A Few Concerns

Lottie40

Registered User
Nov 5, 2013
28
0
Hi,
As some of you here may know,my Mum died almost 2 years ago from Early Onset Alzheimers .There are some concerns I have regarding myself and also my Dad .I dont start thinking that every little memory lapse etc means Ive got Alzheimers ,I know its more unlikely at my age .Lately my forgetfulness has got worse ,its mostly little things Ive noticed like,when I want to have a drink Ive forgotten it - what I mean is I can pick up the bottle,lift it up towards my mouth but then its a blank of "How do I actually drink? What do I do with my mouth to get the drink from the bottle? I was aware it was happening but just stood there holding the water waiting to know what to do .

I was helping my Dad fill in a form the other day which asked the date,I automatically wrote 1916 and didnt even notice or think it was wrong until somebody pointed it out .This morning after I had a shower,I got upstairs,started dressing and then noticed i hadnt washed my hair .There are lots of little instances like this .
Im not sure whether to mention it to my Dr or not ?

The other situation is about my Dad, his problems could be caused by grief as he is devastated that his wife has died .He is really struggling ,none of the health professionals ever talked openly with Dad or Mum about the Alzheimers ,Dad feels Mum was really let down by health professionals ,which I agree with .
Dad is 84 and Im realistic that as you get older its quite common to forget things but its things like -Dad has been thinking that I was at his and Mums wedding when in fact i wasnt even born ,I was born 6 years after .Dad forgets his words mid flow in a sentence and this happens nearly all of the time .He gets confused about whether Mum is dead or alive : ( i keep having to go through it all .-which I dont mind but emotionally those bits in particular are hard as Im still grieving for Mum and its only in the last few months that Ive started to realise that she isnt coming back .
My brother has told my Dads CPN about it and she did a memory test with him and then another one a couple of Months later .Poor Dad didnt do well at all but his CPN said to my brother thats its just his age (I wasnt actually there) .
At what point do we ask for more tests ?

Sorry for such a long post
Lottie x
 

marionq

Registered User
Apr 24, 2013
6,449
0
Scotland
If you have concerns and are dwelling on them then you begin by going to your GP and asking for a check up to ensure that your general health is alright before assuming you have early onset dementia. If you believe your Dad has Alzheimer's then again you ask the GP to consider this and whether medication would help.

This is really the only way to clarify the situation.
 

Selinacroft

Registered User
Oct 10, 2015
936
0
Hi Lottie
Not sure how old you are but looking after an elderly parent I am guessing you could be around my age- 47. My memory was shot to pieces before I had my hysterectomy and oopherectomy at 44. Every sentence I was uttering seemed to start with the phrase " I can't remember"and my thoughts were often along the lines of "which planet am I on at the moment?"-you know the sort of thing- why have I just opened the fridge? I'm please to report that HRT straightened me out and now almost normal:)
What I'm trying to say is that your own memory issues could well be hormonal and nothing more sinister if you are preimeno or meno. Don't underestimate the impact even if you are only in your 30's it could still be onset of peri. Don't listen to those who are telling you that you are too young for it.
As for Dad, relax for the moment but when things take a noticeable turn for the worst ask GP to do a test to see if you can get a referral to the memory clinic.