My dad tells me he has korsakoffs!! But in a sarcastic way (he knows and remembers the diagnosis but does not accept it) but thats the denial aspect of wks and i guess alcoholics in general isn't it. I think he has 'learnt' his diagnosis by reading his care plan constantly, by me telling him and I know when he was in 24hr care they went through the lit with him. Don't think he will ever believe it though.

He finally has a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy and sensory ataxia now too; he has had quite a few falls recently. All in all with the worsening mobility, alcohol intake , falls and memory I have decided to move back to be closer to him. I'm still in a way angry that I am having to do this as I'm leaving my friends behind. I don't feel I have any choice though. The social worker has not been very helpful over the last few months and the carers are useless too. I saw my dad 8 times in a 14 day period a couple of weeks ago due to numerous problems and so I have admitted defeat! I have a new job and just waiting to pack up my house to move.....

Good luck to everyone x

--- On Mon, 2/6/08, sunni stalbird <sunniibunnii71@...> wrote:

From: sunni stalbird <sunniibunnii71@...>
Subject: Re: [wernicke-korsakoff_syndrome] Im not looking to find a way to get him to quit drinking, Im looking for a way
To: wernicke-korsakoff_syndrome@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 2 June, 2008, 4:23 AM

Carrie, Thank you so much for opening your heart and sharing your emotions and heart with me. I  really appreciate it. I am sorry to reopen any wounds. I know your healing, and you deserve the best. I admire you for your strenght and sharing with me what to expect. I know its not easy and I know I will be the next person sharing there story and passing it on to another person in the same situation as well, My prayers are with you and your son. I look up to you so much, I have a 6 year old and werealmost reliving your life at different times. Hang in there and keep going strong.

respectfully your friend Sunni

----- Original Message ----
From: carrie buckingham <ibcarrieat@yahoo. com>
To: wernicke-korsakoff_ syndrome@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Sunday, June 1, 2008 10:08:31 PM
Subject: Re: [wernicke-korsakoff _syndrome] Im not looking to find a way to get him to quit drinking, Im looking for a way

Sunni,
Part of WKS is the patient has no insight of the disease. Someone else thinks they have it but they don't. You could tell your dad until you are sick. Doctors could tell him over and over but he won't get it. The light bulb won't go on. As long as he continues to drink, it will progress. I'm sorry. My dad died with WKS. The damage he did was irreversible. He was institutionalized. Sober for almost 18 months yet every time he got sick, his brain was further poisoned because of the damage he had done to his liver. That's the encephalopathy part. The part that killed him.
There was never anything magical I said to my dad. Adult Protective Services took custody of him and put him in a nursing home and you know what? It was a huge relief to me and my family. At least he wasn't out on the road drinking and driving where he could kill himself or worse, someone else. At least he wasn't home alone dying. I worried all the time to the point where it made me sick.
And now he's gone and I'm angry. I'm angry because he robbed my son of the only grandpa he had and it hurts. I have to stop now.
Carrie

sunniibunnii71 <sunniibunnii71@ yahoo.com> wrote:

For him to understand his ilness..Thank you for
sharing on here, that really helps. I have accepted my dad will not
ever stop drinking , he has been in and out of rehab his entire life
and never got it. AAdidnt work. The longest he was sober was for 1
year. Then he starts back up again, The difference now is he is 60
yearsold and falls abd gets dizzy, looses things, cant remeber things.
He calls me every night with a new word that came to hiom to look up
for him. I explain there not new words, thats your memory trying to
remeber the meaning. Sometimes Im patient with him. Other times Im
avoiding him and not patient. He questions me, he says " why am I
falling down ? getti9ng dizzy? he aske me to tell him of WKS, I read it
to him and he says thats not me, I dont have al the symptoms. I said
you dont have to have all the symptoms to have WKS, we went to a
neurologist 1 year ago, she explained to him he will prgressivly get
worse. He doenst belive his dioagnosis. So, I am trying to focus on a
way to get him to understand his illness alcoholism, alcoholic
neuropathy, WKS, RSD, dementia the lsit goes on and on. I am looking to
find a way to make him get it...the lighy bulde moment for him to see
where he is now and where he is infact headed. Thats why all of your
stories will help me in doing this. Thanks Sunnni