My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's 2 months ago by a psychiatrist. He was fine since a week ago and demanded to go and see our GP....which told him that the MRI scan show vascular dementia instead of Alzheimer's. I am so confused now. I must take the MRI scans from 2012 and now 2015 back to the Drs who did the MRI scans for them to show the differences between then and now. I am quite tired from all of this....why cant he accept what is happening with him.
Dementia isn't diagnosed with a blood test. While advanced brain scans like MRIs will show signs of some forms of dementia a diagnosis is often made by asking a series of questions designed to test cognitive function. There are very simple tests that almost anyone can do and there are more detailed ones that are usually given by a neurologist or someone who has been specially trained.
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Many people have Mixed dementia, where they have vascular and Alzheimers. I'm not sure how his GP was able to confirm that he doesn't have both. I saw an expert at the Mayo Clinic last night on the Glen Campbell documentary explain that they have test now that can pretty much confirm if it's Alzheimers. I had always been told they couldn't know for sure until after death. So, this was news to me.
You might get a third opinion from a Neurologist. That way, you can know more of what to expect.
My cousin has Vascular dementia/mixed with Alzheimers and it can hit pretty quick. She went from mild to severe in less than a year! I would read as much as possible so you will know what to expect. I'm not sure if I would concern myself with whether your husband accepts the diagnosis or not, since he may forget about it.
My loved one was told she had dementia, but she never seemed to process it. The only thing she ever said about it, was that she hated losing memories of her parents, because they were so wonderful to her. It broke my heart.
Bottom line is that none of us is immortal. Whatever the final diagnosis both of you have been given a wake up call. It is time to make long term plans, update your Wills, POAs and discuss DNRs and Living Wills. Talk to your friends/family and rally the troops to reassure him that no matter what the future holds you will work through it together.
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As to this question, there are different tests for dementia mostly cognitive type I think. In all honestly if your mom is showing classic signs of dementia it's not terribly important that she is officially tested and diagnosed.
My dad has always refused any testing but his is a classic case and I don't push the issue. He says he's fine but his short term memory is about 30 seconds.
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I wish you the best. This is a tough thing to deal with.
Harvard Health Publications states, Re: Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease
No blood test, brain scan, or physical exam can definitively diagnose Alzheimer's disease. And because so many conditions can produce symptoms resembling those of early Alzheimer's, reaching the correct diagnosis is complicated.
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