Howard's Story.
Mar 27, 2016
By: Silver
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My name is Peggy. Oi have been married to Howard for 28 years. I am now his caregiver and speak on his behalf.
Howard was diagnosed on March 10, 2014. He was an insurance underwriter for almost 40 years. I began seeing strange things happening. Not being abe to keep his balance while dressing. Losing his balance on stairs and Uneven ground. Urinary problems and ED began a few years earlier. Basically we don't know where we are in the process.
The balance and Urinary issues became more of a problem and we searched for answers. 1st ears nose and throat eval. Nothing. Next a testosterone eval low t can cause Urinary and ED problems.. nothing helped. We went hiking (I didn't realize how dizzy he was all the time.) He fell while hiking and almost went over the side of a mountain. Again diagnosis vertigo. Finally in November 2013 I took him to the er for evaluation he was having signs of a stroke. All tests were negative. A neurologist looked at his mri and said a portion of his brain had shrunk but not to worry, it can happen with age. Um, NO, brains do not shrink. I found a new neurologist who literally threw up his hands, said he dint know and started to leave the room. At this point I knew I needed to get aggressive. I stopped him and asked if it was him what would he do? He said go to Northwestern or Mayo. So we did.
We were lucky to find a team of doctors who understand the disease. We have had many major falls and he has resent spent 8 weeks in the hospital and nursing care to help him function. H
He is currently confined to a wheel chair, but can do a stand and pivot. He needs 24 hour care to kep him safe. He has difficulty feeding himself, but still eats a normal diet. He cannot dress or shower on his own.
Our biggest obstical is getting the insurance company to understand he needs servives. They don't cover some of the basic needs such as catheters. It is frustrating. Another problem is getting people to talk to me even tho I have a POA.
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