New to community....1st post

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FarmBoy
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New to community....1st post

Post by FarmBoy »

Just placed my wife of 59 years into Assisted Care as the memory care unit residents were too far advanced into Alzheimer's. She was officially diagnosed with MCI about 4 1/2 years ago. Read and began Recode from Bredesen Book in 2017 and followed religiously for two years but saw no improvement so stopped because even if it slowed the progression I did not think that is what neither my wife nor I wished at this stage. She is ApoE 4 4, had an ooferectomy at age 19 and a hysterectomy at age 38. Maybe genes are not destiny but it would seem with this perfect storm her genes come pretty close to that. She is physically very healthy and we have always lived a healthy lifestyle, plenty of rest, regular exercise, healthy diet (although nothing like a ketoflextarian) and her stress levels were pretty low. Her symptoms began well before her diagnosis but as in many cases we (I) put it off to "senior" moments. Now my biggest concern is to whether my children should be tested.
NF52
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Re: New to community....1st post

Post by NF52 »

FarmBoy wrote:Just placed my wife of 59 years into Assisted Care as the memory care unit residents were too far advanced into Alzheimer's. She was officially diagnosed with MCI about 4 1/2 years ago. Read and began Recode from Bredesen Book in 2017 and followed religiously for two years but saw no improvement so stopped because even if it slowed the progression I did not think that is what neither my wife nor I wished at this stage. She is ApoE 4 4, had an ooferectomy at age 19 and a hysterectomy at age 38. Maybe genes are not destiny but it would seem with this perfect storm her genes come pretty close to that. She is physically very healthy and we have always lived a healthy lifestyle, plenty of rest, regular exercise, healthy diet (although nothing like a ketoflextarian) and her stress levels were pretty low. Her symptoms began well before her diagnosis but as in many cases we (I) put it off to "senior" moments. Now my biggest concern is to whether my children should be tested.
Welcome to someone who I imagine is far more than a FarmBoy!

Like your wife, I also have ApoE 4/4 and a loving husband. After 41 years of marriage in our case, we have had lots of talks about our values and preferences in the event of illness or disability--and especially in the event of Alzheimer's or other dementias, since both of our mothers experienced that in their 80's. So please accept my deep compassion for your wise decision to provide your wife with the care and support she needs.

My mother-in-law quickly enjoyed the chocolate-chip cookies, visiting pets, frequent musical guests and easy walks in her assisted living facility, as well as the support of her husband and sons visiting. Your observation that your wife's symptoms were manageable before her MCI diagnosis and have progressed slowly since then is a tribute to a lifetime of healthy habits, strong social networks, and low stress. All of those provide "cognitive resilience" in the brain's defense against amyloid plaques and tau tangles and likely changed what could have been rapid progression to dementia into a "chronic" disease. Some research suggests that people in their 80's may continue to show good language, motor and physical skills, making it easier to join them in "living in the moment" and working around memory lapses. I hope that is true in her case.

As for your children, I assume they are somewhere in their 40's to 60's and are aware of their mother's diagnosis. Each of them, like my three adult children, will have inherited one copy of ApoE4 from their mother and one copy of an ApoE allele from you. Chances are pretty good that they have heard of 23&me or other genetic testing sites and if interested, may pursue that on their own. Some people choose not to know their risk--even those who have become members of this forum. They would rather live "as if" they have ApoE 4, without actually having to know that they and their own children may have it. Here's a link to an article on our Wiki about testing: Thinking About Testing?

I hope you realize that your wife will want you to take care of yourself now, just as I have told my husband I expect him to take care of himself--and to keep our children and grandchildren surrounded with our love if I should be unable to do so. Hugs from your wife's "genetic younger sister".
4/4 and still an optimist!
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lgoring
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Re: New to community....1st post

Post by lgoring »

FarmBoy wrote:Just placed my wife of 59 years into Assisted Care as the memory care unit residents were too far advanced into Alzheimer's. She was officially diagnosed with MCI about 4 1/2 years ago. Read and began Recode from Bredesen Book in 2017 and followed religiously for two years but saw no improvement so stopped because even if it slowed the progression I did not think that is what neither my wife nor I wished at this stage. She is ApoE 4 4, had an ooferectomy at age 19 and a hysterectomy at age 38. Maybe genes are not destiny but it would seem with this perfect storm her genes come pretty close to that. She is physically very healthy and we have always lived a healthy lifestyle, plenty of rest, regular exercise, healthy diet (although nothing like a ketoflextarian) and her stress levels were pretty low. Her symptoms began well before her diagnosis but as in many cases we (I) put it off to "senior" moments. Now my biggest concern is to whether my children should be tested.
Hello and welcome FarmBoy to the ApoE4 Community!

I found out that I was an E4/E4 in my mid 20s (currently still in my 20s), only because I was very curious about my genes. My primary care doctor knew about the ApoE 4/4 gene and we worked on a holistic plan for prevention measures. I try to stick to it daily - supplements, food, exercise, stress management - but I am definitely an amateur being so young. I have always thought that knowledge is power but the link that NF52 shared will be helpful for your children to decide if they want to get tested. As NF52 stated, with genetics they will already have at least one copy of the ApoE4 gene since your wife is a 4/4.

Overall, I hope the wealth of knowledge from this site helps grow your personal knowledge about the ApoE 4 gene. Since you are a new poster, I thought a few additional links might help you to get the most out of this site. One place to start is the How-To Guide to learn how to navigate the site. This guide is a great resource I found helpful when I started posting. It includes topics such as navigating the forum, private messaging, and searching. One great tip is using the quote button (") when replying to a post. Using this button will automatically alert the member of your response. It really helps keep the conversation rolling.

You may also enjoy the Primer. This was posted by a physician where she introduces the ApoE4 gene and possible prevention strategies. You may find this interesting if you haven't found it already.

I hope these little tidbits help you with navigating the site and if you have any questions about responding on the site please let me know!

See you around the forum,

lgoring
ApoE4/4
Certified Health Education Specialist
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
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