Hello, Friends.
“Exasperation” is a word I rarely use. Logically, I don’t often speak or write “exasperation” because I seldom feel exasperated.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, exasperation is a strong feeling of intense annoyance, irritation, or frustration, often caused by repeated troubles or a problem you cannot solve.
That definition certainly fits how I have felt the past few weeks.
I have a strong feeling of intense annoyance with the lack of effective Alzheimer’s disease treatments. Every day, I spend several hours reading and studying about current and emerging Alzheimer’s disease research. The pace and depth of Alzheimer’s research are strong. Recently, there have been several promising advancements. AI is enabling global cooperation and collaboration between researchers and scientists.
Yet, the reality is that it will likely be three or more years before an effective treatment to slow the progression of AD is available. I expect it will be at least ten years before an AD cure is developed. Sadly, that is probably not in my lifetime.
The dictionary also lists irritation as an element of exasperation. I am certainly emotionally irritated with many things: having Alzheimer’s disease, wasting eight months taking Lecanemab infusions, and not being able to create a consistent revenue stream to bridge our gap between income and expenses.
“Intense frustration” is the last descriptive phrase included in the definition of exasperation. My annoyance and my irritation cause me to experience intense frustration. I am not a patient person. Good or bad, my lack of patience manifests as frustration.
So far, I have only described how my Alzheimer’s disease makes me exasperated.
The current state of world politics, the American economy, and the global cultural divide adds to my feelings of exasperation. The Ukraine war is rapidly moving toward its five-year mark with an estimated total Ukrainian death toll between 140,000 and 170,000. The war with Iran has claimed eighteen American lives to date, wreaked havoc with the economy, and damaged relationships with American allies. I could write much more about the current state of affairs. If I did write more, it would require finding my soapbox, which is packed away in an unknown moving box. I will simply say that everything seems to be disheveled.
I am aware that my Alzheimer’s disease compounds my extreme emotional feelings.
That bit of knowledge doesn’t improve my feeling of exasperation, though.
Last Sunday, LeAnne wrote, “Each day brings a new dose of uncertainty, struggle, frustration, turmoil, and fear. Amid all this, though, courage and hope remain. And love.” She is absolutely correct. Linda and I wake up every day knowing we will face both known and unknown challenges. That is a very difficult way to live.
We have each other. We have our three cats. We have friends and family. Furthermore, we have each of you.
My goals over the next four weeks are:
Figure out how to create consistent income from our online store and my publications (subscriptions and donations). If 200 blog subscribers donated $5 every month, we would have $1000 in sustainable monthly income. If another 25 people subscribed to my research report, we would have an additional $250 in sustainable monthly income.
Make daily exercise a priority. Now that Linda’s leg fracture has healed, she can walk slowly and in short durations. Walking and exercising will clear the cobwebs and improve our moods.
Enhance my writing to bring more value to the publications. Please let me know if there are specific topics or areas of my Alzheimer’s journey you would like me to write about.
Have fun! Linda and I need to explore Greensboro. At the top of our list of places to visit is the International Civil Rights Museum located in the Woolworth’s Landmark Building.
As always, thank you for your continued support and for reading my rambling thoughts.
In case you want to help me reach my number one goal, the button below takes you to Stripe where you can donate as little as $5.