misdiagnosis

iffy

Registered User
Nov 10, 2015
6
0
Hi All, Im new on here. About two years ago my wife was becoming depressed and having bad dreams. She was referred to a psychiatrist who said she had PTSD. He said that because her mother had early onset Alzheimer's that she had been worried about it being hereditary. She was given antidepressants but no other tests. About 4 months later she was unable to hold a conversation and going back to the doctor resulted in deferent tablets. Well to cut a long story short she was eventually referred to the over 65 people who did the tests and Alzheimer's was diagnosed. Because she was only 62 at the start she did not fit into a box and was passed from pillar to post. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and what can I .
 

fizzie

Registered User
Jul 20, 2011
2,725
0
Hi All, Im new on here. About two years ago my wife was becoming depressed and having bad dreams. She was referred to a psychiatrist who said she had PTSD. He said that because her mother had early onset Alzheimer's that she had been worried about it being hereditary. She was given antidepressants but no other tests. About 4 months later she was unable to hold a conversation and going back to the doctor resulted in deferent tablets. Well to cut a long story short she was eventually referred to the over 65 people who did the tests and Alzheimer's was diagnosed. Because she was only 62 at the start she did not fit into a box and was passed from pillar to post. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and what can I .

Hi there, welcome to TP you will find a lot of support on here. I'm so sorry to hear that you have had such a difficult journey.
I'm not very clear - are you comfortable that she now has the right diagnosis? or are you looking for help to find a second opinion?
keep posting there is so much experience on here that someone will be able to answer your questions
xx
 

Trisha4

Registered User
Jan 16, 2014
2,440
0
Yorkshire
Hi All, Im new on here. About two years ago my wife was becoming depressed and having bad dreams. She was referred to a psychiatrist who said she had PTSD. He said that because her mother had early onset Alzheimer's that she had been worried about it being hereditary. She was given antidepressants but no other tests. About 4 months later she was unable to hold a conversation and going back to the doctor resulted in deferent tablets. Well to cut a long story short she was eventually referred to the over 65 people who did the tests and Alzheimer's was diagnosed. Because she was only 62 at the start she did not fit into a box and was passed from pillar to post. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and what can I .

Hi. We had a fairly similar experience. My husband struggled with names and words in his early 60s. For a year of going back and forwards he was told it was the normal ageing process. After further tests and a brain scan he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We were told it was uncommon because his main problem was aphasia (language disorder).
He is now probably in the middle stage of AD, still very physically fit but struggles with language both speaking and comprehension. He is easily confused and has memory problems. He cannot write and has lost understanding of numbers.
I am his full time carer. Are you still working?
Now you have a diagnosis have you sorted things like Power of Attorney and attendance allowance?
Keep posting and looking on here as you will find support and understanding on your journey.


Sent from my iPad using Talking Point
 

iffy

Registered User
Nov 10, 2015
6
0
Hi. We had a fairly similar experience. My husband struggled with names and words in his early 60s. For a year of going back and forwards he was told it was the normal ageing process. After further tests and a brain scan he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We were told it was uncommon because his main problem was aphasia (language disorder).
He is now probably in the middle stage of AD, still very physically fit but struggles with language both speaking and comprehension. He is easily confused and has memory problems. He cannot write and has lost understanding of numbers.
I am his full time carer. Are you still working?
Now you have a diagnosis have you sorted things like Power of Attorney and attendance allowance?
Keep posting and looking on here as you will find support and understanding on your journey.


Sent from my iPad using Talking Point

I am satisfied that she has the right diagnosis now. Whats getting my goat is that if she had been diagnosed correctly earlier she could have had treatment that could have slowed the progression of Alzhimers
 

LYN T

Registered User
Aug 30, 2012
6,958
0
Brixham Devon
Hi All, Im new on here. About two years ago my wife was becoming depressed and having bad dreams. She was referred to a psychiatrist who said she had PTSD. He said that because her mother had early onset Alzheimer's that she had been worried about it being hereditary. She was given antidepressants but no other tests. About 4 months later she was unable to hold a conversation and going back to the doctor resulted in deferent tablets. Well to cut a long story short she was eventually referred to the over 65 people who did the tests and Alzheimer's was diagnosed. Because she was only 62 at the start she did not fit into a box and was passed from pillar to post. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and what can I .

Hi Iffy

Welcome to TP.

You could have been writing about my late Husband's mis-diagnosis:( Pete was depressed/anxious and had a psychotic episode. He was really ill and was sectioned. (the first of five sections) His psychiatrist refused to consider that Pete was suffering from dementia even though his Mum, and Grandma had early onset and his Dad was suffering from dementia in his early eighties.Pete kept telling anyone who would listen that he was losing his memory-I'm ashamed to say I agreed with the medics that he was suffering from depression.

Pete had a brain scan and the tangles/plaques were missed by the neurologist-it was only picked up two years later when he was sectioned again and a fresh opinion was given by a different consultant. The original scan showed that he was moderate stage- a second scan showed that he had progressed to low severe.

I hope that you are now getting some support?

Take care

Lyn T XX
 

stanleypj

Registered User
Dec 8, 2011
10,712
0
North West
Forgetting about the medication for the moment (that may not have helped) it is at least possible that both the diagnoses were correct, isn't it?

When you ask what you can do, I'm really not sure what sort of answers you expect. Do you want to follow-up on the first diagnosis, which may have been wrong? Or do you want to know what to do to help your wife now?
 

iffy

Registered User
Nov 10, 2015
6
0
Hi Iffy

Welcome to TP.

You could have been writing about my late Husband's mis-diagnosis:( Pete was depressed/anxious and had a psychotic episode. He was really ill and was sectioned. (the first of five sections) His psychiatrist refused to consider that Pete was suffering from dementia even though his Mum, and Grandma had early onset and his Dad was suffering from dementia in his early eighties.Pete kept telling anyone who would listen that he was losing his memory-I'm ashamed to say I agreed with the medics that he was suffering from depression.

Pete had a brain scan and the tangles/plaques were missed by the neurologist-it was only picked up two years later when he was sectioned again and a fresh opinion was given by a different consultant. The original scan showed that he was moderate stage- a second scan showed that he had progressed to low severe.

I hope that you are now getting some support?

Take care

Lyn T XX

Sounds exactly like my experience. My wife was sectioned after a psychotic episode. I am getting all the support I need at the moment. They have not told me what stage she is at. I will have to ask. Did you do anything about the misdiagnosis

dave
 

LYN T

Registered User
Aug 30, 2012
6,958
0
Brixham Devon
Hi Dave.

No I didn't do anything about the mis-diagnosis. I found out that the Neurologist had a tribunal as he wanted to carry on working after the age of 65 and he wasn't allowed. He was claiming age discrimination. The fact he wasn't allowed to carry on practicing made me wonder if he had possibly made other bad judgements.

To be honest I was so busy fighting other battles I didn't have the energy to start the ball rolling regarding any complaint. I was also assured that Pete would get more help when I was introduced to his Hospital consultant. She was a wonderful woman who kept me informed of what was happening. I felt that I had someone on my side.

Re what stage your wife is at; I made it perfectly clear that I didn't want anything sugar coated and I needed to know how ill Pete was. Pete was also diagnosed with bi-polar and later parkinson's and prostate cancer-so there was a lot going on.

Take care

Lyn T XX
 

iffy

Registered User
Nov 10, 2015
6
0
Hi Dave.

No I didn't do anything about the mis-diagnosis. I found out that the Neurologist had a tribunal as he wanted to carry on working after the age of 65 and he wasn't allowed. He was claiming age discrimination. The fact he wasn't allowed to carry on practicing made me wonder if he had possibly made other bad judgements.

To be honest I was so busy fighting other battles I didn't have the energy to start the ball rolling regarding any complaint. I was also assured that Pete would get more help when I was introduced to his Hospital consultant. She was a wonderful woman who kept me informed of what was happening. I felt that I had someone on my side.

Re what stage your wife is at; I made it perfectly clear that I didn't want anything sugar coated and I needed to know how ill Pete was. Pete was also diagnosed with bi-polar and later parkinson's and prostate cancer-so there was a lot going on.

Take care

Lyn T XX[/QUOTE
Hi Lyn, I don't know what stage June is at. They have not told me. I understand that her consultant is fairly new in the job and is not very forthcoming. With all whats going on I have not had the energy to push any harder. I really will have too. I have a nurse who call weekly and she is very nice but seems unable to help with details.

Dave
 

Chrismitch

Registered User
Jun 23, 2011
127
0
I thnk the terminology in the uk is so confusing. Memory clinic - for me that conjures up bricks and mortar. Surely it's a memory service. You see an occupational health worker (!?) and a consultant - so vague, so inappropriate. Does the nhs think we would be frightened to hear the words psychiatrist and his/her team? A neurologist gets involved only if the Psy thinks it's necessary (!). They ARE very expensive these scans.
To be diagnosed by a neurologist after a scan makes much more sense to me.
 

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