Newbie, not shocked, but shocked

[SunnyAZ]

I'm a 67 year old female and learned recently I carry one APOE 3 and one APOE 4. So does that make me a APOE 4 heterozygote?
Several other places in my DNA date says things about Alzheimers to. My dad died of Alzheimers. Yesterday I learned my sister, 7 years my senior, has been struggling with it for maybe 2-3 years and not one family member thought to let me know. We live states away from each other. And on top of that, my husband, a disabled Fleet Marine Corpsman who spent two years in Vietnam dealing with traumatic injuries started having symptoms about three years ago, first being visual spatial. In Vietnam, he was sprayed with agent orange and has severe peripheral neuropathy and as of November 2016 resides in a nursing home. I also have benign MS, active celiac disease, and peripheral vascular disease and grade 1 heart failure. Wow, am I having fun yet? NOT! So, here I am. I don't know enough about genes to know exactly what it means other than my only sibling and my dad have/had Alzheimers. I get through life, and 47 years with my husband who returned with severe PTSD, with humor.

Hello everyone. I look forward to learning as much as I can. Guess I'll eat lots of broccoli. What else is there to do?

[Julie G]

Welcome Sunny! Glad you found us. You are juggling a lot; between your husband's needs and your other health concerns. How shocked you must have been to learn about your sister! While family history and genetics plays a part in Alzheimer's, epigenetics also play an important role. Broccoli is a great start, but there are other strategies you can also employ. Be sure to check out our thread for newcomers. I look forward to learning more about you. I'm so sorry to hear that you husband was disabled as a result of his service in Vietnam. Please pass along my gratitude for his sacrifice. XO.

[Stavia]

Hi Sunny and welcome. You certainly have a lot to cope with. Take your time and look at some of the foundation strategies in the newcomers thread. Ask if you have any questions.

[SunnyAZ]

Thank you for your notes. I will check out the section. I will pass on your gratitude.

[Silverlining]

Welcome Sunny! I'm Silverlining, I'd think we'd get along great and laugh ourselves all the way to the funny farm!! In all seriousness, eat a ton of potato chips with the broccoli, it'll make the green stuff go down easier....ok ok, big breath, wipe the smile off my face... I'm glad you found us, hope we can be a good support community for you!

[SusanJ]

Hugs, Sunny. Many of us have struggled with family members suffering from AD and we can empathize.

Start with the intro, and remember that you don't need to do everything at once. One step and one day at a time, and we'll be here to help where we can.