Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Re: I HATE ALZHEIMERS !!! ( FOR TANYA)

Thank you so much Tanya for your encouraging words. I wanted to answer your question but was also worried about what you said about your mother. Yes, alzheimers is hereditary. Very much so. In fact I was just listening to a doctor about it a few minutes ago on NBC. My mother's mother and father both had alzheimers. My mother and her two (now one) sister are in nursing homes with it as was my aunt that just died. My mother's brother died of alzheimers also. She has two other brothers but since they live in another state don't know if they also have it as there is no one left here that keeps in touch with them. The doctor I have spoken with said my sister and I have a 100% chance of getting it because it is so prevalent in my mother's family. My mother's doctor just told my father that my sister and I should both have our doctors put us on ARICEPT as that helps you keep you memory longer and slows down the progression. My mother has now been put on a new drug also called NAMENDA which actually helps reverse the alzheimers. Of course these drugs would have helped her even more if they had been around when she was first diagnosed with the disease.

What caught my attention is when you said how your mother kept repeating her stories over and over. That's exactly how my mother started and she was in her 50's when I started noticing changes in her. She has the slow progressing type of alzheimers and is now at the point that she doesn't know we're her children or that my father is her husband. She thinks he is now a boyfriend. Getting her to this part has helped my father so much because she does show him love and affection. She shows me love too but was always saying it was because I was so good to her as she put it. Then a couple of weeks ago while I was helping her she said "I love you so much. You'll always be my baby." I knew for that second, recollection had come back. She keeps hugging and kissing me and telling me she loves me but she has had periods when she would get upset having anyone around her. I think the new meds are helping to keep her loving and happy for now.

If I were you I would have a doctor check my mother over and run some tests on her. It is very hard to diagnose in the beginning but if they know her mother also had it that will help them in diagnosing her. If they can get her on the Aricept it will at least slow the progression of it. I am going to ask my doctor about it when I see him on June 16th.

Please let me know if you decide to do this (which I hope you do) and let me know how you make out. Words cannot express what it does to families and now that they are coming out with these new meds no one needs to wait until it gets to the point that they can't be helped much anymore.

My doctors have told me hopefully there will be a cure before I show signs of it but now that I know the Aricept works will ask for it. Can see an improvement in my mother with the other new med as well.

Wishing you the best, and again, Thank you for the kind words. Hope I am helping you as much as you just helped my morale.

Pat

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