Coping with APOE4

[Kristina]

Hi everyone

I have just found out that I have the APOE4/4 gene and find it difficult to cope with this information.. any words of wisdom? I am currently working abroad far away from home and it all feels very scary. I hope this is appropriate to post my thoughts and fears here.
Kristina


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[NF52]

Hi everyone

I have just found out that I have the APOE4/4 gene and find it difficult to cope with this information.. any words of wisdom? I am currently working abroad far away from home and it all feels very scary. I hope this is appropriate to post my thoughts and fears here.
Kristina

A warm welcome, Kristina,

As someone who is almost 68 and found out my ApoE 4/4 news 6 years ago, I totally understand your finding this very scary and am so glad you found our site so quickly. This is absolutely a safe place to post any thoughts, fears, feelings and hopes. One of my hopes for you is that by reading accurate scientific information here, and hearing from and about healthy people who have ApoE 4/4 and are working in their 60's and 70's as an ombudsman in assisted living homes, law professors, judges, political activists for ApoE 4/4 research and environmental causes, clinical trial participants for prevention studies, and bridge champions in their local communities, that you'll believe that these genes are not our destiny.

Most of us here have experienced a roller coaster of emotions on hearing this news--especially because it's easy to find articles based on old studies of people who already had Alzheimer's or other dementias, who were then viewed as "typical" of ApoE 4/4.
We now know that about 30% of the risk for any dementia (other than rare, dominantly-inherited genes for early-onset) comes from modifiable risk factors like insulin resistance, diabetes, significant cardiac or vascular disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure, sleep apnea and untreated mental health needs, as well as particulate matter pollution and unhealthy diets.

So whether you are home or abroad, you can make use of the wonderful strategies in our Primer , written by a doctor with ApoE 4/4 who lives in a beautiful Southern Hemisphere nation and finds it's possible to eat well, travel widely and meet new people while also helping your brain. My own son who is ApoE 3/4 has traveled and worked in places as diverse as Portugal, France, Chile, Malaysia, Thailand, and the UK and found that fresh, high quality, and cheap fruits and vegetables were almost always easier to come by away from home.

So while you may be far away from family and friends, you now have a new community now. We're here for you on good days and bad.

[emmabarton]

Hi everyone

I have just found out that I have the APOE4/4 gene and find it difficult to cope with this information.. any words of wisdom? I am currently working abroad far away from home and it all feels very scary. I hope this is appropriate to post my thoughts and fears here.
Kristina

Hi Kristina,
I'm so glad you found this site and have decided to reach out. I agree, it can feel very scary to learn your ApoE4 status-- especially when (as NF52 suggested) there exists so much misinformation out there on the topic of Alzheimer's. Thankfully, here you should find open discussions about the most current research and a variety of recommendations based on the evolving science of genomics, etc. Since you are new, I suggest checking out the Primer, which NF52 beautifully described. It offers a lovely narrative about all things ApoE4, and it is chocked full of fascinating avenues you might consider exploring. If you are interested in diving a little deeper into some of the science, then check out the wiki page-- it's my go-to for the any questions I have that pop up about Alzheimer's. Here's a section specifically from the wiki section "just found out you're an E4 carrier" on simple preventative steps. Lastly, please consider contributing a little bit more about yourself in the Our Stories-- we would love to hear more about you and your experiences.

I hope these suggestions help. I lived abroad for eleven years during my 20s and 30s and I know the challenge of being faced with shocking news and feeling so far away from home. This site is rich with warm, sensitive people from all over the world-- I am so glad you found yourself here. Please don't hesitate to reach out again with questions, comments, suggestions, etc.

Light and peace,

Emma

[Kristina]

Hi everyone

I have just found out that I have the APOE4/4 gene and find it difficult to cope with this information.. any words of wisdom? I am currently working abroad far away from home and it all feels very scary. I hope this is appropriate to post my thoughts and fears here.
Kristina

Hi Kristina,
I'm so glad you found this site and have decided to reach out. I agree, it can feel very scary to learn your ApoE4 status-- especially when (as NF52 suggested) there exists so much misinformation out there on the topic of Alzheimer's. Thankfully, here you should find open discussions about the most current research and a variety of recommendations based on the evolving science of genomics, etc. Since you are new, I suggest checking out the Primer, which NF52 beautifully described. It offers a lovely narrative about all things ApoE4, and it is chocked full of fascinating avenues you might consider exploring. If you are interested in diving a little deeper into some of the science, then check out the wiki page-- it's my go-to for the any questions I have that pop up about Alzheimer's. Here's a section specifically from the wiki section "just found out you're an E4 carrier" on simple preventative steps. Lastly, please consider contributing a little bit more about yourself in the Our Stories-- we would love to hear more about you and your experiences.

I hope these suggestions help. I lived abroad for eleven years during my 20s and 30s and I know the challenge of being faced with shocking news and feeling so far away from home. This site is rich with warm, sensitive people from all over the world-- I am so glad you found yourself here. Please don't hesitate to reach out again with questions, comments, suggestions, etc.

Light and peace,

Emma

Thank you so much Emma and NF52[emoji120]. I can’t describe the relief I felt reading your replies. I am still learning to navigate this site and when I find the right page, I am more than happy to share a bit more about myself.

I’ll check out the primer and dig in to the science.
Once again. Thank you.


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