Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

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Scaredstiff1223
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Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by Scaredstiff1223 »

Thank you all for your comments. I have my good days and I have my bad days. I was having a very good day until I read those percentages on Amylee Amos' article saying that 4/4 carriers chances of getting AD increased by 90% when I was suddenly plunged back into that dark place of despair and fear. I received these results via True Health Diagnosis back in March from a script written by my family dr requesting detailed blood work, I was shocked and extremely upset because I had no idea this was being done. I have no family history, from parents, Grandparents, siblings or cousins, and my family is rather large. There is also no history of diabetes in my family. But since that day I've read up on everything I can, and some articles were just so darn depressing. My diet consisted of everything they say are risk factors for AD; High in carbs, dairy, processed foods. I've been addicted to chips for the past 35 years, although I gave them up 3 years ago. So, do I even bother giving up all the foods that I've loved all my life knowing there's a good chance I'll get this disease anyway, or do I just live my life and enjoy what's left of it? I feel like at 65 years of age, the damage has already been done. I wish so badly that this was a bad dream or that my results were an error, I'm actually thinking of being retested, but I'm terrified of getting the same results.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by slacker »

Scaredstiff1223 wrote:Thank you all for your comments. I have my good days and I have my bad days. I was having a very good day until I read those percentages on Amylee Amos' article saying that 4/4 carriers chances of getting AD increased by 90% when I was suddenly plunged back into that dark place of despair and fear. I received these results via True Health Diagnosis back in March from a script written by my family dr requesting detailed blood work, I was shocked and extremely upset because I had no idea this was being done. I have no family history, from parents, Grandparents, siblings or cousins, and my family is rather large. There is also no history of diabetes in my family. But since that day I've read up on everything I can, and some articles were just so darn depressing. My diet consisted of everything they say are risk factors for AD; High in carbs, dairy, processed foods. I've been addicted to chips for the past 35 years, although I gave them up 3 years ago. So, do I even bother giving up all the foods that I've loved all my life knowing there's a good chance I'll get this disease anyway, or do I just live my life and enjoy what's left of it? I feel like at 65 years of age, the damage has already been done. I wish so badly that this was a bad dream or that my results were an error, I'm actually thinking of being retested, but I'm terrified of getting the same results.
Dear Scared;

There is always hope. We have a member in her 80's who is cognitively intact. We have a member who has posted about tremendous progress. I encourage you to start on the path by reading our Primer, written by an ApoE4/4 MD. True Health Diagnosis has a good reputation of accurate test results. I think your time and resources would be better spent by looking at and trying on lifestyle changes. It's never too late to start.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by NF52 »

Scaredstiff1223 wrote: ... I have no family history, from parents, Grandparents, siblings or cousins, and my family is rather large. There is also no history of diabetes in my family. I'm actually thinking of being retested, but I'm terrified of getting the same results.
Hello again, my friend,

The short, and absolutely true answer is that with your family history and your own history: YES--you have plenty to hope for!!

I am 66, and my father got diabetes at age 44, and died at age 67 of cardiac arrest 8 months after a quadruple bypass. A year ago, I paid $ 150. for a coronary calcium scan of my own arteries after finding I have sky-high Lp(a)--something I didn't even know existed--which was a risk for coronary artery disease and aortic stenosis. Results: Zero plaque in my arteries, and a coronary age of 39!! Happy dance time.

You and I had similar diets (and possibly mothers who loved casseroles, dairy and Velveeta "cheese" as "real food".) I wouldn't say I was addicted to chips, but they were certainly a go-to food for stress--which with a hoarder, bipolar sister and a mother who developed dementia slowly in her 80's was a given. So another test I had done was hbA1C, a measure of glucose over the last three months in the blood. Again, got a score of 5.1, lower than many people on this forum who lead lives of sainthood when it comes to diet and exercise.

Here's what I did after I found out my results at 62: worried like crazy for 2 years, while reading everything I could--mostly from Google Scholar to be sure I was seeing peer-reviewed research. Then I revamped my diet to a fair version of a MIND diet, with things like zucchini, mushrooms EVOO and an egg for breakfast instead of cereal. And I joined a clinical trial for people like us. Not for everyone by any means, but it gave me a feeling of doing something for myself, for the research, and maybe for my three 3/4 kids and others.
And I read "How to Be a Stoic", by Pigliucci, which taught me that stoics don't grin and bear it, they prepare as well as they can from unseen dangers, and forces beyond their control, and determine to love life and friends and have purpose--in spite of it all.
It does get better over time. And with NO family history, you are likely to be one of the happy 90-somethings in a study of folks living near the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota who NEVER got clinical dementia. They might have amyloid plaques and other damage in their brains when they die--but some NEVER develop the disease.

So be well, my friend. Statistics are only an numerical average, not a prophecy. Especially not Ms. Amos' statistics.
4/4 and still an optimist!
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by roxanne »

Hello Scared:
It is very normal to be scared when you first know your status. For a few months my emotions were all over the place. After a while I chose to see my status as an opportunity for growth, an opportunity to start caring about the good things in my life, my husband and son, my family at large, my friends. I also chose to believe, after researching the subject, that this gene confers some advantages, better cognitive function, protection against infection diseases,higher intelligence. All the people on this forum are highly intelligent and it's an honor for me to be part of this group and I can guarantee you, you will be too.

Our thoughts reflect what we feel and you can change your thoughts so you can start changing your diet, exercising, and loving who you are at this very moment in time. That will give you hope, and you will in time be grateful that you found out what your status is.

Till we speak again,

Roxanne
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by LanceS »

Have wrestled with this for my Mom, who is 76 and remarried a few years ago. I think she is 3/4, could be 4/4. She routinely regales me with the most mundane personal details of interactions with people I will never meet. I pray when we have these conversations that my neurons are letting the details flow in one ear and out the other, retaining none of it. Her brother is struggling in the mid 90s with some brain related issues, has another looking to live a long time and she had two brothers die somewhat young from CAD. So I figure there is something there but how she lives her life is reasonably good, and there must be some longevity genes in there somewhere. After some digging I found she has 2 FOXO3 genes (not sure what this means but it seems to be a TRUMP (not the president) card for MTOR regulation - kinda like having the best general contractor in the city maintaining your house), and some mitochondrial DNA that seems favored by some smart folks. So there is some reason to believe she may have compensating genes for the 3/4. So I have kinda not bothered her with it and probably will not unless I see some symptoms. Her poor husband, she routinely seems to keep a mental journal of how many times he repeats a story to various audiences. She is not always correct, but not too far off.

I feel like most physicians put a great deal of weight on family history, and I definitely think understanding the family history and the genes that may counterbalance may help you relax a bit.

Beyond that you have to treat the patient, as I have been so often told by my kids doctors. Let my oldest go on a trip to Colorado, about 10-12k ft elevations. He has a modest case of anemia and I worried but figured how bad could it be. Still I was worried, so I bought him a pulse-ox and had to stress for a week about whether his rather shabby pulseox reading meant he should be getting auxiliary oxygen, a quick trip to the hospital for a check, or just come home. We knew that his anemia was likely to have changed how much oxygen he required, but we weren't sure if that meant his pulse-ox values were ok. His heart rate though elevated was never as bad as my daughters was at sea level (she had a worse case of anemia). So we let him monitor and live life in the mountains for a week. Positively sure I would not do it again, but by monitoring him more closely it gave us some comfort that he was not having any permanent issues.

Monitoring and figuring out where and what you want to do lifestyle wise is important. I look back and think sometimes to myself the ketogenic diet was tough. But a girl at work embraced it and has more fun with the diet than I knew was possible. Plenty of web resources that can help someone embrace pretty much any diet. I've been more ketogenic and non-lifting non insulin non glucose for a number of years now. I've been getting more into intermittent fasting and look forward to getting more of a balance with working out / fasting. I want to tear down the cells i have that may not be working very well and build them back up. Not sure how it will work out but I am pretty hopeful. All of us start somewhere, usually somewhere not too uncomfortable, and this usually brings us to more interesting and healthy places.

Anyway hope some of this helps. My brain / fog issues have really receded and I look forward to what I am hoping will be another 20+ years. A few years ago I was thinking give me another 5 years. Its been a positive journey for me, try to embrace and enjoy it, I hope and pray it will be a positive journey for you as well.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by Starfish77 »

Hello Scaredstiff1223, I found out I was an e4/e4 when I was 76 five years ago. I had been a yo yo dieter since I was 11. I'd weighed 255 pounds twice in my life. Learning I was an e4/e4 was a good motivator in getting me to keep my weight stable. Because I have ADD (attention deficit disorder) I got myself tested so I would have a baseline in case I went into decline. The testing was done at a veterans center who works with Stanford University and the Alzheimer's Assn. to provide free testing. I can go for a follow up test any time. I don't think my memory is slipping. I think it might be a little better because I make a contious effort to remember things to keep my "brain muscles" working. The fact you gave up chips shows that you have the stick-to-itness to make life changes. Just work on whatever changes feel comfortable. They don't have to be made all at one time. I'm glad you are with us. Keep on, keeping on.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by PBW »

Thanks Starfish...you continue to be a bright star of hope for me(67yrs and counting 4/4). I have a young friend who is head of a research Dept in Genomes at the Univ of WA. He also has the Apoe4 allele. He always reminds me that real people make up the 25%(estimate) of 4/4's who do not have AD and everything one does to prevent the onset or reduce what may have already occurred gives a greater opportunity to fall into that group.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by docdewitt »

Sometimes HOPE is what gets us through the tough times. I have been researching Dr Dale Bredesen's work and the reCODE protocol. Seems to have had some great success with his patients.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by Scaredstiff1223 »

Thank you all so much for the encouraging words. I’m sad that you are all dealing with this, but the selfish part of me is glad that I’m not alone.
As far as my diet, I love veggies and fruits, chicken and maybe red meat maybe once a month, if that. My problem is the carbs. Although I’m trying to keep them at 50-75 grams, that is still such a struggle.
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Re: Is there any hope after getting these results at age65?

Post by floramaria »

Scaredstiff1223 wrote:My problem is the carbs. Although I’m trying to keep them at 50-75 grams, that is still such a struggle.
Have you been looking into resistant carbs at all? One workaround can be to consider not just the # of grams of carbs, but also the specific quality of various carbs and how they effect blood sugar. You can read what has been said about resistant starches in the forums by using the Search function (magnifying glass left of your user name) or just look up resistant starches on any search engine. Because I sometimes like carbs to promote their special quality of feeling full, I find resistant starches very useful. Sweet potatoes are a popular source.
But there are a lot of other choices too. For example, I've been experimenting recently with green banana flour pancakes. Admittedly, the first batch was a dismal soggy failure :roll:
but this weekend I tried again, and made something quite enjoyable.
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