. On their own, one could excuse them as belonging to our age - we all start losing the plot after about 40 in various ways but when it interferes with you ability to work then you have a problem.
It's really early days for us and often people are pretty shocked and surprised when they understand whats going on. Its a very slow creeping disease and many people go for years without a diagnosis. Richard got this early diagnosis because he agreed to take part in a medical trial which was investigating a different issue - he had an Amyloid PET scan which showed up plaques forming in his brain. Not what we were expecting at all.
So we have a problem called Alzheimers Disease. I say 'we' and will refer to it as our disease as that is what it is - ours. Richard has it and I manage it. He cannot go to hospital and have a treatment and get better. When he progresses through the various stages and loses a little cognitive ability, I pick up the piece he drops.
Our diagnosis is teaching me so much about being human and while it's so easy to sink into a 'why us' mood, there are things which are very positive. Our instinct to get out there and do stuff has never been sharper. We pretty much say yes to every invitation and challenge. The feeling that life is very short and should not be wasted is now very much in the forefront of our minds. Living a full, healthy and meaningful life surrounded by family and friends while trying to make a contribution to the world in some way is not a bad aspiration.
Right - I'll just go and put the kettle on.
Today we went for a quick spin around the block - about 11 k - Kent is very hilly so it took about half an hour. I think this will be our default route when we havn't got more time - its pretty quiet on the car front and very beautiful. I admit I did have to stop half way up Cowden Lane to catch my breath - but hopefully in a week or so I will be able to report shorter times and no stopping.
So the main reason for doing this is to get into a fitness habit which we can continue for the foreseeable future - My gorgeous Rich was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers Disease (EOAD) just over a year ago. Aged 56. Keeping fit and well was pretty much the only advice the Neurologists were able to offer us. There is no cure for this disease.
He takes a drug called Donezepil everyday which basically gives his neurones a bit of a boost - a bit like a sharp shot of coffee. But it doesn't do anything to halt the build up of Amyloid plaques in his brain.
The name of this blog spot - Can I make you tea - came from my earliest suspicions that all was not well with Richard. As anyone who knows Rich will understand, tea is very important to him. He makes it well and he makes a lot of it. The pot is always warmed and the blend is usually Assam with a hint of Lapsang - delicious! I can't pin down when it started to worry me but I began to notice that the question "Can I make you a cup of tea?" did not always result in the expected mug appearing. Sometimes nothing would come but the question would be asked over again. Then maybe again. Sometimes cups would appear in succession so I would have two or three on the go in their various stewing stages. Of course there were many many more pointers towards the final diagnosis. On their own, one could excuse them as belonging to our age - we all start losing the plot after about 40 in various ways but when it interferes with you ability to work then you have a problem.
It's really early days for us and often people are pretty shocked and surprised when they understand whats going on. Its a very slow creeping disease and many people go for years without a diagnosis. Richard got this early diagnosis because he agreed to take part in a medical trial which was investigating a different issue - he had an Amyloid PET scan which showed up plaques forming in his brain. Not what we were expecting at all.
So we have a problem called Alzheimers Disease. I say 'we' and will refer to it as our disease as that is what it is - ours. Richard has it and I manage it. He cannot go to hospital and have a treatment and get better. When he progresses through the various stages and loses a little cognitive ability, I pick up the piece he drops.
Our diagnosis is teaching me so much about being human and while it's so easy to sink into a 'why us' mood, there are things which are very positive. Our instinct to get out there and do stuff has never been sharper. We pretty much say yes to every invitation and challenge. The feeling that life is very short and should not be wasted is now very much in the forefront of our minds. Living a full, healthy and meaningful life surrounded by family and friends while trying to make a contribution to the world in some way is not a bad aspiration.
Right - I'll just go and put the kettle on.
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