Occasional Dementia

I need to use an entry to describe something that has taken a couple of Suerk’s visitors aback. Some who visit know that Suerk occasionally suffers from dementia. It’s not severe, and it does not happen often, but it is with him occasionally. What we’ve learned through the months is that these spells of unreality seem to indicate some sort infection is building. The strange thing is that the dementia arrives long before fever or other concrete indicators of trouble. Suerk does not seem rattled by these episodes. He seems to marry the unreality well with reality – sort of the way one would after a vivid dream – not really certain in the groggy aftermath if an event really happened, or not.

On a recent visit, Suerk asked that I pull the cord on the side of a framed piece of artwork. “The subjects will dance around the room when you pull it,” he said. I thought he was joking. He was not. And yesterday he asked me if I had responded to the emails he’d sent me. He does not send email anymore. So it looks like an infection is beginning again. When it becomes evident to the doctor, the prescribed antibiotics work well and the ‘visions’ do stop for a while – sometimes months.

Other than that, life for Suerk is normal – his normal. He’s looking forward to starting Michael Shaara’s “The Killer Angels,” and looking forward to attending his first Erie Philharmonic concert since before his fall in July of 2008. If all goes as planned, he will attend the concert on 17 April. If you're interested, here's a LINK.