We've just had John's annual review with his consultant this afternoon. He has confirmed that he believes John has primary progressive aphasia, a form of fronto-temporal dementia/Pick's disease.
He confirmed that the virus John contracted last year would have caused more damage to his brain, and could have accelerated the spread to other areas of the brain. However, the good news is that there may be some recovery, and the acceleration need not continue. PPA has normally a slow progression.
I asked about the problems with John's bladder (he produces vast amounts of urine at night, which means that we are up every two hours, and still he's regularly wet).
He suggested a nasal spray called Desmopressin which will work on the brain to reduce the stimulation of the kidneys to produce urine. Apparently it's the fronto-temporal section of the brain which controls the kidneys, so the problem is quite common with PPA.
We have to wait until he has written to our GP -- hopefully not too long. I'd love a night's sleep!
Sorry if this is boring for most of you, but it may be of interest to some.
Love,
He confirmed that the virus John contracted last year would have caused more damage to his brain, and could have accelerated the spread to other areas of the brain. However, the good news is that there may be some recovery, and the acceleration need not continue. PPA has normally a slow progression.
I asked about the problems with John's bladder (he produces vast amounts of urine at night, which means that we are up every two hours, and still he's regularly wet).
He suggested a nasal spray called Desmopressin which will work on the brain to reduce the stimulation of the kidneys to produce urine. Apparently it's the fronto-temporal section of the brain which controls the kidneys, so the problem is quite common with PPA.
We have to wait until he has written to our GP -- hopefully not too long. I'd love a night's sleep!
Sorry if this is boring for most of you, but it may be of interest to some.
Love,