My 55 yr old DH was recently diagnosed

msanderson75 · October 16

Hello, I am loving these forums from just a little bit that I have seen so far. My DH had the PET scan in August and it confirmed signs of early on-set Alzheimer's. I noticed about 3 years ago that his personality started to change a little but the since 2024 his decline has been rather rapid (hindsight). I have looked up a bunch of different ways to help keep his brain firing and have suggested them to him. He tried a couple and then stopped and hasn't tried anything else since then. We recently put him on Lexipro trying to help with some of the depression symptoms he seems to be displaying but now that I've read some of the posts, it seems they may also be EOA symptoms i.e. sleeping a lot, loss of appetite, watching tv all day. I am at the point where you can lead a horse to water…any suggestions how to get him to do new things? Our PCP recommended learning a new language, musical instrument, puzzles etc. We won't be able to see a specialist until after the first of 2026 b/c insurance.

Zelda · October 17

My husband's mother was diagnosed today after the PET scan, Alz and mixed dementia. I am processing this information and wondering what mixed dementia means? There is a plan in place for her treatment with infusions. not sure what those are.

Michele P · October 17

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/74363/my-55-yr-old-dh-was-recently-diagnosed

I sorry you are here with us. With short term memory loss, I would not recommend trying a new language or instrument. What has really helped my husband with early AD is Brain HQ. It’s online brain games based on brain research. It is used by the Mayo HABIT Program. We suspect it has built new neurons in the part of his brain not impacted by the disease. He has regained some lost executive function and is more focused. If you are near a Mayo Hospital that offers the HABIT Program, I would highly recommend that.

Michele P · October 17

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/256258#Comment_256258

A person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can also have one or more other types of dementia that impacts different parts of the brain. The infusions are one of two drugs that might help slow up the progression but are not a cure. There are serious side effects for each of these drugs. There are posts on this site for each of these drugs. Brain bleeds are a side effect in some people on the infusions.

msanderson75 · October 17

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/256269#Comment_256269

Thank you so much for this! We aren't near a Mayo Clinic but I have already downloaded the app on my phone to check it out and will download it on his this evening.

H1235 · October 17

Learning new things is going to require concentration. I have found mom lacks motivation and is easily discouraged. Trying new things is probably going to be a struggle. I wouldn’t get too hung up on trying new things. The stress and anxiety it would be causing him and you may not be worth the POSSIBLE benefits. If he is sleeping a lot and spending a lot of time in front of the tv, it might be best to set your expectations a bit lower. You probably know more about what your husband is capable of than the doctor( just because you are the one with him all the time). As far as seeing a specialist, I’m sorry, but there probably isn’t much that can be done. I’ve attached a staging tool just because I have found it so helpful.

DBAT.pdf

SDianeL · October 18

when my husband was diagnosed I asked the Neurologist what we could do to slow the progression. Vitamins, brain exercises, etc. she said unfortunately nothing has been proven to help. She prescribed Memantine which was supposed to help hims focus and concentration but I saw no difference. There are infusions for EO but those have severe side effects and have only shown to slow progression by a few months. People with dementia can’t learn new things. I hope the HABIT Program helps. Please keep us posted. Read the book “The 36 Hour Day” which helped me after my husband’s diagnosis. Come here often for info and support. 💜

Michele P · October 18

We were told by our local HABITAT Program that they are working on packaging and selling the program for people who are not living near a Mayo location. I don’t know if it is available yet to purchase.

msanderson75 · October 24

Thank you all for responding and for the lists and book suggestions. I am really struggling with the changes. It feels like he is declining faster than I expected but I haven't even had time to research much so I'm pretty sure my expectations are too high.

harshedbuzz · October 24

I feel like your PCP doesn't really understand dementia. The brain is not a muscle. I would dearly love to ask the medical professionals who suggest this to provide the data to support it. Learning new things might be protective against developing dementia proactively but I have never seen studies that show an impact after diagnosis.

I'm thinking of my dear auntie. Her husband and PCP thought doing the crossword daily would help keep her mind sharp. After he died and family got guardianship and placed her in MC, we cleaned out her house. I found a 12' long closet filled top to bottom with grocery sacks containing NYT crosswords she'd cut out. The older ones were mostly completed, but over time there were fewer answers and on the very top layer she hadn't even cut of the clues— just the grids.

Learning new material requires the very working and short-term memory lost in the earlier stages of dementia. The timeline for your DH's Alzheimer's likely began when you first noticed those personality changes; that was the first change I noticed in my dad a good 3 years before I saw obvious memory glitches.

FWIW, I was unable to take Lexapro long-term because of the sleepiness side effect. It was OK for a few months but over time I was needing 9-10 of sleep a night and a nap and was still tired. It's worth asking the prescriber if this is new.

HB

My 55 yr old DH was recently diagnosed

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