Is there more vascular dementia now?

Kayla

Registered User
May 14, 2006
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Kent
I've noticed that recently there have been more people posting about relatives with vascular dementia. Last year when I joined, it was fairly unusual and it seemed like I was having conversations with just a small group of people.
I was wondering if the withdrawal of drugs for AD in the early stages and the substitution of other less suitable drugs could be a cause, or perhaps there is just more awareness now.
My Mum is fairly settled at the moment, but sometimes I have absolutely no idea what she is talking about. She thought that everybody had lost their ears on Saturday and a lady had 23 ears on her head. Mum thought this was strange because she'd have thought there would have been 24 ears in 12 pairs!What happened to the missing ear?
I find this type of conversation very disturbing, because I don't know how to explain it. She can hold a perfectly lucid conversation and then come out with something absolutely bizarre.
The lady in the room next door to Mum died last week and it suddenly struck me forcibly, that my Mum has an incurable disease and that there is only one end result. She has been in residential care for nearly two years now and for the first time,I cried for her and just couldn't stop. I felt so silly because I'm not usually like that as I like to be in control of things.There isn't anything much I can do for her now apart from bring her flowers for her room.
Kayla
 

Margarita

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Feb 17, 2006
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london
It does seem like it , I was just taking a friend who I meet in the street , that said she was a care worker and had just left a elderly man , she said that he had a stork , so I ask if he had VD she said yes , said that it , that what it is called, he also now has AZ she told me .

I was wondering if the withdrawal of drugs for AD in the early stages and the substitution of other less suitable drugs could be a cause,

I thought that in England they do not give medication for VD only AZ ?

PS

I thought if the VD is not control with medication for the heart problems it leads to AZ , but because of the heart problems they can not take medication for AZ . I am talking about UK rules .

so if they take control the medication for the heart problem it does not lead to AZ ?
 
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sue38

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Mar 6, 2007
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Wigan, Lancs
she said that he had a stork

Hi Margarita,

I love your posts but you had me confused with this one. Do you mean a stork or a stroke?:D I had this mental picture of a man with a stork and so everyone assumed he must have dementia!

As far as my Dad is concerned he has been diagnosed with mixed AD and VaD. I'm not sure about 'the rules' as it appears whatever rules there are they open to different interpretation, maybe depending on your consultant or your health authority.

I do know that due to my Dad's heart condition he could not be put on Aricept and has been prescribed Ebixa after not so NICE's change of policy in November.

Thanks for brightening my day.:)

Sue
 

Kayla

Registered User
May 14, 2006
621
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Kent
They do prescribe anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs to deal with the symptoms of vascular dementia.
If GPs can't use the drugs for AD in the early stages, would they use other drugs, like anti-depressants and anti-psychotic drugs instead? I think some of these can cause patients to have hallucinations and other side-effects.
I have just been surprised at the number of new people posting in the last few weeks who have an interest in vascular dementia, It seemed to be far less common before.
Kayla
 

Kayla

Registered User
May 14, 2006
621
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Kent
After my Mum and her lady with 23 ears, I just assumed the man thought he had a stork. It really didn't strike me as odd at all! I think I must be going mad!
Kayla
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
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SW Scotland
Kayla said:
I have just been surprised at the number of new people posting in the last few weeks who have an interest in vascular dementia, It seemed to be far less common before.

I've noticed this too, Kayla, in fact I've just posted to this effect on Panda's thread.

I could be because the forum is run by Alzheimer's Society, and in the past most posts have been about AD. Now that we are getting more VD posts, people are realising that the forum is for them too, so we're getting more and more VD posts. Just a guess, but I can't see any reason why the proportion of AD/VD should have changed. Maybe one of our AS friends will have more information about this.

Anyway, all welcome.
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
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SW Scotland
Kayla said:
After my Mum and her lady with 23 ears, I just assumed the man thought he had a stork. It really didn't strike me as odd at all! I think I must be going mad!

Or maybe the stork had 23 ears!
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
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It's like the Duck Man in the Terry Pratchett books.

I think that the increase in numbers is due 1) as others have said to people realising that this is an appropriate forum for them and 2) and increased willingness for doctors to say "vascular dementia".

Jennifer
 

juggler

Registered User
Mar 18, 2007
5
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what's difference between vascular dementia and AD

Dad, we've been told has frontal temporal dementia - he is only 65 and has had it for the past 5 years. His condition shows quite different traits to AD. It is weird the way the different dementias take their course.

Anyway calling all you experts. Can you please tell me the difference between vascular dementia and AD and which one dad falls into?

Thanks
 

Lucille

Registered User
Sep 10, 2005
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Hello Kayla and everyone

I think you're right. There is more of an awareness about VaD now. When my mum was diagnosed, I'd only heard about it because I'd been on this site! Up until her diagnosis, I'd just assumed it was Alzheimer's Disease as this seemed to be a catch all for 'forgetfulness'. I was told mum has mixed AD and VaD. However, the more I learn about Vascular Dementia and the more I see my mum, the more I'm convinced that this is her problem. Margarita, you asked about drugs. My understanding was that AD drugs aren't licensed in this country for the treatment of VaD. However, they do work for the condition (not sure how!). So, in my mum's case, the diagnosis of mixed AD/VaD meant that she could get the drugs because of the mention of AD. That's my humble opinion, I'm not medically qualified. What about those with VaD and no AD? In any case, if it's stroke-related dementia then as Margarita said, the cause of the strokes needs to be treated as well. My mum is on blood pressure tablets but also has a variety of other ailments which, I'm guessing, contributed to her illness.

I've found TP brilliant to post on and 'listen' in on because I've learned so much and have found it's kept me sane just knowing that other people are going through the same thing. Particularly, as my mum suffers from mood swings and general patchiness of memory. So one minute all is well with the world, lucidity reigns ... the next minute, I'm responsible for the Axis of Evil, WWII and can just b@**y go away because she's fine! :)

Whatever, it's still heartbreaking to watch her slide down the hill; trying to grab onto twigs of memory on the way.

Love to all.
 

cynron

Registered User
Sep 26, 2005
429
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east sussex
drugs for VaD

When i asked about altz drugs for my husband who has VaD i was told that they were not appropiate. But he was put on Quitapine to help with aggression and has recently been put on valium to wean him off Q as he is now more serene.

Cynron
 

panda

Registered User
Apr 16, 2006
88
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Surrey
My mum has been on quietapan for over a year by injection each month, she has only just been diagnosed with VD (I really should come up with a better short version than that ) as for the stork I did not question it ,having thought about it I can see how accepting we all are of strange things now.
 

joyportsmouth

Registered User
Mar 26, 2007
31
0
Hi
Kayla,i went to see mum today and must admit she seemed fine i felt better for going.
Ive been reading the posts on here and just like to say that even though what we and our loved ones are going through is heartbreaking,i was laughing to myself reading about storks and 23 ears.I know none of its that funny but i think its good we can still laugh and i used to feel awful when my mum has said things and ive laughed about it to myself.
She was on a boat today,she felt really sea sick,made me look at how big the waves were outside her window {lovely garden actully} and even made me hold the rail walking out so i wouldnt fall.To finish it of as i was leaving she spoke to another patient,asked her if she was getting of the boat today and the patient said 'no mary,i work on the boat'
This doesnt sound funny written down but each time i think of it i giggle.
Thanks anyway,this is a really good board.
JOY
 

sue38

Registered User
Mar 6, 2007
10,849
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55
Wigan, Lancs
My Dad's consultant told us that he had VaD (I think this is a more appropriate abbreviation!) and some indication of AD... but having read the posts I have a sneaking suspicion that he threw the AD in to the equation to ensure that he could recommend the prescription of Ebixa which may help VaD but is only licensed for AD.

Whatever... just glad my dad is lucky enough to have a consultant on his/our side!

Sue
 

Kayla

Registered User
May 14, 2006
621
0
Kent
Hi Joy,
My Mum has the most weird conversations with her friend who sits with her in the NH. They talk about their trips to the shops and they also have some toy dogs, which appear to be alive to them. I hear all about the naughty antics of the toy dogs and how somebody was cruel to them and they even get offered bits of biscuit to eat!
I find myself entering into their world and asking questions which would seem very silly to an outsider!
In a way, it is no different to playing with a young child and entering into their imaginary world. It can all seem very real to them, but sometimes I know that Mum is teasing and she knows it is all fantasy.
One day she said " Your father and I shouldn't have spent all our money on that boat, so we could go sailing on the sea! We haven't got anything left now."
They've never been on a cruise or pleasure boat or gone sailing, so I don't know where that idea came from! Yet Mum described in detail her boat trip and what the water was like!
Mum always seems to think that there are other people in the room and she also thinks there are two of me! How dreadful!
I suppose it is better to see the funny side of hallucinations, than get upset about it.
Kayla
 

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
about storks and 23 ears.

Sorry about that now I am Laughing at myself :D :) oh those words and thoughts we just can’t do with out them on the internet

Joy I think its lovely that you join in with your mother thought about the boat, what a lovely way to perceive it and put it into words .

Juggler I was forever trying to work out how my mother got AZ, and then I read from being on TP about how one gets VD.

From what I have learn from TP in the last year, is that dementia is the system that you see in AZ which is a disease of the brain , so if you have VD and is control with the medication that has been diagnosed as in heart attract high blood purser diabetic , dose not mean it lead on to AZ , unless yes its Mix , because

So for example if you have a heart condition or other condition that stop the flow of the blood to the brain and heart attract, not realizing in the long team that if not control , taking medication and then forgetting or thinking that just because one , had one stroke your not going to get another one , and keep drinking eating unhealthy so on , all this contributes to the blood not flowing around the brain , so can lead on to Mix dementia VD AZ
 
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Tender Face

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Mar 14, 2006
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NW England
Kayla said:
She thought that everybody had lost their ears on Saturday and a lady had 23 ears on her head. Mum thought this was strange because she'd have thought there would have been 24 ears in 12 pairs!What happened to the missing ear?

Kayla, don't you find it amazing when so much ability has been lost that mum (yours or mine in this case!) can understand 'pairing' and having an odd number can 'disturb' ....????

Just to put my twopennth in here ... when I first came to this forum over a year ago I - as were the medics involved with mum at the time - was convinced mum had VaD .... her variability - her 'known' mini-strokes ..... it came as a surprise many months later (after CT and MRI and vascular scans) that there appeared to be no vascular damage ..... Lewy Bodies had been mooted from first consultation with a psycho-geriatrician ....

When I first realised - or had it confirmed that - mum had dementia and had done a little research I was under the impression that VaD could not be treated with drugs ..... so the one silver lining (if there can be one with a dementia diagnosis) was that there MAY be drug treatements available which otherwise would have been discounted.....

Call me sceptical - you all know where I'm coming from ......

Karen, x
 

Lila13

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
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Perhaps some doctors are getting more interested in more accurate diagnosis.

So many say "nothing wrong" ...
 

Scoop

Registered User
Nov 20, 2006
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My dad's consultant on Friday actually said it wasn't AD but was a vascular problem - never mentioned the Dementia word to my Dad ( Consultant has obviously done this before I think ;) ) he did still prescribe Ebixa though.

Scott