more today

MORE TODAY

theres even more today
its been a busy 10 days for me as im completing my 2 year
followup for the alzheimers disease neuroimaging study and
then prepared for and did a presentation for the
alzheimers symposium on april 30

the study required visits last week on two different days to dallas
which i have written about as they have happened

now today my wife she and i go back to dallas to the
alzheimers disease research center at the university of texas
southwestern medical school for our final day of testing

today they interview her to see if she has noticed any problems
with me
the only problem i think she has with me is that sometimes i dont
listen to her and i dont do what she wants me to do
now thats been going on for years
then theres the falling asleep in the chair at night while watching tv
something that many of the people that know me well have
experienced over the years

they have already interviewed me about some event in the last month
to see if our stories match up
the  problem is that my wife shes doesnt remember the story as well
as i do
whos got the memory problem huh

then i have a boatload of blood work
they take out more blood than lance uses to load up with before a race
and test it for the usual things like anemia liver tests kidney tests
glucose etc
then they test it for blood biomarkers-beta amyloid and tau proteins
inflammatory markers and other proteins to use in their profile thats
been developed to help diagnosis alzheimers
a test that may be available in the future to everyone

then i have the my wife shes fainting spinal tap done
for beta amyloid and tau protein
last time my results from a private lab showed my levels
were close to those of someone with alzheimers disease
i have to decide this morning if i want to repeat those at a private lab
im leaning towards doing that

before the tap we plan on lying my wife she down on a table
elevating her feet
dropping down her head some
starting an iv to infuse fluids if needed
we want to be prepared for a repeat

then following that i go over and get to sit in that whirling machine
again for an hour plus

they give me an iv infusion of a radioactive substance that binds itself
to beta amyloid in the brain
wherever its located that sticky gooey substance that forms plaques
and is thought to be the indicator of alzheimers disease
will show up as abnormal areas

if you have alzhiemers you will have beta amyloid in the brain
100%

now you can have beta amyloid and not develop alzhiemers disease
but the odds are against you if you do have it

my decision after today will be do i want to spend the $3000-$6000 to
know at a private xray place if mine is positive
i will decide after i complete the test today
(the study im in is a blind study so that i dont get the results of the tests)

then when thats all done
after a busy 10 days i get a break to going back to my normal activities
for a year or
until i decide to be involved with some of the new studies that are looking
at potential treatments for this disease that could be available in
the future for people to prevent or slow down the disease

im ready and willing to try anything
the choice otherwise
is...

the organicgreen doctor