Hi,
Id appreciate hearing from some of you about symptoms, other than memory problems, you may have had before getting diagnosed.

"Brain fog" is not foreign to me because I have Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, but here lately something different and more intense is going on and it's scaring me.

I'm feeling overwhelmed alot, confused, have feelings of doom, inability to motivate myself, or initiate activities. In the past, prioritizing and strategically approaching things was 2nd nature to me, but here lately, it's just not happening.

Granted I do have some things going on that are stressing me out, but I've had similar stressful times in the past and these feelings hadn't manifested themselves before.

I'm wondering if these are VERY early signs, perhaps so early that it'd be senseless to go to a Neuro at this stage.

My mom and most of her siblings had Alzheimers. She has since passed away. When she was diagnosed she was far enough along that the only test the doc had to do is ask her to remember three words and later ask her to recall them . Sounds like there is more, in depth testing available, but just not sure whether I'm at a 'detectable' stage just yet.

Looking forward to hearing from some of you

Dear LindaP815,
Hello and welcome to the AD message boards. I'm sorry for what brings you here but I am very glad you've found us.
I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your Mom.
Sounds like you need a check-up with your doctor. Also, a close review of your medications. Since your Mom had AD, I would think it would be a great idea for you to be checked. Again, there are many causes for the problems you are talking about. It may not be AD/dementia at all.
My signs and symptoms were: totally forgetting conversations, repeating myself often, unable to multi-task, personality changes (especially anger issues), inability to handle commotion and noise, muscle spasms (myoclonus), unable to remember how to perform my job, sleep problems, short term memory problems, unable to learn new things.

Please, see your doctor ASAP. The "Not Knowing" is the worst!

Good Luck and please keep us posted.

Thanks for writing Lisa,

yea I have difficulty with commotion/noise....sorta like feeling overstimulated or something... same with multi-tasking... keep trying to, but resulting in close to paralysis so I'm not accomplishing a thing!...

Yea, you're probably right, not knowing is probably worse.

Linda,

I'm sorry, but I must respectfully disagree with Lisa. If the healthcare worker does NOT know how to communicate the test results for a terminal disease, then the result (even if you expect the worse) will be terrible. Nobody likes to give bad news, but as a former professor you learn how to break bad news on an exam or final grade with care and compassion. A lot of physicians believe in "professional distance" that leads to patient harm.

That said, my worse symptom was "word substitution" and as a college professor, that is not a great thing. I also got separated from my wife during her shopping ventures and got very, very scared that resulted in disorientation (and you cannot work a cell phone when you feel/are lost).

Also, I began learning/developing coping strategies to hide my disability from my colleagues. Even on my retirement day, they had no idea I had ALZ! Says alot about some college profs, doesn't it.

In the classroom, I was overwhelmed by hyper communication--more than one student talking at once. They were good kids, so they helped out!

Most of the other symptoms you list I also experienced. I also have chronic intractable migraine headaches that only respond to large doses morphine sulfate IR--that really turns your sleep cycle upside down.

You need to know, but be VERY, VERY careful how you learn. Otherwise, you'll be in worse shape than not knowing leads to. Example: I was to see a neuropsychologist. Checked his credentials and he researched nocturnal bruxism (grinding teeth during sleep). Exactly what does he know about ALZ? Nothing. Oh, he is still with the hospital pretending to "know" about Alzheimer's disease.

Remember when teachers told you to check your answers TWICE before handing in your work. Well, does the concept of "second opinion" sound familiar? Get the best with a reasonable travel distance and never a DO-credential. Maternal side ALZ gives you poor odds, so picking the "right" physician is important!

Peace, and here's to the long shot!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Online Community Administrators,

You bring up some valid points, thank you. I called the Alz Association and then one of the highly recommended neurology departments in the area. The office offered to schedule me for Neuropsychological Testing. The Alz Association's list includes a Dr who does Neuropsychological testing, so I just put a call into her as well.

I'll need to verify that my insurance will cover it before I schedule anything. Any feedback from anyone? Is this, indeed, the first step?

Dr. K, you are a great example of why I love these boards: You've had significant bad experiences, and you're sharing your painful times, in hopes of sparing others what you've been through. That reminds me of some song lyrics, about human compassion flowing from a well you'd think had run dry. Please, stay around, keep talking with us.

Linda, definitely stay in close touch with your insurance company. It pays to form a relationship with a specific case manager who is sympathetic to your needs. That being said, be prepared for a shock, as many insurance plans pay very tiny amounts toward neuropsychological testing, leaving you on the hook for the rest. Certainly research your options, as neuropsych testers have their different specialties.

Hello LindaP815 and welcome to this board that is designed for people like you and I. I began showing signs of impairment in 2004. My wife who works in the HR field asked me to seek help in 2006. After about a year and a half of testing I was diagnosed with Alzhiemer's related dementia in June of 2008. Sure wish that I had sought help earlier! The new meds are working well and I expect that damage will be minimal before they find a cure. I pretty funtioning right now even though I get: confussed easily, have lost my organizational skills, sometimes don't see things right in front of me, get a little angry at times and a few other things that I can't recall right now.

Hi Linda,

I thought you were writing about me. I was told I had EOAD April 2008, I was 57 years old. I would get lost coming home from work, I forgot how to get to my daughter's house. At the time I thought it was strange, but passed it off to stress. Since then my handwriting has changed, my spelling is terrible and my math skills are bad. I no longer drive, thats due to compressed spinal cord surgery, which left me with no feeling in my right leg. I wouldn't drive anyway now because of the traffic and noises. I can't be around a lot of noise. I have to push myself to do things that once were so easy for me. I agree with Mary don't tell your employer. I wasn't fired because they found out I had EOAD, I was fired the day before my surgery for compressed spinal cord compression. Figure that one out. Anyway welcome to the club.

Sharon

Welcome Linda. I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems. I am no way an expert, nor do I have any deep insights. What I can share is how I first noticed problems. I am (was) am an avid reader. I first noticed that I was having real problems keeping track of what I read. I had to keep going back and re-reading stuff for it to make sense. Also, I was having a lot of problems with word finding. I was first diagnosed in 2007, but denied it. I have since had three rounds of Neuropsyc testing, genetic testing and a dizzing number of PET scans, CAT scans, SPEC scans and evaluations... I will be applying for disability from my employeer next week.

Linda, Here are some of my early symptoms.
I couldn't remember what I had just read.

I couldn't follow a conversation.

I lost my train of thought when I was speaking.

I could not follow television shows.

I was diagnosed initially as anxiety/depression, then chronic fatigue syndrome, then systemic lupus, then cognitive deficit n.o.s.

I agree with Lisa about getting checked, especially checking medication effects. I don't quite understand professor monk's points. I've read many of Lisa's posts, and she makes a lot of sense. I trust what she says.

Iris L.

Thanks to all of you. Some I'm relating to others I'm not, so I'm not freaking out. I'll be awaiting calls from Neuropsychologist and insurance folks. Thanks again

Hi Linda & welcome! I began showing signs of personality changes at home & work. I negan getting lost in the hospital that I had worked in for 7 years, I would put patients in the wrong rooms. I had trouble paying the bills and getting our accounts mixed up. Thank God we had a forgiving and understanding bank in a small town. I began burning our meals and over seasoning because I could no longer taste unless it was extreme, getting lost driving in familiar places and the list goes on and on. I do encourage you if you are having thoughts or fears to find a neurologist, hopefully one that is familiar with early onset dementias.

Tracy

I want to thank everone for sharing. I am learning a lot. Has anyone in the beginning of EOAD not had issues with noise and lots of people? I can relate to almost all the symptoms I have read about here but these two and of course am wondering if that means I may not have AD? Or might these be symptoms that develop later on? I know I used to love to listen to music and would have it on all the time. I rarely listen to music anymore except for when I drive and I have always wondered what happened here.

LB1981

Loud noise is what I've been noticing over the last month. As I work in a factory and wear earplugs you would think I wouldn't notice it.
But the sound of really loud noise's that I expericenced
every day for 8 hrs. has had an effect on me. Really bothersome, and I've told my coworkers about this. Another thing to think about before the "official" diagnosis.
Marcia

<*> When you say "DO" --are you taking about an osteopath? They are considered main stream physicians now. No difference except where and how they learned, but they know and can treat the same conditions. They do their residencies side by side. They can be specialists, the same as MD's. DO's are not any less than MD's.

I'm sorry if you had a bad experience. But I have 2 osteopaths in my family.

I wanted to make the point here that half of ALL physicians were in the lower 50% of their class.

Please don't anyone go by the MD or DO suffix. Just find the best of either.

I have three specialist, MD's. My pcp is a DO.i have known him for 28 yrs. He is a cranial spec also. When I get overly agitated, feel like my brain is made of cotton candy or have trouble expressing myself, he is the only one that helps. I know he relaxes my brain, other than that I'm not sure. I also have a restricted breathing pattern, he is the only one that can open my chest wall. My pulmonologist swears by him and has started sending a lot of his patients to him.

Linda,

Thinking of you and wondering how you are doing.

Please, let me know.

Hi Lisa, thanks for thinking of me, and thanks to every for your input.

Honestly, I've stuck my head in the sand on this. Some of my anxiety has been alleviated by some of the posts. Not all, mind you, and I intellectually know it'd be best to get a baseline no matter what, but I'm 'stuck'.

I still need to find out about whether my insurance will cover it, and/or how much of it.