Advice Please, Are Brain CT Scans reliable in showing Dementia?

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valleygirl

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Apr 7, 2015
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Valleygirl I have replayed to driving threads on T.P since March 2005 , obviously there are several types of dementia and its effects are different in majority of people with a diagnoses , I myself was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1999 No mention on DVLA at that time after a couple of years my Consultant moved abroad in 2001 I was assigned to a younger Consultant he told me I had to inform DVLA I did and was given a driving licence for a 12 month period I continued to argue with my Consultant re: my diagnoses in 2003 he sent my to a hospital can't say name but it was out of the County to have a PET brain scan that's a radioactive medical scan that showed blood flow through parts of brain or in my case part where it should have been but wasn't they called in loss of volume on the frontal lobes of the brain FTD the scan was repeated in 2004 so I was now stuck with the diagnoses of frontal-temporal-dementia , I continued a long battle with DVLA for 12 years trying to get my full driving licence reinstated but the system treats all dementia suffers the same and would only grant the 12 month driving licence, finally after 12 years I decided to take the DVLA to court and challenge there decision I gathered loads of evidence regards my ability to drive and hold a full driving licence , this included me taking a driven test and filming myself drive in UK and in Spain through the city traffic and on motorways , the DVLA solicitors looked at all my evidence and decided it was in their best interest to Grant me a FULL driving licence and No more Medical Enquiries so now after being diagnosed 16 years ago with dementia I now have a full licence and yes driving around Majorca :) {hope this helps}

Cheers Tony
Tony, I'm pleased that you got your licence back. I am not implying everyone with dementia should not be allowed to drive and as you say each case should be accessed individually. I was saying that I was shocked that in 2012 the DVLA stopped my husband driving (I did not know) so he had been driving without a license and therefore the insurance would have been not valid. Thank god there was no incident! He bought a new car in 2014 when he could not legally drive it. This is out of character because he knows the law and has been in the Transport Industry all his life. He is not driving now.
 

Countryboy

Registered User
Mar 17, 2005
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Tony, I'm pleased that you got your licence back. I am not implying everyone with dementia should not be allowed to drive and as you say each case should be accessed individually. I was saying that I was shocked that in 2012 the DVLA stopped my husband driving (I did not know) so he had been driving without a license and therefore the insurance would have been not valid. Thank god there was no incident! He bought a new car in 2014 when he could not legally drive it. This is out of character because he knows the law and has been in the Transport Industry all his life. He is not driving now.

Hi Valleygirl "Thanks". I do understand all they issues and reasons why some people with dementia and other medical conditions shouldn't be driving , because I'm one of those with the illness and have myself dealt with being angry after being told I could have a licence for 12 months and carried my aggression on for years obviously it was alway worse around the 12 month renewal my GP , Consultants, Occupational Therapist , and some family members couldn't understand Why I was so angry when the DVLA were a least issuing it every year albeit for 12 months , I was getting so upset / annoyed because my driving licence was being restricted when in fact I Had-dent broken any law or road traffic act , the system assume a person with dementia is incapable but that isn't correct , I attend a Alzheimer's Leadership Group run by Alzheimer's Society eight member all have dementia six still drive their self to the venue , Valleygirl my driving licence pre 2001 had nearly all the categories on including C1 it was only when my daughter showed me her driving licence I got mine out and was shocked to find all my categories were gone so Valleygirl I was driving lorries and other heavy goods when in fact I didn't have a licence to drive them , yes we all make mistakes unknowingly obviously if you have difficulty reading it well I have dementia and it looks ok with me

Again not trying to step on anyone toes just my views and thing I have had to deal with myself

Forgot to mention when I received notification I was to get my full driving licence back I became a different person much calmer and relaxed now more laid back a real Happy Bunny hopefully people will understand how important it is to retain these things as long as possible
Cheers Tony :)
 
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mary2000

Registered User
Mar 24, 2016
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West Sussex
Hi Valleygirl - I just wanted to say that I really hope you manage to find a solution to this issue with your husband. I can only imagine how stressful it must be for you and your son.

My husband is still in the investigation stage - he had his CT scan a few days ago and now we wait for an appointment with the consultant. i was having huge problems earlier in the year with my husband being irritable and aggressive with me when he hadn't been in the past. Fortunately he admitted he had a problem so that has made it easier for me and our GP put him on anti-depressants which has really evened things out but he is still having huge memory issues etc. I know I am lucky in that hubby readily admits there are issues and is willing to meet me half way to get solutions and a way forward. I hope in my heart that you manage to get to this stage too. It must be so frightening to see such a big change in him and for him not to recognise that there is a change. Either that or he is in denial about it all which is possible. May be he is frightened in his own way and finding that attack is the best form of defence. Hubby has used that tactic on me on many occasions. I know how unpleasant it can be.

Anyway don't want to ramble but just wanted to say that I was thinking of you and you will get lots of support on here x
 

Justincase

Registered User
Jul 7, 2017
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Dementia not showing on scans

Your post sounds like what is going on. I know, many with dementia related illnesses will have positive CT or MRI results but about half don't especially early on even if the person is already disabled.

We are in a big mess with my father. He's 53, obviously suffers dementia & even his PCP stated in writing two years ago he had mild dementia then. The problem is he's had MRI tests etc & they are all normal results. He is not able to work anymore & he often can't remember if he even ate that day or not or what he had to eat. Some days his mind is very clear yet many days he forgets nearly everything unless it's something from 20 or 40 years ago.

We don't know what to do since it seems SS disability will need medical records of proof that he is disabled and although his primary doctor is more than willing to write he is and he takes a medication for it, since there is no neurologist who can agree since they will only go with what an MRI says or perhaps CT, I doubt SS will accept it as medical proof. They are holding on by a thread paying bills. Just food is near impossible. They never go anywhere since they either can't afford it or he's not well enough to go out. He is in the house all the time. They will play a movie for him that he remembers but he gets confused part way through so he's not even enjoying anything. He does not drink and never did drugs so it's not some big party going on.

We need to do something to get doctors and public to realize brain scans are not infallible and might not be diagnosing nearly half of those who are really ill. Maybe ten years from now it will show something if he lives that long but it does no good for the problems right now. It is amazing how much is being put into MRI and CT scans for this topic when they just can't DX all cases or even 95% of cases.
 

Bron12

New member
Jul 24, 2019
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I posted a little while back. My husband's behaviour has changed in that he rarely leaves the house, is constantly either watching or on the internet regards horse racing, is verbally aggressive and has physically barged both my son and I. He is not interested in anything else and shows no empathy. He talks about the past a lot and of horse racing. I could go on but to cut a long story short he rang the DRS for the results of his CT Brain Scan today and they came back as satisfactory, no further action required. I had wrote to his GP and this is how he was initially referred for the CT Brain Scan. I am at a loss to what his behaviour (it is this that worry's me more than the memory loss) down to and I am really asking are the CT Scans reliable in showing Dementia? Of course he thinks there is now nothing wrong with him and his behaviour is not normal. Before all this he was a successful businessman and very active in politics.
I had the same result normal ct but dr diagnosed FTD based on his behaviours
 

mysanity

Registered User
Jun 18, 2019
11
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I had the same result normal ct but dr diagnosed FTD based on his behaviours
CT scan and MRI scan came back as normal. Eventually had a PET Scan which confirmed diagnosis of Alzheimers. Whilst waiting for PET scan which we were very lucky to get due to costs, my partner was diagnosed with Pseudo Dementia. Dementia like symptoms but not necessarily Dementia. We were lucky to have a Consultant (Neurologist) that acknowledged that there was something seriously wrong and promised us he would explore all avenues. Incidentally his GP was useless in acknowledging that there was anything wrong. I paid for a private consultation with a Neurologist which cost £90. Because we didn't have private Health Care he is seen via the NHS with the same consultant. Best £90 I have ever spent. Persevere and don't give up. Without a diagnosis you are extremely limited to getting any help and support.
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK
hello @Bronwyn Brown
a warm welcome to DTP
I hope you will find the forums helpful ... members are incredibly understanding and supportive

FTD can be tricky to diagnose, behaviour is often the key to distinguishing it

just to let you know that this thread is some years old (you can check the date of each post at top left of the text box)

you may want to begin a thread of your own with anything that's on your mind
maybe in this forum
https://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/forums/i-have-a-partner-with-dementia.69/
 
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