Waiting for MRI results

[Peg53]

Hi

My partner had an MRI on Thursday and we're booked to see the neurologist for results next Thursday. I asked him at the weekend what it feels like for him when he can't remember the order of the days and he said the process for putting them together just isn't there. He doesn't know automatically that Friday is two days after Wednesday, or that July is in the summer, or sometimes that lunchtime and 12ish are roughly the same time. Does this sound familiar?

Planning is so hard for him, putting something in the diary, deciding on a time or day, or communicating that to someone else is so difficult.

 

[maggie6445]

Hi

My partner had an MRI on Thursday and we're booked to see the neurologist for results next Thursday. I asked him at the weekend what it feels like for him when he can't remember the order of the days and he said the process for putting them together just isn't there. He doesn't know automatically that Friday is two days after Wednesday, or that July is in the summer, or sometimes that lunchtime and 12ish are roughly the same time. Does this sound familiar?

Planning is so hard for him, putting something in the diary, deciding on a time or day, or communicating that to someone else is so difficult.

Hi @Peg53 , time was the first thing I noticed my OH struggled with. He always picked me up from work and then almost overnight he was forgetting to come for me. I'd ring him and he'd be at home and saying he'd forgotten the time. Or he was a sleep. It very quickly became apparent that DIY and his woodworking hobby were also affected. His decline from there was much quicker than I had experienced with my mum. He caught COVID in October 22 and that made a big dip as well. He's now Late mid -stage but he does have additional health issues,he has a history of heart attacks ,5 in all. I don't think that can help

 

[Peg53]

@maggie6445 gosh sorry to hear your partner’s had several heart attacks, I’m sure that and COVID can’t help and it’s really sad it affected his woodworking and diy. I find it very hard to see my partner struggle.

 

[maggie6445]

@maggie6445 gosh sorry to hear your partner’s had several heart attacks, I’m sure that and COVID can’t help and it’s really sad it affected his woodworking and diy. I find it very hard to see my partner struggle.

It was very hard to see the decline at first. He had been an engineer, an intelligent, witty and caring man.
I don't want this to sound preachy but I remembered the serenity prayer my mum had on her kitchen wall. You know ,God grant me the serenity... to accept the things I can not change.. courage to change what I can .. wisdom to know the difference.
Once I learnt acceptance ,and I wasn't easy! Things got easier.
We go to lots of dementia cafes and groups,singing etc. Not what I had envisaged for my life but actually it's ok as long as I don't look too hard at others that don't have a pwd to care for!
😘

 

[Peg53]

@maggie6445 that doesn’t sound preachy, I completely understand. I’ve heard other carers say something very similar about acceptance x

 

[Violet Jane]

Time was one of the first things with my mother too.

 

[Peg53]

My partner has just shown me an email he received this afternoon from the clinic - “the MRI shows evidence of atrophy in the parietal areas suggesting a neurodegenerative condition”. Is there any other way to interpret this?

 

[maggie6445]

Copied from Google
Damage to the parietal lobes is common in Alzheimer's disease. It can lead to problems with performing gestures and skilled movements (apraxia) when the person is trying to do things like tie shoelaces or put on clothes. It can also make doing tasks that involve reading or writing much more difficult.
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk › ...PDF

Try not to worry as you don't know how much damage there is and it may be some time before you notice big changes 😘

 

[Peg53]

Thank you for replying to me today @maggie6445

He doesn’t have those problems at the moment although he does struggle to write legibly and when we played Pictionary at Christmas all his drawings were rectangles and he used to be able to draw accurately, we used to be a good Pictionary team! Thanks again, it’s a lot to process but we’ll hopefully have some more clarity when we see the dr on Thursday x