This is when you know it's bad

When you look back on last week and know that for all its torments, this week is likely to be worse.

There is one glimmer of hope though. This afternoon we have an appointment with the local Young Onset Dementia Service. They are supposed to be our 'single point of access' for support in the future. Virtually all the support we've received up till now has come from family and friends. It has been superb and vital but obviously there is a limit to what they - leading their own lives, dealing with their own problems and, in some cases, living far away - can do.

Now, in our twelfth year of dealing with the problem, we need professional help.

I'm trying not to pin too many hopes on the meeting though. I know resources devoted to these conditions is pitiful and 'young onset' appears to be one of the least well-supported areas, with many 'professionals' apparently pretty ignorant about it.

Still, anything they offer is likely to be a help.

At the moment I keep bursting into tears when people are asking me about S. I think it's the lack of sleep.