All in the family

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
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lamb chops
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All in the family

Post by lamb chops »

I am 66 yrs young , with one parent(gone) and 2 sibs with Alzheimer'sand a 3rd whose wife says it is getting dicey with him. They are all older than I and I am the next in line!
I have had Hashimoto's for years which only in the last coupe years has been roller coasting. I also have osteoporosis, severe osteoarthritis(until recently) and hearing loss. I started having some trouble with sleeping and with my balance this last year also and felt I wasn't as sharp as before.
I was tired of running from one recommended specialist to another and decided to go on a 30 day cleanse to see what was causing so much inflammation in my joints since it was behaving more like Rheumatoid than osteoarthritis. Loa and behold my arthritis which was only controlled by strong meds is now very mild needing a couple tylenol 5-6 times a week. It's there but it's more inline with the diagnosis.
A physician friend (whose mother has Alzheiemer's) called me about Bredesen. After reading his book and seeing my 'miracle cure' from the arthritis, I have been on a ketogenic diet for about 6 months. I also did a 23&me test that showed I had the 4 genome.I was able to get my family doctor to give me quite a few of the blood tests and order a MRI.She has been able, along with my rheumatologist and ENT, to try to adjust some of the imbalances. However, none of them is equipped to take a comprehensive look.
I wanted an internist with functional training since I have need for some medical intervention but spent much time being told I would have to wait 6 months to a year to get to see someone. I made appointments, ready to wait, until my MRI came back with problems.
Thanks to posts on apoe4 I found Dr. Raby (who, by the way, no longer takes patients) and got an appt with her colleague, dr. Buchanen in June. They gave me the name of a neurologist they work with, Dr. Carrol at Northwestern and I'm in there in 2 weeks. So we shall see.
In reading the posts I have seen much of the same frustration many of you have had and have found I just have to keep pushing to get the medical establishment to move.
I also have the issues with sibs that some of you have had with relatives not addressing the Alzheimer's curse. I am from a very large family and there are still 4 younger than I, only one of whom is dealing with this the same way as I. I have given them all the Bredesen book as presents but they think I am going overboard, even with the strong family history!. Oh well, I can only do so much.
Anna
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Re: All in the family

Post by Anna »

Welcome Lamb Chops! Your story touches on some key issues that many of us are facing. I am impressed with the steps you have taken thus far. That's awesome that the dietary changes had such a profound effect on your arthritis/inflammation.
lamb chops wrote:In reading the posts I have seen much of the same frustration many of you have had and have found I just have to keep pushing to get the medical establishment to move.
This journey seems to be one of educating our providers, begging for tests that conventional doctors find unnecessary, going out of network to find doctors who at least believe in optimizing health (rather than treating symptoms), struggling to achieve a coordinated effort from specialists, etc. All I can say is keep on pushing, and know in your heart that this is what you need to do!
lamb chops wrote:I also have the issues with sibs that some of you have had with relatives not addressing the Alzheimer's curse . . . Oh well, I can only do so much.
That's a healthy attitude. Maybe your siblings will see the more immediate improvements from changes you are making and be motivated by that, if not for the more illusive possibility of eventual cognitive decline.
~Anna
4/4 but so much more
MsCindy
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Re: All in the family

Post by MsCindy »

Hi Lamb Chops,

I'm in a similar position, 63, and new to all this too. My father's whole family died of Alzheimer's, plus we have a lot of autism in our family (poor verbal skills, poor social connections, etc.) My sister and I are the only remaining members of the family, and we can both tell we're already experience subjective cognitive issues. I've given her Bredesen's book, and she's slowly looking into it, but not jumping fully into it like I am. I'm still working, and my work insurance won't cover much, so I'm gradually getting blood tests done myself. Life Extension Foundation has a blood test sale going on right now, and they do it yearly. So I plan on implementing all of Bredesen's strategies as much as possible on my own, then getting what bloodwork I can done with my HMO, and paying for any remaining ones that seem urgent. I figure over a 5 year period of doing this, I should be able to get a handle on all my issues - hopefully anyway! I don't know what else to do. My HMO wouldn't do a thing for me at first, so I h
ave to sneak in some blood tests for "cardiac health" - like the homocysteine and C-reactive protein tests - or other general health issues. I'm just so glad I found Bredesen's book and have HOPE

Cindy
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