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Newly Diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Dino305
Dino305 Member Posts: 5
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in I Am Living With Alzheimer's or Other Dementia

Hi everyone..I am 58 year old School Counselor newly diagnosed with MCI, based on Montreal Assesment. I have a variety of risk factors--family hx on paternal side (Grandmother, Uncle, Father) plus I have Type II Diabetes, Sleep Apnia, Peripheral arterial disease, etc.

I am scheduled for a workup--blood test, MRI, and Nuero-phsyc evaluation. Advice given was to follow MIND diet and increase exercise.

Wife and daughter were not surprised with the news, as they have noticed my 'quirks.' However, it is an unexpected added stressor as wife is primary care giver for 90 year old father who has mid stage Alzheimers.

All advice is welcome. Fianlly, Are there trials for MCI patients that focus on diet and exercise?

Comments

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 4,963
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    edited July 2023

    Welcome, Howardino. You have gotten good advice regarding diet and exercise. Your risk factors can be the causes of significant cognitive impairment. Do as much as you can to get sleep apnea, diabetes and arterial disease under control. Are you overweight? Losing weight will help these conditions.


    As far as I know, there are no clinical trials that focus on diet and exercise, which we call Best Practices. Many PWDs (persons with dementia) follow Best Practices in order to improve functioning and to prolong the early stages. I myself followed Best Practices and I have done okay. Keep in mind that I do not have Alzheimer's Disease. There are clinical trials for various medical treatments.


    What are you going to do about work? Do you need work accommodations? Have you gotten any verbal or written warnings in your annual performance review? If so, plan carefully your next steps, because you could be at risk of losing your job and your employee benefits. Please keep us updated on how you are doing.

    Iris

  • Dino305
    Dino305 Member Posts: 5
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    So far so good at work. My visual processing is strong so much of my administrative work is fine. I take notes and then enter info into computer. Thank you for your comments by the way.

  • Amy Joy
    Amy Joy Member Posts: 90
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    I’m continue to suffer from early onset dementia. This is not from my own words. I’m suffering from dementia and mental health

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 4,963
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    Welcome back, Amy Joy. Are you able to get your needs met? Are you getting help?

    Iris

  • carmen marmo
    carmen marmo Member Posts: 1
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    thank you for this opportunity to share thoughts/emotions. My wife of 58yrs isn't the caring type of a person. She gets upset with me that I forgot something. I need counseling on these matters. I was Dx with MCI this year. Can you recommend a counselor?

  • Watson1
    Watson1 Member Posts: 41
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    dino305 carry on,learnabout others and their journeys with alz, some great books. take notes on your perspective now and thing you feel are changing. this will help you understand your self as you move forward. i am 2 years into my alz ride, im an artist so i paint to help me understand my reality, i can't drive so i have an bike essential since i have copd and other health issues like you. find others on the same journey, its most helpful.were in it together your never alone. us alzys have your back…………..

  • csias40
    csias40 Member Posts: 1
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    Also was just diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment and have premature parietal lobe brain atrophy on diagnosis. Just connecting. I am also trying to do whatever I can as far as diet, exercise, as well as any games that help the brain. Already on disability for a genetic connective tissue disorder, but hard to get this new diagnosis.
  • Dorse
    Dorse Member Posts: 36
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    I agree with you on how difficult it is to hear this Alzheimer's diagnosis. I was diagnosed with MCI, and 3 months ago after Pet Scan & other test diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

  • GEH
    GEH Member Posts: 36
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    I hear you. It is definitely difficult and devastating to hear the diagnosis of Alzheimer's or any other similar disease. However, for me it was somehow liberating. It had been over a three year slog of knowing something was wrong with me while being told there's nothing wrong with me and that i was a hypochondriac and go seek mental health assistance. By getting confirmation that there was indeed something wrong, I was finally empowered to start my fight against this "enemy" that was now "named". It gave me strength, resolve and enormous determination. I will fight this to my last breath. I will beat this or die trying. I refuse, absolutely refuse, to go quietly into the night. 💖

  • ForDad1234
    ForDad1234 Member Posts: 3
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    Hi;


    My family is in a very similar spot. 63 year old father who started with quirks and memory loss 5-10 years ago. His mom was just put into a nursing home she has Alzheimer’s. Strong family history of dementia on both sides of family. Dad has Atrial Fibrillation and High blood pressure.

    My advice deals with both the physical and emotional. Do what the doctors tell you to do. Diet, exercise, scans. Do NOT wait to get the tests they are recommending. It is scary but if anyone tells you you don’t need them just reassure them that you want them. There’s hope for you. No offense to my mom but she put off getting Dad treatment for awhile because she was in denial it doesn’t help. There is hope in being time efficient!

    Speaking of time, spend time with your family. Be selfish about that. Your loved ones come first before everyone else. You do what you want to do now. It is proven that happiness can help memory, too.


    Please take care of yourself; bless you

  • Dorse
    Dorse Member Posts: 36
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    Thanks for sharing, and God bless you and your family. I was diagnosed in July.

  • Michele P
    Michele P Member Posts: 141
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    https://alzconnected.org/discussion/65647/newly-diagnosed-with-mild-cognitive-impairment

    Look into Dr. Dean Ornish’s Lifestyle Program. He had successful clinical trials reversing heart disease with a plant based diet, exercise, stress reduction techniques, and supplements. The program is covered by several insurance companies with an approved cardiac disease. He now has clinical trials with early stage MCI and Alzheimer’s patients using the same cardiac program. Clinical trials showed a slowing of progression and in some cases returning of lost executive function.

  • LBC83
    LBC83 Member Posts: 155
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    Here is another thought. This site is sponsored by an organization called the Alzheimer's Association. They happen to have a nice website, with a section titled "Navigating Treatments for Alzheimer's". The website had a section on "Drugs that treat symptoms" and "Drugs that change disease progression". I am on one of the "Drugs that change disease progression", specifically Leqembi. I recently had my 34th infusion

    https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/navigating-treatment-options

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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