Part eight of 12.
It was quite early in the progression of the disease when my wife started to display an almost uncontrollable urge to perform some tasks.
Interestingly, although this stage went on for many, many months, Joan gradually became less driven by the urges, until now they have almost disappeared. I interpret this not as a cure, but rather as an indication that some part of her behavior-control mechanism has changed.
But it was interesting and presented problems to solve while it lasted. There was the laundry obsession. Should the dirty laundry box get even to a half load, Joan had to take care of it. Seeing the towels becoming more and more frayed from too much washing, noting the piles of lint building up from the dryer and watching the laundry soap disappear was for me, a frugal person, not easy to ignore.
But the alternative, to stop her from doing things, had little appeal. I believe doing βsomethingβ is good for her, and I would therefore accept and work with her obsessions. I noted that the gray water going on my citrus was more plentiful than usual, and the laundry didnβt pile up.
Next there was the dirty dish obsession, a somewhat more difficult problem. Her passion for cleanliness led to a total aversion to any dirty dish in the sink. It had to be washed, and NOW! Unfortunately, her enthusiasm failed to include using soap. Washing dishes meant running the hot water tap until the temperature was right, and then rinsing the dish. No soap.
That had to be fixed. Fortunately our kitchen sink has a screw-in stopper that I could tighten firmly enough that she couldnβt open it to drain the water. I put a good amount of hot, soapy water in the sink. Problem solved. She can follow her obsession, but she now has to use soapy water and get the dishes clean!
Other obsessions remain. Lights not in use must be turned off. Great care must be followed when leaving the house to be sure all doors are locked, all electric appliances turned off and so on. Sometimes I deliberately want lights on, and I often leave something simmering on the stove, only to find that Joan turned it off. It can be frustrating.
Perhaps new obsessions will emerge and need attention. Each of them will be just a problem to solve.
Tomorrow: Hungry or not? Contact Chuck at chuckandjoan@msn.com
