#10 Changes in Mood and Personality “My boyfriend would tell me I was forgetting conversations we had. I was forgetting certain things yet retaining others, so he accused me of “remembering only what I wanted to remember.” He also told me I wasn’t the same person. I wasn’t acting like my “old self.” I often became irritated and aggravated with many things which was unlike my normal personality. With the help of Early Diagnosis and [...]
#5 Trouble with Visual or Spatial Relationships “I felt my wife was nagging me about my driving; in my view, there was nothing wrong with it. I agreed to a meeting with my doctor to discuss her complaints. He agreed with her; he told me not to drive. To foil their view and show them how wrong they were, I took a simulated driving test at Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis. I failed it miserably. [...]
#3 Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks “The first sign for me was forgetting and having trouble at work. I was trusting my brain to be there and denying that something was wrong. The problem with that I was forgetting too many things and I thought it was menopause. I saw my OBGYN and she said that all was well. I then went to my primary care doctor and we did blood tests. Everything came back normal. [...]
#2 Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems “One of the first indications that something was awry was missing appointments that were on my schedule. Frequently, I put times down wrong, or failed to follow the time I had down correctly, arriving too early, late or not at all. Now that I am diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I keep two schedules to avoid missing anything. At one time I didn’t keep a schedule. A busy lawyer, I [...]
Since the release of Still Alice, I’ve had the privilege of talking to a lot of audiences about Alzheimer’s. One of the most common questions people ask me is: “When I can’t find my keys, how do I know if that’s normal forgetting or a symptom of Alzheimer’s?” My quick and dirty answers are usually something like: “Well, when you find your keys, are they on the table or in the refrigerator?” and “We all [...]
#1 Memory Changes that disrupt Daily Life. “There was one episode with my memory that scared me a great deal. When I was trying to recall something, in my mind, a large black cloud appeared, covered the answer and it was gone. I was on a bus on my way to visit my daughter when an elderly woman sat next to me. We began to chat as strangers do. During the conversation she asked where [...]
This week, the Alzheimer’s Association is launching its new Early Detection campaign, “Know the 10 Signs.” We’ve asked our Early Stage Advisors to contribute some of their personal experiences recognizing the signs of Alzheimer’s. These courageous individuals have all endured the arduous process of discovering their disease and have volunteered their energy to the Alzheimer’s Association to advance the most effective step in Alzheimer’s treatment: Early Detection. Every day this week, we’ll be posting real [...]
Two years ago, I had a conversation with my friend, Jay, that changed my life. Here is some of what we talked about. I ask him, “What did it feel like to hear those three words—You Have Alzheimer’s?” “We (he and his wife) never really did have a moment of denial. I’d accepted the Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis when the doctor put me on Aricept. That was the time of shock and relief. Finally, we have [...]
