Has anyone experienced this?....

Wendy1942

Registered User
Aug 19, 2007
1
0
South Yorkshire
Hello, I am a first time poster and have been looking at this forum for some time now.

My Husband (Robert) was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia nearly 3years ago. Obviously things have gotten a bit worse since he was first diagnosed.

We went to the Local NHS hospital and my husband went through the test that he should have. We received the letter confirming that he had dementia soon after.

We visited the same doctor for 2 and a half years and said that he had to get worse before he could give the drugs to help him.

My son and 2 daughters advised me to see another doctor (just for a 2nd opinion) and to see if he would prescribe any helpful drugs or tips.

Low and behold on the first visit he prescribed Ebixa and also ran some new tests on Robert.

Robert had an appointment to go and see the new doctor for the test results about 3 months later.

We could not believe what he was telling us... Robert DID NOT have dementia!...but to triple check the doctor would have some more test on him. We are due back on 3 weeks.

The Doctor said that Robert was having mini blood clots in the brain which were making him loose some of his memory and hallucinating, and that if the 3rd set of results confirm what he thinks it is then there are tablets which will stop the blood clots.

He stressed that he will not go back to how he was before, but he will not get any worse.

Has anyone here come across this before? and help or advice or anything would be very welcome:)

wendy.
 

merlin

Registered User
Aug 2, 2006
139
0
Surrey
Hi Wendy

You make a pertinent point with me because a year or so back when I finally took a weeks respite I received a phone call from the home mid way through the week to say my wife had been taken to hospital with what seemed to be a stroke. Turned out that the CT scans showed no such happening and to cut a long story short, because she was no longer mobile, I had to put her in a home.

I subsequently asked the doctor at the home what he thought had been the problem and he said that he thought it might have been one or more mini strokes. Whether this is the same as blood clots on the brain I am not sure but it does raise an interesting point because I have never had absolute proof of what form of denentia my wife has as I have discovered that the paperwork from the Memory Clinic which carried out all the tests, is missing from her medical notes. I am in the process of trying to get them.

Doesn't help you much I am afraid except to illustrate the fallibility of GP's.

Well done for being persistent. I wonder how many other people have been mis-diagnosed in the same way?

Merlin
 

Taffy

Registered User
Apr 15, 2007
1,314
0
Hello Wendy and welcome to TP,

No advise sorry on your situation but pleased that you followed your kids advise and truly hope that this will be the case for you and Robert.

Wendy 1942 said:
He stressed that he will not go back to how he was before, but he will not get any worse.

Best Wishes, Taffy.