living under a dark shadow.

Newcomer introductions, personal anecdotes, caregiver issues, lab results, and n=1 experimentation.
Post Reply
hairyfairy
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:12 am

living under a dark shadow.

Post by hairyfairy »

Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
User avatar
floramaria
Support Team
Support Team
Posts: 1423
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:22 am
Location: Northern New Mexico

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by floramaria »

hairyfairy wrote:Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
Hi hairyfairy, I am so sorry to read that knowing your Apoe3/4 status continues to be a source of fear and a shadow hanging over you.
Since you have been part of this group since 2018, that is a long time to be thinking/worrying about Alzheimer’s everyday. With the addition of coronavirus fears this year, and disruption of daily life a lot of us have found that we had more occasions of rumination and fearful thoughts. I wonder if this year may have also amplified your worries. Have there been any periods over the years when you were not so preoccupied with your genetic risk?
For me (also 3/4) the information on this website has helped me to feel that through lifestyle changes, I can minimize the risk posed by my genetics, and put myself into the most-likely-will-remain-cognitively-healthy percentile. Reading your post, I realize how fortunate I am to have found relief. I understand that we are all different, and for you, your participation here hasn’t brought you that solace. Do you have people you can talk with about your concerns and fears? Have you considered getting counseling of some sort? Are there any activities that you have found that help diminish “the dark shadow”.
Sending you warm wishes.
Floramaria
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
IFM/ Bredesen Training in Reversing Cognitive Decline (March 2017)
ReCODE 2.0 Health Coach with Apollo Health
User avatar
TheresaB
Mod
Mod
Posts: 1607
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2016 9:46 am
Location: Front Range, CO

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by TheresaB »

hairyfairy wrote:Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
The ApoEε4 allele is not a deterministic gene. It is a strong risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s, but it's not deterministic. It doesn’t mean you will, without a doubt, get Alzheimer's. ANYONE, ApoE 2/2, 2/3, 3/3, 3/4, 4/4 can get Alzheimer's, that’s why it’s called sporadic Alzheimer’s. 4’s are just at greater risk, a risk that is GREATLY influenced by lifestyle factors.

I hate it when people refer to ApoE4 as "the Alzheimer's gene" that is such a misnomer. It's a "you better be careful with lifestyle choices for healthy aging" gene.

According to Genome-Wide Association Study of Brain Connectivity Changes for Alzheimer’s Disease from Jan 2020, the effects of ApoE4 accounts for only 27.3% of the overall disease heritability.

ApoE4 isn’t the number one risk factor for Alzheimer’s, aging is, and that’s a freeing thought because while we can’t control our genes, we can all control how we age! There’s so much information out there about aging well! You’ve elected to be a member here since 2018 so by now you HAD to have read a number of these strategies.

A shadow can only be cast by light. We all have choices. You can turn your back on the light and focus on the dark shadow, or you can face the light to enjoy its warmth and brilliance.

You should not feel such dread over something you have no control over, something you share with millions of others. You should feel great empowerment over things you can control.

Feeling as if you continually have a shadow hanging over you sounds as if you are suffering from depression. I suggest you seek professional help with that.

Of the lifestyle choices we can all make, attitude is one of them, it makes a difference. That’s not a cliché, it’s been studied, Are Thoughts About the Future Associated With Perceptions in the Present?: Optimism, Possible Selves, and Self-Perceptions of Aging
-Theresa
ApoE 4/4
DaleBru
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2019 8:03 am

Re: RE: living under a dark shadow.

Post by DaleBru »

hairyfairy wrote:Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
I'm also APOE 3/4 and it scared me at first. I did a huge amount of research and made some significant lifestyle changes. Now I see APOE 3/4 as a good thing! Just one example: early on I saw an old study that APOE4 could increase my risk of heart disease by a factor of 4. A later and better study showed APOE4 reduces my risk by 80%. (IIRC) It all depends on my metabolic health. Now I am one of the 12% of Americans who are metabolically healthy. To get there I had to overrule my doctors and find better ones who are more up to date with current science. The current amount of nutritional disinformation and propaganda is staggering, and doctors are not immune. So both the good news and the bad news is that you must take control of your own health.
User avatar
Bharati
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2018 2:15 am
Location: Cotswolds, UK

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by Bharati »

hairyfairy wrote:Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
I'm also ApoE3/4. I had had a sneaking suspicion I might have this gene whilst I was waiting for my results, which I got in late 2018. For a while after getting the results I felt my new found knowledge had ruined my life! So I totally understand the fear you are experiencing. But then everything altered when I realised that this knowing gave me the power to change things in my lifestyle and make me healthier. It is also amazing to be part of such an incredibly supportive community.
Sue Bharati
ApoE 3 / 4
hairyfairy
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2018 10:12 am

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by hairyfairy »

Ever since my mother developed angina at the young age of 42, and remembering that both her parents died from heart disease, Iⱱ`e been worried about my genes. Ι sure that counselling or treatment for depression will help because Ι not suffering from clinical depression, but a natural reaction reaction to adverse life events and of course discovering bad things about my dna hasñt helped. I often get the feeling that Ι like a rabbit trapped in a cars headlights and unable to jump out of the way, or being tied to railway tracks and seeing a train coming at me. I know that my outlook to life is partly genetic as my mother passed down a tendency to worry about everything and nothing, when I was a kid she would be on the verge of contacting the police if I was 5 minutes late home from school. Iⱱe inherited her tendency to expect the worst.
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by SusanJ »

hairyfairy wrote:Ever since my mother developed angina at the young age of 42, and remembering that both her parents died from heart disease, Iⱱ`e been worried about my genes. Ι sure that counselling or treatment for depression will help because Ι not suffering from clinical depression, but a natural reaction reaction to adverse life events and of course discovering bad things about my dna hasñt helped.
That's a hard place to be, feeling anxious about the future. I'd like to suggest than counseling might work, because you are likely suffering from anxiety, not depression (although the two can coexist). I have a family member who has anxiety (and has been treated for it) and what you describe sounds like what he went through. Do consider finding someone who might help.

Hugs.
NikiB
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:39 am

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by NikiB »

TheresaB wrote:
hairyfairy wrote:Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
The ApoEε4 allele is not a deterministic gene. It is a strong risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s, but it's not deterministic. It doesn’t mean you will, without a doubt, get Alzheimer's. ANYONE, ApoE 2/2, 2/3, 3/3, 3/4, 4/4 can get Alzheimer's, that’s why it’s called sporadic Alzheimer’s. 4’s are just at greater risk, a risk that is GREATLY influenced by lifestyle factors.

I hate it when people refer to ApoE4 as "the Alzheimer's gene" that is such a misnomer. It's a "you better be careful with lifestyle choices for healthy aging" gene.

According to Genome-Wide Association Study of Brain Connectivity Changes for Alzheimer’s Disease from Jan 2020, the effects of ApoE4 accounts for only 27.3% of the overall disease heritability.

ApoE4 isn’t the number one risk factor for Alzheimer’s, aging is, and that’s a freeing thought because while we can’t control our genes, we can all control how we age! There’s so much information out there about aging well! You’ve elected to be a member here since 2018 so by now you HAD to have read a number of these strategies.

A shadow can only be cast by light. We all have choices. You can turn your back on the light and focus on the dark shadow, or you can face the light to enjoy its warmth and brilliance.

You should not feel such dread over something you have no control over, something you share with millions of others. You should feel great empowerment over things you can control.

Feeling as if you continually have a shadow hanging over you sounds as if you are suffering from depression. I suggest you seek professional help with that.

Of the lifestyle choices we can all make, attitude is one of them, it makes a difference. That’s not a cliché, it’s been studied, Are Thoughts About the Future Associated With Perceptions in the Present?: Optimism, Possible Selves, and Self-Perceptions of Aging
This is so good - I needed the reminder, THANK YOU!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
thehappygeek
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2021 7:14 am

Re: living under a dark shadow.

Post by thehappygeek »

TheresaB wrote:
hairyfairy wrote:Ever since I discovered my apoe3/4 status, I feel as if therès a shadow hanging over me and I cañt get the fear of alzheimers out of my mind. think about it every day and I regret taking that genetic test and opening Pandoràs box.
The ApoEε4 allele is not a deterministic gene. It is a strong risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer’s, but it's not deterministic. It doesn’t mean you will, without a doubt, get Alzheimer's. ANYONE, ApoE 2/2, 2/3, 3/3, 3/4, 4/4 can get Alzheimer's, that’s why it’s called sporadic Alzheimer’s. 4’s are just at greater risk, a risk that is GREATLY influenced by lifestyle factors.

I hate it when people refer to ApoE4 as "the Alzheimer's gene" that is such a misnomer. It's a "you better be careful with lifestyle choices for healthy aging" gene.

According to Genome-Wide Association Study of Brain Connectivity Changes for Alzheimer’s Disease from Jan 2020, the effects of ApoE4 accounts for only 27.3% of the overall disease heritability.

ApoE4 isn’t the number one risk factor for Alzheimer’s, aging is, and that’s a freeing thought because while we can’t control our genes, we can all control how we age! There’s so much information out there about aging well! You’ve elected to be a member here since 2018 so by now you HAD to have read a number of these strategies.

A shadow can only be cast by light. We all have choices. You can turn your back on the light and focus on the dark shadow, or you can face the light to enjoy its warmth and brilliance.

You should not feel such dread over something you have no control over, something you share with millions of others. You should feel great empowerment over things you can control.

Feeling as if you continually have a shadow hanging over you sounds as if you are suffering from depression. I suggest you seek professional help with that.

Of the lifestyle choices we can all make, attitude is one of them, it makes a difference. That’s not a cliché, it’s been studied, Are Thoughts About the Future Associated With Perceptions in the Present?: Optimism, Possible Selves, and Self-Perceptions of Aging
This is my favourite post I have read so far. I am new here too and it is a little frightening. Thank you so much for this.
Post Reply