ApoE4.Info

I am a guy ( handle may be confusing). Mother, Father, Sister, dead of alz, brother was just put in home. I think it's about time I stop living on the shores of the river DE Nile. 70 in a couple of weeks. I'm in good health, retired, having minor short term memory problems, and hard time doing simple math in my head. My living sister turned me onto "End of Alzhiemers" and it made a lot of sense. I immediately stopped my one beer a day habit and feel lots better.
I'm not afraid to say I"m intimidated by the prospect of putting this whole process together by myself. My current doctor is good but old school and I feel won't be of much help. Just received my 23 and me packet, left request for referrals on MPI Cognition about 7 days ago, haven't heard back. I'm close to Los Angeles, so I'm sure there is help there but don't know where to start. Does Medicare recognize any of these labs and protocols as legit to help with payment?
So the journey begins. Glad your here.

Welcome, Jinger.
We are glad you are here, too!
I am so sorry to hear that you have lost both of parents and a sister to Alzheimer's, and that your brother has been seriously impaired as well. It is understandable that you feel intimidated as you approach putting all the pieces together. Having read Dr. Bredesen's book is a great start. You will find many resources and a warm, supportive, and well-informed community here to support you on your journey.
A good place to begin is with the Primer. It is written by Stavia, who is a physician member, and it will give you ideas, prioritized in terms of their importance, of steps you can take now (in addition to giving up that beer!) That way you can be working towards reducing the risks that the ApoE4 allele carries even before you find a physician to oversee your progress. In my experience, the labs that are listed in the Primer as ones to start with have all been covered by Medicare.

Here is a link to the Primer: viewtopic.php?f=33&t=1418

Take your time reading through it. As questions come up, please post them. We are all here to help each other. And in terms of having to put the whole process in place by yourself, I hope that by participating in this community, you will realize that you are not alone.
Once you have gone through the primer you can find more information related to any particular topic using the Search function. You find that by clicking on the three stacked dots to the right of your name.
Wishing you well!
floramaria

Jinger, welcome and just a quick comment on labs. I'm not on Medicare, but some of the labs will be okay if used to diagnose things like metabolic syndrome. I haven't heard of anyone's insurance covering the "protocol", but you can cobble together a lot of what you need.

Even old school doctors will be open to many of the tests that will be helpful so maybe start with your doc while waiting to hear from MPI. Basic lipids (total cholesterol, LDL-C, triglycerides, HDL) and HbA1c, insulin are all used in diagnosing metabolic syndrome. And many traditional doctors are testing Vitamin D. The easiest approach is to say to your doc that you have a family history of metabolic syndrome and it seems reasonable at your age to check your lipids and if you are showing signs of insulin resistance. Go with the basic list in hand and see what he says. Good luck!

Hi Jinger and Happy Almost 70!

You must have an Almost Christmas (or maybe Hanukkah) birthday. You and your sister may well have genetic, lifestyle, educational, social and occupational factors that will allow you to have a different trajectory than your parents, brother and sister. Even your writing suggests you have great syntax, vocabulary, humor (always a plus!), flexible reasoning (giving up beer and reading the book). In other words, lots of cognitive reserve. Some observational studies suggest that may delay the onset and progression of mild cognitive impairment by up to 8 years. That gives you lots of time to implement prevention strategies, and lots of time for science to add to those strategies more personalized solutions to address reversal of pre-clinical or mild symptoms. I say that as a 65 year old 4/4 who is still full of hope and joy in living. As for Medicare, I have not found that the tests were paid for, but I love SusanJ's recommendations! I went through Lab Corp and Life Extension to get the tests I wanted, and then talked with my doctor about the results.

You don't have to live on the shores of De Nile-- you can live in the State of Hope--a state just as great as California. (Or Virginia, which I call home.)

Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions from everyone. Into the Frey I go.