My Alzheimer's Journey

Part 42 - Triggered by Costco

We went to Costco yesterday afternoon to have a few prescriptions refilled.

The parking lot was a madhouse. It took a long time to find a vacant parking space. Once in the store, I began to feel a tad overstimulated. There were people everywhere, the bright lights, noise from various sources, and a general sense of confusion.

This type of chaotic environment triggers anxiousness, an agonizing feeling, and a general uncomfortableness for me. The longer I remain in this type of environment, the more unbearable my restlessness becomes.

We placed our refill order at the pharmacy, ate lunch ate at the food court, and then wandered around while waiting on our prescriptions. Oh yea, they had cooked frozen whole lobsters at crazy low prices. I had a moment of happiness putting two lobsters in our shopping cart.

Finally, the prescriptions were ready. Not a moment too soon because I was about to blow a gasket.

I believe the Costco environmental stressor, combined with my recent increased ease to become irritable, resulted in me feeling overwhelmed and out of control. Once we were in the car, I began to calm down. Frankly, it took the entire twenty-minute drive home for me to really relax. Honestly, there were two additional factors that allowed me to feel ‘normal’ (do I even have a normal anymore?). Those factors were lots of feline love from Big Bit and a nice Grey Goose cocktail.

Thank you to the many new subscribers to my blog. I know a lot of you are caregivers. Does your loved one experience the same experience I did at Costco? How do you deal with it?

My store has officially opened. You can click the store link at the header of this blog or follow this link: https://www.gregsalzheimersjourney.biz/

We have stocked thirty items ranging from clothing to beverage glasses. Many more items are in the works. As I mentioned a few days ago, the store has a Linus blanket.

Ten percent of all purchases will be donated to the Duke University and the University of North Carolina Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. The balance of our profits will help cover my medical expenses.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your support is greatly appreciated.