My husband suffers has been suffering with dementia for about 5 years now. His Neurologist, isn't completely certain it is Alzheimer's. He started having these sort of episodes where he would kind of blank out. He was later diagnoised with seizures in the part of the brain where the memory is stored. He has had 5 MRI, Pet Scan, EEG's & many blood test, looking for something that would provide information on why the early dementia. I must add that both his Grandmother & Mother have passed away from dementia. So that leads me to believe that he does have EOAD. He did retire early, the stress of the job was just to much to handle. He no longer can write his name, drive, he was lost for 1 1/2 one day 5 miles from our home, finally by the grace of God he found his way. He taking Namenda & Razadyne ER for memory & Lamictal for seizures. Don't know if the memory meds help, however, we are not going to stop them to find out.
I would love to find someone to e-mail just to talk & share information with someone who somewhat is feeling the same as myself.
I think the Alzheimers groups outside the home are great, however,at this time that is not an option for me.
Sorry, this is so long, thank you for reading. Please let me know if you would like to talk. Kadee

My husband was diagnosed with dementia in 2004 at the age of 59. He is a retired counselor with a master's plus 30. Our neurologist and cardiologist think he has vascular dementia caused by his diabetes. He had an episode in January where they admitted him to the hospital. From there he went into a nursing facility where he is today. They changed some meds and he is doing better, but the brain scan shows several parts of his brain have athrophied. I was hoping that maybe he could come back home, but it is looking doubtful. I'm glad to find this board so that we can compare notes.

My husband has early on-set,and he also has had 30 mini strokes he is only 58 years old. He too has a seizure disorder.. I'm new to talking about this on the internet I'm hoping to be able to find so some support for what I'm going through, our local chapter, has proven not to be a source for information and or support. I also lost my father 2 years ago to Alzheimer, he was 78, it's must different when it's your father, I did help my mom but it wasn't 24/7..

Kadee: My husband is older than yours but he has had lots of problems for about 12 years.

Recently, his diagnosis of Alzheimers was reversed. He is still considered moderate to severely impaired re memory and cognitive function tho.

Please check out my appeal to Dr. Marilyn Albert at: http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/3038870/

Feel free to email or phone with questions. Best wishes and take care - Joanne

Kadee, My wife was diagnosed in 2001 at the age of 53. She had been perfectly normal before . No seizures etc. She graduated summa cum laude and I feel she was able to cope with some of the early cognitive problems. She currently is at mid to late stage of the disease. She is still at home with me and is totally dependent on others for everything. I too found it hard to find a support group who had loved ones our age. You should get a power of attorney and health care proxy for your husband while he can sign the paperwork. If you would like to chat our email is ljsads@aol.com. GOD Bless

I am so happy to see that there are dementia support groups out there. I'm a scared 37 year old that has a mom (age 66) that was diagnosed with dementia in December. In the past 4 months she has gone downhill so very, very fast, and it terrifies me to think of what tomorrow will bring. I've lost two brothers (one car accident at the age of 22, and the other was 37 and had a brain aneurism). 5 weeks after my oldest brother passed away, my dad died at the age of 57 due to mesothelioma (asbestos cancer). My mom seemed to hold her own for the next 9 years, depressed and lonely, but seemed ok mentally none the less, and we became best friends all over again. We've laughed and cried together, and kept each other afloat when we felt that we were sinking. Bless her heart to have gone through losing two sons and her one and only husband. She also has diabetes and high blood pressure, and one day I went to her house and noticed that her pills were still there for the entire week in her pill case, and that she hadn't taken them. When I opened up her pantry, I saw boxes and boxes of unused lancets and needles for her insulin, which was a give away that she was not controlling her sugar. So then I started monitoring her medicines, and refilling as needed, and reminding her to take them. One thing led to another, and then in December she went in for a heart stent. Her blood pressure rose to 219/117 in the hospital, and ever since that point she really started to forget things. Against my mom's will, my remaining brother and I put her into an assisted living place in January (thank goodness for living angels!!!), and she has been adjusting well in the few months she's been there. Unfortunatley, now she is getting dizzy more frequently and falling. On Wednesday she went to ER with a blood pressure of 222/107, and she hasn't been the same since. She shows no signs of a stroke outwardly, but I'm guessing that it is a series of ministrokes. That is the only thing that would explain her behavior and also how fast she has deteriorated. She is scheduled for an MRI at my own persistance, and the doctor said that even if it shows ministrokes, there is nothing more that they can do since she is already on plavix and asprin. When I mentioned to him again about how fast her dementia is, he said, "Well, dementia effects people differently", and that was it. Does it really effect people that fast? I've never heard of it, although I know that strokes are very damaging, and if that is the case, it would make sense. It is so incredibly sad, and it's taking all of my strength to hang in there myself. Why in the world didn't I notice my mom not taking care of herself a few years sooner than I did? Perhaps I could of have prevented what is happening now. Why in the world do families have to go through so much pain and suffering? In this instance, to watch your love one fall apart piece by piece mentally is an indescribable pain, that I'm sure only you, the reader is able to understand. Thank you for listening to me vent and share my story. I hope to get the support that I need at this difficult time, and I also hope I can support you in anyway that I can with your own painful life battles.

Hi I am new to this site. My husband is 57 years old and was diagnosed with EOAD 2 1/2 years ago. He is a physician who was a cancer specialist and of cours had to retire. Thank God he is still driving, taking courses and running errands. But everything falls on me. I also work full time teaching and my spare time is taking care of everything he always did. I worry about the future but my family has been a tremendous help to me. I cry as I read all your notes. I pray for all of you. Twinie

Janean;As the spouse of an AD person I urge use to also seek support from another site. Although this site offers wonderful inforamtion and support, there is a site with a amessage board that focus' on just spouses with AD. Both husbands and wives are care givers and provide useful information. Although dealing with A. is a struggle for all, the problems it causes within a marraige are uniqniue. Just type Alzheimer Spouse Blog and click on message board. I think being able to tap into the minds and hearts of so many people who have been thru this is a true god send. Good Luck