Alzheimers in Your Family?

[rucky]

Poll question: Alzheimers in Your Family?

Poll is just an excuse to share your stories here. There's enough talk about Reagan so we don't need another thread for that, but for anybody who's lived with Alzheimers in their family, you may have something to offer us who don't understand the disease as well...

Knock wood, I haven't had a loved one afflicted with it. But the stories I hear from friends are always heart-wrenching. I truly wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

[NMDemDist2]

1. in laws have a lot of Alzheimers, sad to watch Dadinlaw slipping eom

and my ex's mom also--was awful

[Renew Deal]

2. My grandmother had it and recently died.

It's terrible as all diseases really are.

[Angelus]

3. No...thankfully. eom

[UrbScotty]

4. My grandma, 80, is often forgetful.

...but she hasn't been diagnosed.

[shanti]

5. paternal grandmother

had alzheimer's. she died at 80 and didn't last too long.

[TNDemo]

6. My mother, her mother and my FIL all got it simultaneously

about 8-9 years ago. My mother was in her 50s. All have died now but it was pure hell. Would not wish it even on a freeper.

[SheilaT]

7. A couple of paternal uncles,

although I never saw them during that part of their lives (lived across the country).

My 93 year old mother-in-law has it, and it's absolutely true that they become a complete stranger.

[qwertyMike]

8. Question Alzheimers/Senility

What's the difference? When I was young a lot of old folks were labelled as Senile. Was this condition given the name of Alzheimers, or is Alzheimers a condition that has emerged in the last 40 years?

I know my Grandma was labelled senile at the end, but her condition resembeled what we now call Alzheimers.

[TNDemo]

12. There are different kinds of dementia.

Alzheimer's is a disease that can only be verified by autopsy. There are a lot of plaques and tangles in the brain. Dementia can be caused for strokes, medication, virus, etc. so Alzheimer's is just one other disease that can cause it (among many). In Alzheimer's people usually have loss of language and don't recognize what objects are for. The old saying is you don't have to worry if you lose your keys but you have to worry if you can't remember what the keys are used for. Everybody with dementia used to be lumped under "hardening of the arteries" or "senility" but there are different causes.

[Cooley Hurd]

9. My paternal grandmother died after suffering from Alzheimers...

...as did her mother. My Dad died young (45) in a boating accident, so it isn't known if he carried the gene and passed it on to his children.:scared:

[Champ]

10. My grandma was recently diagnosed

[supernova]

11. Close, but not true Alzheimer's

Dementia as a result of small strokes is not unusual in my family. Heart disease and cancer are the real problems in my family.

But I know of plenty of other families where Alzheimers is a very grave problem. I do feel lots of sympathy for anyone with this disease or anyone trying to care for someone with this disease.

[Maat]

13. It's all Dementia. It's only called Alzheimers when we don't...

know the cause. My mother-in-law's mother had 'Multiinfarc Dementia," similar symptoms caused as a result of heart surgery/bloodflow problems at one time in her life - progressive brain damage. Her body lived 20 years longer than her mind did.

And, we get to my father. He thought one could be an alcoholic for 40-50 years, and not pay the price. He progresively went from forgetful...to really forgetful...to allowing a skunk to take over as his power of attorney (behind his childrens' backs)...to completely psychotic, seeing individuals walking in the hall that nobody else saw....to combative...and now, he doesn't remember his own children. His diagnois is "Korsacoff's Syndrome." He fell, went into a coma in Jan 1998 and we are coming up on 7 years of institutionalization.

[supernova]

16. So sorry for all your family diagnoses

I know your dad being in a coma has got to be so hard. My heart goes out to you. :hug:

I thought Alzeheimer's had a genetic component?

[FleshCartoon]

14. My dad was (mis)diagnosed a month or so ago with it...

...by his family doctor, but after going to a neurologist, it's looking more like Parkinson's disease instead. All the tests will be in by the end of this month and we'll know then.

I don't think that's necessarily going to be a cakewalk for him or his caretakers either, though.

[rucky]

15. There's alot of new advances in Parkinsons treatment

Don't know too much, but there IS hope. Bush's ban on stem cell research really slowed things down. despite all that, there are some new drugs that are supposed to be miraculous for certain types of Parkinsons. Not sure if they're approved yet or still experimental.

Imagine where we'd be with that disease if it weren't for Bush. Whenever somebody says that it doesn't matter who is president it won't effect their lives, I use stem cell research as an example.

I'm so sorry to hear that news.

[FleshCartoon]

21. Thanks.

It's not a definite diagnosis yet, but the neurologist did admit he was pretty sure.

What I don't know yet, and haven't been able to find out about on the internet is how having diabetes and high blood pressure along with a neurological disease affects things.

[RedEarth]

17. My mother has had it for the last 5 years...a friend's wife(48) diagnosed

with Alzheimer's two years ago. Very tragic since they still have a teenage daughter at home. Three years before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's she won the Mrs. Oklahoma contest. Beautiful lady, very outgoing, in excellent shape, good job....and now, she is basically confined to the house since she is no longer able to work or drive.

[Sticky]

19. 48?

How awful! I didn't realize it could strike at such a young age.

[RedEarth]

26. Yes, 48....

Needless to say, Alzheimer's is more prevalent in older people, but since she was diagnosed I have read a number of articles that mention it can strike at an earlier age. It's a devastating disease, not only for the person with Alzheimer's, but also for family members from an emotional and financial standpoint, since those afflicted can live for years. This particular family has had to move to a gated community since his wife was walking away from their previous home. And, before long, she will need someone to be with her during the day.

[chookie]

18. My late mother

She had had diabetes for decades, and had difficulties controlling it, which caused a lot of health problems -- neuropathy, dementia, stroke, etc. As she had episodes of mental illness from time to time in her life, it was hard to sort out what the hell was happening.

It was pretty awful. Far more than mere memory problems, she was disoriented -- didn't know who we were, where she was. She was paranoid and combatitive. She attacked my family members violently and injured my sister. Then, rather suddenly, she lost physical function and couldn't walk or sit up or communicate in any way. On top of everything else, she had developed a seizure disorder, and it wasn't until this time that she was diagnosed with Alzheimers.

We cared for her in our home, although I am sure it would have been horrible no matter where she had been housed. It was Ground Zero every day. I'm glad we did it, because despite the difficulties, we did manage for her to die in peace in her own home surrounded by her family and pussycats -- but getting through it day to day was incredibly difficult. I had been warned to keep a distance by Alzheimer's groups, but chose to go against their advise. Yes, it was incredibly difficult, yes, I feel "PTSD" from time to time even though she has been dead for a year and a half, but still glad we got through it all together.

BTW -- DU was great to me while I was going through all this, and I am eternally grateful for the love and support I was generously offered.

[Marymarg]

20. My dad and my dad-in-law

both died with it.

I read somewhere that it is like a long funeral. That is exactly what it is. Absolutely horrible.

As for Reagan's suffering, he is likely long past that. It is his family who is doing the suffering. I do not like the lot of them but I pray for them at this awful time for them. No one deserves that kind of agony.

[Kazak]

22. My maternal grandmother...

died of it. My mother shows signs, but thankfully she's still currently all there. We'll have to bare it out eventually.

[stevedeshazer]

23. My dad died from it last year

When started having symptoms about 6-7 years ago, he withdrew from friends and family. I was going to go with him to attend his annual reunion of his WWII buddies, plane tickets bought, hotel and car rented, and he told me he just couldn't do it.

The next five years were hell. He repeatedly fell, got lost in his back yard, started carrying a loaded pistol around (until we confiscated it, which made him more pissed and paranoid) and my creepy brother and his evil wife started taking his stuff from him, forcing him to sign over power of attorney with a corrupt lawyer while lying to me and my mom about it.

He forgot who we were; he escaped from a nursing home at three in the morning in December during a storm; he had war flashbacks and crawled under his hospital bed to escape "the bombing".

He lost the ability to talk, walk, and control his bowels. Most of all, he lost his dignity. He got a respiratory infection right after he forgot how to swallow and died quietly.

I really miss him today, especially on the eve of the D-Day anniversary, which his combat engineer unit followed all the way to the crossing of the Rhine into Germany. And yes, he saw a concentration camp, but I only found out about that after he died. WWII guys have a code...they just don't talk about that stuff. And the families of Alzheimer's victims have a similar code. Now I know why.

[Rowdyboy]

24. My grandmother, thankfully, died before it advanced to the later stages

My mother (her daughter-in-law) and brother cared for her. The last time I visited her in July, 1987 in Mississippi, she had gas heaters on (room temp had to be in excess of 100 degrees, yet she was in bed with several quilts. The week before she died, this once-proud lady greeted a guest wearing only an open gown. She called my mom at all hours of the night to complain about imaginary peeping-toms.

That's one reason I find Alzheimer's humor severly lacking in taste, and refuse to pile on the families of anyone (however evil) who suffers from it.

[WFF]

25. I cherish every minute I spend with my mother

She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago. I cared for her as long as I could but last year we moved her into a nursing home. She doesn't make much sense when she talks now, but she recognizes me and her personality has stayed the same. I realize that that could change, but I'm just happy that she's happy and well cared for.

On the plus side, she's not in any pain. When I think of cancer patients or heart patients who wince with every breath, I can think of worse diseases than Alzheimer's. I think it is worse on the family than it is on them.

[Liberal Classic]

27. I am caring for an elder parent

...with Alzheimer's disease. I'd take a straight up honest brain tumor over alzheimers any day.

I truly wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

Nor I.

[MissB]

28. My grandmother had it and the only good thing

is that when it really hit her, she forgot that she smoked several packs a day and drank vodka/orange juices in the morning.

It is a dreadful disease.

[Maeve]

29. She stopped being "Grandma" long before she died

And sank at last into a world of her own. Death came as a sense of "it's over at last".

For those who haven't been thru it, I'm not sure words can convey the distance between the one you loved and the shell that is left when the disease takes over.

[Liberal Classic]

30. Death is often a release

Seemingly the spirit is already gone. Once the body expires it is often a relief.

[Maeve]

32. Yes--we're watching Hubby's grandma slip away now

Over the past couple of years she's gone blind, mostly deaf and lost all interest in the world around her. At least my kids are old enough to understand and have known her before.

[Liberal Classic]

33. Been a hard year for me

Between alzheimers and brain cancer I am kind of meloncholy. The brain cancer was the polar opposite of alzheimers. Instead of deteriorating the mind and leaving a healthy body like alzheimer's does, the tumor trapped a health mind in a broken body.

I think I'll go have a couple of hamburgers so I'll have a quick heart attack. I swear it will be easier on the family.

Not knowing your religious proclivities if any let me say my thoughts are with you.

[Maeve]

34. And also with you

Good wishes, prayers, thoughts, whatever...a sense of understanding is the best we can share. :grouphug:

Thank you.

(But watch what you say about hamburgers--Hubby has the grill fired up right now! LOL--humor; one of the weapons humans use to fight back against death)

[Liberal Classic]

35. Misfortune can only last so long

When you laugh in its face.

O8)

[belle]

31. Great-grandma had senile dementia. dunno if it was Alzheimer's.

whatever it was, it was sad. she deteriorated quickly once she'd gone into the nursing home. at least up till then (she was at least in her mid-80's) she'd been healthy and happy.

[TNDemo]

36. All of you experienced with Alzheimer's, could you help but laugh

every time the media gave an update on Reagan's condition through the years? It was so obvious they had no idea what the disease was like. Like when he broke his hip and they talked about how he will be brave and go through rehab like "one for the Gipper". Like he could learn a new skill at that stage - and walking would be a new skill, especially with a hip prosthesis. I knew as soon as he broke it he would never walk again. And it was big news a year or two ago when they said Reagan no longer recognizes Nancy. Heck, he wouldn't have recognized himself for years. And they would ask what he thought about current events...