Wednesday, July 31, 2019
organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 14
organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 14: MY STORY REVISITED 14 about 3 weeks after i got my diagnosis my sister in law sent me this book for kids that their young son had given to...
my story revisited 14
MY STORY REVISITED 14
about 3 weeks after i got my diagnosis my sister in law sent me this book for kids that their young son had given to them to read to him one night
yesterday my wife she added a reply to my blog about my exit interview
yes i was bummed but i recovered and have moved on
i thought what does she mean by farmers luck
since i was thinking it was about my farming ability
but
alas
i didnt see that connection to my present situation
having not remembered the book my nephew had gotten his parents to read to him that night
today i was going to march through my old blogs to write my next my story revisited chapter
when i happened to glance at the january 3 2011 blog
there it was mixed in with two other topics
hidden for me to find this morning
i guess
sort of fate like
there it was
my wife shes reading writing teachers lesson for me
the farmers luck
yep
thats my motto from now
its all
farmers luck
maybe
01-03-2011
FARMERS LUCK
my other nephew the brother to the one that did not fall into
my rainwater tank and his mom the one with the wet
suitcase sent me a poem/short story that he had read to
his parents
they thought this would be appropriate to my situation
'the farmers luck' from the book zen shorts by jon j muth
there was once an old farmer who worked his crops
for many years
one day his horse ran away
upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit
"such bad luck," they said sympathetically
"maybe," the farmer replied
the next morning the horse returned, bringing with it
two other wild horses
"such good luck!" the neighbors exclaimed
"maybe," replied the farmer
the following day, his son tried to ride one of the
untamed horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg
again the neighbors came to offer their sympathy on
his misfortune
"such bad luck," they said
"maybe," answered the farmer
the day after that, military officials came to the village
to draft young men into the army to fight in a war.
seeing that the sons leg was broken, they passed
him by
"such good luck!" cried the neighbors
"maybe," said the farmer
"i get it," said michael
"maybe good luck and bad luck are all mixed up
you never know what will
happen next."
"yes," stillwater agreed. "you never know
after reading this i have decided that although my diagnosis
is a bad thing it may turn out to be a good thing
its a sucky diagnosis
but it was made early,
we have time to prepare for the future,
and
we can try to educate people
about this terrible disease
the organicgreen doctor
about 3 weeks after i got my diagnosis my sister in law sent me this book for kids that their young son had given to them to read to him one night
yesterday my wife she added a reply to my blog about my exit interview
yes i was bummed but i recovered and have moved on
i thought what does she mean by farmers luck
since i was thinking it was about my farming ability
but
alas
i didnt see that connection to my present situation
having not remembered the book my nephew had gotten his parents to read to him that night
today i was going to march through my old blogs to write my next my story revisited chapter
when i happened to glance at the january 3 2011 blog
there it was mixed in with two other topics
hidden for me to find this morning
i guess
sort of fate like
there it was
my wife shes reading writing teachers lesson for me
the farmers luck
yep
thats my motto from now
its all
farmers luck
maybe
01-03-2011
FARMERS LUCK
my other nephew the brother to the one that did not fall into
my rainwater tank and his mom the one with the wet
suitcase sent me a poem/short story that he had read to
his parents
they thought this would be appropriate to my situation
'the farmers luck' from the book zen shorts by jon j muth
there was once an old farmer who worked his crops
for many years
one day his horse ran away
upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit
"such bad luck," they said sympathetically
"maybe," the farmer replied
the next morning the horse returned, bringing with it
two other wild horses
"such good luck!" the neighbors exclaimed
"maybe," replied the farmer
the following day, his son tried to ride one of the
untamed horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg
again the neighbors came to offer their sympathy on
his misfortune
"such bad luck," they said
"maybe," answered the farmer
the day after that, military officials came to the village
to draft young men into the army to fight in a war.
seeing that the sons leg was broken, they passed
him by
"such good luck!" cried the neighbors
"maybe," said the farmer
"i get it," said michael
"maybe good luck and bad luck are all mixed up
you never know what will
happen next."
"yes," stillwater agreed. "you never know
after reading this i have decided that although my diagnosis
is a bad thing it may turn out to be a good thing
its a sucky diagnosis
but it was made early,
we have time to prepare for the future,
and
we can try to educate people
about this terrible disease
the organicgreen doctor
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
organicgreendoctor: biogen aducanumab study-my exit interview
organicgreendoctor: biogen aducanumab study-my exit interview: BIOGEN ADUCANUMAB STUDY-MY EXIT INTERVIEW the day before my birthday in march 2017 i got a phone call could you come in tomorrow for your...
biogen aducanumab study-my exit interview
BIOGEN ADUCANUMAB STUDY-MY EXIT INTERVIEW
the day before my birthday in march 2017 i got a phone call
could you come in tomorrow for your first infusion in the aducanumab study
i thought that day what a great birthday present to get my first infusion on my birthday
it would be the first of 25 infusions i would receive each month
i started this biogen aducanumab study at the university of texas southwestern alzheimers research center then about halfway through i switched to the ucla alzheimers research center when we moved here to santa barbara
i even flew back twice to dallas after we moved until i could get final approval to start at ucla
when aducanumab got approved to start this phase 3 study
everyone was excited
patients researchers lay folks since it looked like this might be the drug that really might make a difference to slow down this disease in those of us diagnosed with it
yes
there was a buzz of excitement
aducanumab is an antibody against the beta amyloid that has accumulated in the brain over years
we now know its what starts the alzheimers disease process
it seems now we know that the tau protein that becomes unraveled when the amyloid damages cells this tau starts spreading like a wildfire through the brain
it seemed removing the amyloid might slow things down
that was the hope of all involved
i must say i was excited and hopeful
to get in the study you have to have documented memory loss to a certain level
i qualified based on my initial evaluations when i was first diagnosed in 2010
also to get in this study you have to have a positive amyvid pet scan for amyloid
the hallmark of alzheimers disease
my amyvid pet scan was positive so i got in
it seems if you get treated with the aducanumab infusions for a year that your amyvid scan will be read as negative
maybe those on the low dose would have scans read as almost negative
so
the aducanumab removed the amyloid
it did its job
but
did removing that really make a difference
or
was it being removed too late
preliminary studies implied that it made a difference after a year
so over two years ago on my birthday in 2017 i and my wife she was very very very excited
what a birthday present
after my first infusion i developed headaches for a week and fatigue
headaches were a known side effect of this drug since you could get microbleeds in the brain as the amyloid was being removed
i also at that time had developed a flare up of my iritis which causes the same symptoms
i must say i was excited to have those bad headaches
but
was it the aducanumab infusions or the iritis
now
after yesterday i know the answer to that question
i had a 67% chance of receiving the real drug for 18 months
i had a 33% chance of receiving the placebo for those 18 months
then
after 18 months all placebo folks started getting the real drug
after 18 months all those who got the real drug got to continue the same dose
basically we all knew we got at least 7 months of the real drug
before
they abruptly stopped the study with no explanation
now after 4 months no explanation has been given but hopefully soon all will find out why it was abruptly stopped
imagine if you had terminal cancer for which there was no cure
thats what alzheimers disease is is like a terminal incurable cancer
then
there was a study that all said this is probably the treatment that will slow down or cure this disease
that was the aducanumab study
well
we found out in march that that treatment that possible cure wasnt the one
imagine how you might feel
well thats how i felt and my wife she felt and the researchers felt
so
yesterday
we made that 2 hour journey to ucla for our final exit interview
as we were zooming along the 101 down to ucla i watched that pretty stretch just south of santa barbara where you drive along the beach for several miles
where you can look out on the ocean watching the waves crashing on the beach
well i was thinking
i think im done i dont want to do this anymore
ive been in a study now for almost 9 years getting all those memory tests all those mri scans all those amyvid pet scans those spinal taps all that blood thats been drawn all those miles we have driven to get to those studies
yep
i looked out over those waves moving to the beaches
i thought
im done with all of this
ive dodged the bullet so far
we have a good life
im comfortable with all of it
im done
lets just enjoy ourself
we have too much going on in our lives now
so
to the exit interview
i underwent a hour or more of memory testing
i know exactly how well i did as i do them
i didnt miss anything on the memory testing
if i was in a neurology office and they were testing me and they didnt know my history
they would look at my memory testing
and
say
your memory is normal
then
i had 10 large vials of blood that i calculated to be about 100 cc about half a coke can of blood
thats something that i have had done in this biogen aducanumab study about 30 times
do the math
thats 2 liters of blood in about 30 or so months
then
to the neurologist
the one i saw is clinical
like joe friday
just the facts mam
the neurologist i see for my care and who is the research director is more non clinical
like i hope i was with my patients
she at the end after updating my history and doing a neurological exam
flipped back all the papers in the file
at the back was a letter from the aducanumab folks
she said
you got the placebo
sort of matter of fact like
not quite like i would have told someone
but joe friday like
which was ok with me
i and my wife she felt sort of slapped in the face
i always felt i didnt get the placebo
so that means i got 7/12 of the doses it would take to make my amyvid pet scan negative now
my guess is that my last amyvid pet scan was positive still but not as strong as in the beginning
what does that mean
i do feel that removing all the amyloid if one lives longer will make a difference
i do know now that the time to remove the amyloid was 20 or more years ago
not today
so
we left yesterday with some sadness maybe a little down
but
at least i know i got some of the real drug for 7 months which removed a lot of the amyloid
maybe we dont know if it will help some down the road
i have a decision to make
do i want to do this again
make this commitment for another study
or
just say thats it
im done
ill just do all those healthy things one needs to be doing to slow the disease down
at least those things have been scientifically proven to slow it all down
im cognitively normal right now and in good health otherwise
should i just live my life and enjoy it and not look back
im not sure
i will decide in 6 months when i qualify for another study
i guess i shouldnt give up trying to slow this down
trying to advance our knowledge about this disease and what to do about
i must say it does feel good to be part of this movement
the organicgreen doctor
the day before my birthday in march 2017 i got a phone call
could you come in tomorrow for your first infusion in the aducanumab study
i thought that day what a great birthday present to get my first infusion on my birthday
it would be the first of 25 infusions i would receive each month
i started this biogen aducanumab study at the university of texas southwestern alzheimers research center then about halfway through i switched to the ucla alzheimers research center when we moved here to santa barbara
i even flew back twice to dallas after we moved until i could get final approval to start at ucla
when aducanumab got approved to start this phase 3 study
everyone was excited
patients researchers lay folks since it looked like this might be the drug that really might make a difference to slow down this disease in those of us diagnosed with it
yes
there was a buzz of excitement
aducanumab is an antibody against the beta amyloid that has accumulated in the brain over years
we now know its what starts the alzheimers disease process
it seems now we know that the tau protein that becomes unraveled when the amyloid damages cells this tau starts spreading like a wildfire through the brain
it seemed removing the amyloid might slow things down
that was the hope of all involved
i must say i was excited and hopeful
to get in the study you have to have documented memory loss to a certain level
i qualified based on my initial evaluations when i was first diagnosed in 2010
also to get in this study you have to have a positive amyvid pet scan for amyloid
the hallmark of alzheimers disease
my amyvid pet scan was positive so i got in
it seems if you get treated with the aducanumab infusions for a year that your amyvid scan will be read as negative
maybe those on the low dose would have scans read as almost negative
so
the aducanumab removed the amyloid
it did its job
but
did removing that really make a difference
or
was it being removed too late
preliminary studies implied that it made a difference after a year
so over two years ago on my birthday in 2017 i and my wife she was very very very excited
what a birthday present
after my first infusion i developed headaches for a week and fatigue
headaches were a known side effect of this drug since you could get microbleeds in the brain as the amyloid was being removed
i also at that time had developed a flare up of my iritis which causes the same symptoms
i must say i was excited to have those bad headaches
but
was it the aducanumab infusions or the iritis
now
after yesterday i know the answer to that question
i had a 67% chance of receiving the real drug for 18 months
i had a 33% chance of receiving the placebo for those 18 months
then
after 18 months all placebo folks started getting the real drug
after 18 months all those who got the real drug got to continue the same dose
basically we all knew we got at least 7 months of the real drug
before
they abruptly stopped the study with no explanation
now after 4 months no explanation has been given but hopefully soon all will find out why it was abruptly stopped
imagine if you had terminal cancer for which there was no cure
thats what alzheimers disease is is like a terminal incurable cancer
then
there was a study that all said this is probably the treatment that will slow down or cure this disease
that was the aducanumab study
well
we found out in march that that treatment that possible cure wasnt the one
imagine how you might feel
well thats how i felt and my wife she felt and the researchers felt
so
yesterday
we made that 2 hour journey to ucla for our final exit interview
as we were zooming along the 101 down to ucla i watched that pretty stretch just south of santa barbara where you drive along the beach for several miles
where you can look out on the ocean watching the waves crashing on the beach
well i was thinking
i think im done i dont want to do this anymore
ive been in a study now for almost 9 years getting all those memory tests all those mri scans all those amyvid pet scans those spinal taps all that blood thats been drawn all those miles we have driven to get to those studies
yep
i looked out over those waves moving to the beaches
i thought
im done with all of this
ive dodged the bullet so far
we have a good life
im comfortable with all of it
im done
lets just enjoy ourself
we have too much going on in our lives now
so
to the exit interview
i underwent a hour or more of memory testing
i know exactly how well i did as i do them
i didnt miss anything on the memory testing
if i was in a neurology office and they were testing me and they didnt know my history
they would look at my memory testing
and
say
your memory is normal
then
i had 10 large vials of blood that i calculated to be about 100 cc about half a coke can of blood
thats something that i have had done in this biogen aducanumab study about 30 times
do the math
thats 2 liters of blood in about 30 or so months
then
to the neurologist
the one i saw is clinical
like joe friday
just the facts mam
the neurologist i see for my care and who is the research director is more non clinical
like i hope i was with my patients
she at the end after updating my history and doing a neurological exam
flipped back all the papers in the file
at the back was a letter from the aducanumab folks
she said
you got the placebo
sort of matter of fact like
not quite like i would have told someone
but joe friday like
which was ok with me
i and my wife she felt sort of slapped in the face
i always felt i didnt get the placebo
so that means i got 7/12 of the doses it would take to make my amyvid pet scan negative now
my guess is that my last amyvid pet scan was positive still but not as strong as in the beginning
what does that mean
i do feel that removing all the amyloid if one lives longer will make a difference
i do know now that the time to remove the amyloid was 20 or more years ago
not today
so
we left yesterday with some sadness maybe a little down
but
at least i know i got some of the real drug for 7 months which removed a lot of the amyloid
maybe we dont know if it will help some down the road
i have a decision to make
do i want to do this again
make this commitment for another study
or
just say thats it
im done
ill just do all those healthy things one needs to be doing to slow the disease down
at least those things have been scientifically proven to slow it all down
im cognitively normal right now and in good health otherwise
should i just live my life and enjoy it and not look back
im not sure
i will decide in 6 months when i qualify for another study
i guess i shouldnt give up trying to slow this down
trying to advance our knowledge about this disease and what to do about
i must say it does feel good to be part of this movement
the organicgreen doctor
Friday, July 26, 2019
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-leaving alzheimers behind
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-leaving alzheimers behind: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-LEAVING ALZHEIMERS BEHIND thats going to be my new motto leaving alzheimers behind this last weekend as i was helping s...
alzheimers news-leaving alzheimers behind
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-LEAVING ALZHEIMERS BEHIND
thats going to be my new motto
leaving alzheimers behind
this last weekend as i was helping set up for the fundraiser for the central california alzheimers association called blondes vs brunettes a flag football game between female competitors donating their time to raise money for the alzheimers association
they usually raise close to $50,000
someone asked me as we somehow got on to discussing my diagnosis and the research studies i have been in
they said
you know i would never know you had a problem
well
i said
there are a lot of us out there now that are being diagnosed
we are becoming the new face of alzheimers disease
there is a website called being patient that does articles and pod casts on a regular basis on alzheimers disease
i am on their news feeds and usually read and listen to all of them
this one today
titled
leaving alzheimers behind...
well
thats my new motto
click on the video below done by being patient and listen to how this patient
one like me whom you would not probably suspect he has an issue
well
how he is
leaving alzheimers behind
after watching this video i might just get out that rusty ole bike in my garage
tune it up
put on my helmet
then
leave alzheimers behind like he does
also join and or donate to our teams for the walk to end alzheimers or join an alzheimers walk in your area
our walk to end alzheimers team organicgreendoctor will be walking in the walk here in santa barbara on saturday november 2 2019
i was diagnosed at the age of 60
here is the link to my team and the walk
my younger brothers team #team joe nash will be walking in the el dorado arkansas walk to end alzheimers on saturday september 14 2019
he died 6 years ago in the final stage of alzheimers disease
he was diagnosed at the age of 55
here is the link to his team and the walk
yes
lets all of us leave alzheimers behind
the organicgreen doctor
thats going to be my new motto
leaving alzheimers behind
this last weekend as i was helping set up for the fundraiser for the central california alzheimers association called blondes vs brunettes a flag football game between female competitors donating their time to raise money for the alzheimers association
they usually raise close to $50,000
someone asked me as we somehow got on to discussing my diagnosis and the research studies i have been in
they said
you know i would never know you had a problem
well
i said
there are a lot of us out there now that are being diagnosed
we are becoming the new face of alzheimers disease
there is a website called being patient that does articles and pod casts on a regular basis on alzheimers disease
i am on their news feeds and usually read and listen to all of them
this one today
titled
leaving alzheimers behind...
well
thats my new motto
click on the video below done by being patient and listen to how this patient
one like me whom you would not probably suspect he has an issue
well
how he is
leaving alzheimers behind
after watching this video i might just get out that rusty ole bike in my garage
tune it up
put on my helmet
then
leave alzheimers behind like he does
also join and or donate to our teams for the walk to end alzheimers or join an alzheimers walk in your area
our walk to end alzheimers team organicgreendoctor will be walking in the walk here in santa barbara on saturday november 2 2019
i was diagnosed at the age of 60
here is the link to my team and the walk
my younger brothers team #team joe nash will be walking in the el dorado arkansas walk to end alzheimers on saturday september 14 2019
he died 6 years ago in the final stage of alzheimers disease
he was diagnosed at the age of 55
here is the link to his team and the walk
yes
lets all of us leave alzheimers behind
the organicgreen doctor
Thursday, July 25, 2019
organicgreendoctor: mueller report revisited
organicgreendoctor: mueller report revisited: MUELLER REPORT REVISITED 90% of you have not read this report i have read most of it i find it disturbing i watched all every bit of t...
mueller report revisited
MUELLER REPORT REVISITED
90% of you have not read this report
i have read most of it
i find it disturbing
i watched all every bit of the mueller hearings yesterday
i formed my own opinion on the report based on having read most of the book and having watched all of the hearings yesterday
i tried to scrub away the politics yesterday which is hard to do
there were about two times when a democrat and a republican went off message and asked questions like we as a concerned citizen might ask
neither of them seemed scripted
my take
robert mueller is a jack friday no nonsense guy
yes he is 75
yes he was pressured some with his speech and struggled to find the right word
now
as someone who lives in the alzheimers world and knows whats normal for a 75 year old knows that nothing i saw yesterday seemed abnormal
despite what the news folks say on both sides of the issue
i suggest they go to the alzheimers website and read whats normal for someone over 65
i use to be worried when i couldnt find a word that was just right
now i know its normal for that to happen
it has nothing to do with your memory or your mental capability
he told them he wasnt going to say much that wasnt in his report
thats what he did
not say much
the hesistancy on starting his speech is not necessarily abnormal
it can be seen eg with early parkinsonism
but
none of this affects his mental capabilities
i found many of the news folks comments offensive to older folks
almost discriminatory
as i listened and watched
i thought what if all these representatives were independent thinkers and really asked what they wanted to ask and what they really wanted to know
so here is my take away
mueller thinks trump lied
we all even his supporters know he lied
mueller thinks trump obstructed justice
mueller thinks that he can be charged after he is no longer president and probably will be
winning the next election may actually keep trump out of jail since the statue of limits will be over in 5 years
there were an awful lot of trump folks that lied and went to jail or will go to jail
a lot of trump folks were talking to the russians
when this is all over both sides need to get together and change all of this so a presdent can be held accountable for wrong illegal doings
there is a remedy called impeachment but that will always and has been political not legal
there is no doubt that the russians interfered with our elections last time and as mueller said they are doing it now as we sit here
when you listen to how they duped us in the 2016 election especially on facebook and social media it should disturb all of us
even embarrass us
im sure as i think back to 2016 i clicked on some of the bot derived websites on social media
but
now i never click on any news items on facebook or any story thats not from a reputable source
i must add some of you that read this blog are clicking on some of them now
they show up on my page after you have shared them
they are from both sides of the spectrum
we all need to be diligent about what we read
this stuff is the real fake news
so when i scrub off all the bs from the politicians
the big thing thats left that really really bothers me
is
the interference in our elections the core of our democracy
the russians did a good job of it last time
now
here comes the chinese and the north koreans and probably iran
we need to do whatever it takes to make our elections safe and accurate
as
our democracy depends on it
im not sure how this became a partisan issue
the organicgreen doctor
i have read most of it
i find it disturbing
i watched all every bit of the mueller hearings yesterday
i formed my own opinion on the report based on having read most of the book and having watched all of the hearings yesterday
i tried to scrub away the politics yesterday which is hard to do
there were about two times when a democrat and a republican went off message and asked questions like we as a concerned citizen might ask
neither of them seemed scripted
my take
robert mueller is a jack friday no nonsense guy
yes he is 75
yes he was pressured some with his speech and struggled to find the right word
now
as someone who lives in the alzheimers world and knows whats normal for a 75 year old knows that nothing i saw yesterday seemed abnormal
despite what the news folks say on both sides of the issue
i suggest they go to the alzheimers website and read whats normal for someone over 65
i use to be worried when i couldnt find a word that was just right
now i know its normal for that to happen
it has nothing to do with your memory or your mental capability
he told them he wasnt going to say much that wasnt in his report
thats what he did
not say much
the hesistancy on starting his speech is not necessarily abnormal
it can be seen eg with early parkinsonism
but
none of this affects his mental capabilities
i found many of the news folks comments offensive to older folks
almost discriminatory
as i listened and watched
i thought what if all these representatives were independent thinkers and really asked what they wanted to ask and what they really wanted to know
so here is my take away
mueller thinks trump lied
we all even his supporters know he lied
mueller thinks trump obstructed justice
mueller thinks that he can be charged after he is no longer president and probably will be
winning the next election may actually keep trump out of jail since the statue of limits will be over in 5 years
there were an awful lot of trump folks that lied and went to jail or will go to jail
a lot of trump folks were talking to the russians
when this is all over both sides need to get together and change all of this so a presdent can be held accountable for wrong illegal doings
there is a remedy called impeachment but that will always and has been political not legal
there is no doubt that the russians interfered with our elections last time and as mueller said they are doing it now as we sit here
when you listen to how they duped us in the 2016 election especially on facebook and social media it should disturb all of us
even embarrass us
im sure as i think back to 2016 i clicked on some of the bot derived websites on social media
but
now i never click on any news items on facebook or any story thats not from a reputable source
i must add some of you that read this blog are clicking on some of them now
they show up on my page after you have shared them
they are from both sides of the spectrum
we all need to be diligent about what we read
this stuff is the real fake news
so when i scrub off all the bs from the politicians
the big thing thats left that really really bothers me
is
the interference in our elections the core of our democracy
the russians did a good job of it last time
now
here comes the chinese and the north koreans and probably iran
we need to do whatever it takes to make our elections safe and accurate
as
our democracy depends on it
im not sure how this became a partisan issue
the organicgreen doctor
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 13
organicgreendoctor: my story revisited 13: MY STORY REVISITED 13 after i had stopped practicing medicine i heard from a lot of my patients via this blog facebook twitter private ema...
my story revisited 13
MY STORY REVISITED 13
after i had stopped practicing medicine i heard from a lot of my patients via this blog facebook twitter private email messages sent via the clinic and letters
i had sent out a letter to all my patients explaining why i had discontinued practicing medicine
after my diagnosis and subsequent discontinuing my practice my readership on my blog increased dramatically so i added the blog below to review how i got to that point
i had made the decision years before when my mom was diagnosed and especially when my younger brother was diagnosed
i didnt want to be practicing medicine if i had the potential to cause harm to anyone
when i mention below my close relative it was my younger brother
i at that time didnt have his familys permission to write about him specifically
later they gave me the ok
they felt like i did that anyway you can promote awareness of alzheimers disease then do it
i also got permission from my older brother to write and talk about his issues with his memories
he even sent me the scans and labs that were done on him when he had his workup
i really thought that when i was diagnosed 8+ years ago that i wouldnt be able to sit here today and write this
i thought i would probably be where my younger brother was when he was diagnosed
im not there yet
im grateful im not
i realized after i moved here from texas and had to find a new primary care doctor a new eye doctor a new neurologist how important and close you feel to your doctors
i realized how big a void i left in a lot of folks lives and their families
i apologize for that
i have appreciated the messages i have gotten over the last 8+years from former patients
like the one i included below
as i wrote back then
i dont know where i would be in a few years
i would be worse or better or the same
well it looks like so far im better
at the time i was diagnosed it was made by taking my medical history and strong family history of alzheimers disease along with a normal memory test followed by several months later an abnormal memory test to make my presumed diagnosis
now in 2019 its those things plus new things to make a more definitive diagnosis
my genetic test for apoe 4 apoe4 thats known as the late onset alzheimers gene was positive
my spinal fluid was positive for abnormal levels of amyloid and tau
my amyvid pet scan for amyloid was positive
if you have alzheimers disease that will be positive
so today
i know for as sure as one can know that i have alzheimers disease
we know
we plan
we enjoy life
thanks again to all my former patients who have reached out to me
01-07-2011
I wish I had told you the last time I saw you how much I appreciated having you for a family doctor! I would have hugged you right then. We love you and will miss you. I will miss your wit, your knowledge, and the way you interacted with my children. Reading your blog has helped take the sting away from knowing I won't see you when I come to the office. You and your family will be in our family's thoughts and prayers. Love, xxxxx Family
after i had stopped practicing medicine i heard from a lot of my patients via this blog facebook twitter private email messages sent via the clinic and letters
i had sent out a letter to all my patients explaining why i had discontinued practicing medicine
after my diagnosis and subsequent discontinuing my practice my readership on my blog increased dramatically so i added the blog below to review how i got to that point
i had made the decision years before when my mom was diagnosed and especially when my younger brother was diagnosed
i didnt want to be practicing medicine if i had the potential to cause harm to anyone
when i mention below my close relative it was my younger brother
i at that time didnt have his familys permission to write about him specifically
later they gave me the ok
they felt like i did that anyway you can promote awareness of alzheimers disease then do it
i also got permission from my older brother to write and talk about his issues with his memories
he even sent me the scans and labs that were done on him when he had his workup
i really thought that when i was diagnosed 8+ years ago that i wouldnt be able to sit here today and write this
i thought i would probably be where my younger brother was when he was diagnosed
im not there yet
im grateful im not
i realized after i moved here from texas and had to find a new primary care doctor a new eye doctor a new neurologist how important and close you feel to your doctors
i realized how big a void i left in a lot of folks lives and their families
i apologize for that
i have appreciated the messages i have gotten over the last 8+years from former patients
like the one i included below
as i wrote back then
i dont know where i would be in a few years
i would be worse or better or the same
well it looks like so far im better
at the time i was diagnosed it was made by taking my medical history and strong family history of alzheimers disease along with a normal memory test followed by several months later an abnormal memory test to make my presumed diagnosis
now in 2019 its those things plus new things to make a more definitive diagnosis
my genetic test for apoe 4 apoe4 thats known as the late onset alzheimers gene was positive
my spinal fluid was positive for abnormal levels of amyloid and tau
my amyvid pet scan for amyloid was positive
if you have alzheimers disease that will be positive
so today
i know for as sure as one can know that i have alzheimers disease
we know
we plan
we enjoy life
thanks again to all my former patients who have reached out to me
01-07-2011
MY STORY REVISITED
because of the increased viewers of this blog i will
revisit my story
i am a family physician
one year ago while buying long term care insurance i had
a normal memory evaluation
a year and a half later i underwent an evaluation to be in an
alzheimers research study as a control subject
i wanted to be monitored annually so that if i developed any
symptoms of alzheimers that i would know and would
know to stop practicing medicine
a neuropsychological evaluation done for that
showed changes in short term memory that were abnormal
for my age and occupation
looking back i had noted some changes but no one
else had
my mother had alzheimers disease and a close relative has
azheimers disease
my diagnosis was made as early mild cognitive impairment
amnesic type
it is thought to be a precursor to alzheimers disease
a normal evaluation, then a year later an abnormal test plus
the changes i had noted plus my strong family history made
this clinical diagnosis
there is not a definite test for alzheimers -it is made as a
clinical diagnosis early into the disease
my decision and along with my neurologists decision was that
i start aricept (donepezil)-my mother was on it and my relative
is on it-to slow down the progression of the symptoms which can
progress slow or fast
however nothing slows down the disease
(see blog on napa 1-6-11)
i elected to stop practicing medicine as i always had
concerns this would happen and
i did not want to cause any harm to my patients if this
process progresses
where is my future
i will continue to be in a study at the alzheimers research
center at the university of texas southwestern medical center
i will now be in the study group and not in the control group
i will continue to blog about my involvement in that study
and with my treatments and evaluations as they are done
i want to give a doctors view of all this while also being
a patient
i have had normal lab work and a normal mri
these were looking for treatable diseases that can cause
these symptoms
i will have genetic studies, more blood tests, a lumbar
puncture, and a pet scan soon
because of the increased viewers of this blog i will
revisit my story
i am a family physician
one year ago while buying long term care insurance i had
a normal memory evaluation
a year and a half later i underwent an evaluation to be in an
alzheimers research study as a control subject
i wanted to be monitored annually so that if i developed any
symptoms of alzheimers that i would know and would
know to stop practicing medicine
a neuropsychological evaluation done for that
showed changes in short term memory that were abnormal
for my age and occupation
looking back i had noted some changes but no one
else had
my mother had alzheimers disease and a close relative has
azheimers disease
my diagnosis was made as early mild cognitive impairment
amnesic type
it is thought to be a precursor to alzheimers disease
a normal evaluation, then a year later an abnormal test plus
the changes i had noted plus my strong family history made
this clinical diagnosis
there is not a definite test for alzheimers -it is made as a
clinical diagnosis early into the disease
my decision and along with my neurologists decision was that
i start aricept (donepezil)-my mother was on it and my relative
is on it-to slow down the progression of the symptoms which can
progress slow or fast
however nothing slows down the disease
(see blog on napa 1-6-11)
i elected to stop practicing medicine as i always had
concerns this would happen and
i did not want to cause any harm to my patients if this
process progresses
where is my future
i will continue to be in a study at the alzheimers research
center at the university of texas southwestern medical center
i will now be in the study group and not in the control group
i will continue to blog about my involvement in that study
and with my treatments and evaluations as they are done
i want to give a doctors view of all this while also being
a patient
i have had normal lab work and a normal mri
these were looking for treatable diseases that can cause
these symptoms
i will have genetic studies, more blood tests, a lumbar
puncture, and a pet scan soon
these are looking for some of the changes that occur in alzheimers
i will either
1 stay the same forever or
2 completely clear up or
3 slowly progress to alzheimers or
4 rapidly progress to alzheimers
a bad thing can be a good thing
i know now
my wife she and i can plan for the future
i can be involved in educating people about this disease
my involvement in the study is my small part in finding
treatments and cures for this disease
i will either
1 stay the same forever or
2 completely clear up or
3 slowly progress to alzheimers or
4 rapidly progress to alzheimers
a bad thing can be a good thing
i know now
my wife she and i can plan for the future
i can be involved in educating people about this disease
my involvement in the study is my small part in finding
treatments and cures for this disease
below is a message from one of he families i cared for
I wish I had told you the last time I saw you how much I appreciated having you for a family doctor! I would have hugged you right then. We love you and will miss you. I will miss your wit, your knowledge, and the way you interacted with my children. Reading your blog has helped take the sting away from knowing I won't see you when I come to the office. You and your family will be in our family's thoughts and prayers. Love, xxxxx Family
the organicgreen doctor
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
mr hudson finally gets his shot
MR HUDSON FINALLY GETS HIS SHOT
mr h as we call him in our family is back at home settled in to his daily routine having survived that whirlwind tour of washington dc
he is just chllin in the pictures we saw of him
i think his pleasant disposition will get him through all of this
when i went with him and his parents to see the folks in the nephrology transplant clinic they said you know i think we need to consider giving him growth hormone shots every day
oh no i thought not another shot
so in my head i think ok lets see he takes a vitamin d derivative sodium bicarb sodium chloride ie salt an antibiotic a steroid pill to help him retain sodium and decrease his potassium
some of these are given more than once a day
at least he was able to stop his blood pressure medicine and his medicine to remove the potassium that can build up in his body
he also gets a shot of epigen a hormone made by the kidney that stimulates red cell production
its also given to chemo patients and its the one that lance armstrong and the bicyclists used to increase their red cells in the body
he gets that shot every 10 days in the muscle in the thigh
i havent had to give that one to him yet thank goodness
now that he has started eating food you have to watch what he eats
foods high in potassium he has to avoid like eg spinach
he cant have too much protein since that will build up urea nitrogen in his blood
but he needs some protein to grow
its a fine line
luckily he is still getting a lot of calories from breast milk which moms body seems to just know how to get things right for him
now back to the growth hormone
he makes enough growth hormone
its just that his body is resistant to the growth hormone so that he needs to be given more to overcome this growth hormone resistance
getting the additional growth hormone will allow him to stay on the growth charts and not drop off
well
here comes the prior approval process that we all hate when it comes to insurance companies
this has to be prior approved
or
as we use to say in the medical field
prior disapproval
little did the insurance company know that if this didnt get approved there would be a big outcry over not approving mr hudsons growth hormone shot
can you imagine the bad press that that company would get on the national news
little hudson that was at the national kidney health care signing at the white house cant get approval for his growth hormone shot so he can grow
remember
mr h has to get to a certain weight before he can get transplanted
the growth hormone is an important part of getting him there
the less time he has to be on peritoneal dialysis the better it is for his little body long term
yes
it did get approved finally
he now has had 5 shots
sadly to say for his granddaddy and grandmother i had to give one of them to him
im not sure who it hurt the most him or us
but
a few mintes later he was sitting up playing with his toys for a hour
i sure hope he doesnt hold this against me
no my wife she didnt give the shot i did
but she cried some maybe more than mr h did
when asked if i would mind doing the shot i said no ill do it
ive had to do more uncomfortable things to kids in my practice before like spinal taps arterial sticks venous access lines bladder taps catheterizations suturing etc
this shot thing wont be bad i thought
well this one bothered me more i think
here is the injector he uses
he gets it each evening before bedtime in the fatty part of the upper arm upper thigh or upper buttocks
so far except for the pain of injection he has had no side effects
just
i must add the effects on his grandparents
now
mr hudson
hes not stupid
even though he is just 11 months old
he knows when its time to get it
he gets laid down on his back
two adults are in the room
one to hold him still
the other to jab him with that dart thing
i looked up the price if you paid cash for it
noting that the internet seems to try to hide the price
as near as i can tell if you had to pay cash for his dose
it would be around $670 a month or $8000 a year
luckily for them they have good insurance
their out of pocket may turn out to be about $100 a month
they hope
mr h has the potential to approach the height he would normally have been
not quite that tall but an adequate height
its the same height that my three brothers reached in their adulthood
once he gets transplanted he will be on two drugs that he will take forever to keep his body from rejecting the new kidney
thats why this first kidney is so important
you want the best match possible so that it will last longer
there are several people getting worked up now to be his donor
including his mom
the best match will probably be used
one of the first criteria is that the donor cant be too big since the kidney has to fit into his little body
most if not all of the other meds he is on now including the other shot will be discontinued when he gets transplanted
maybe even the growth hormone shot but i can see them possibly continuing that one also to get maximum adult height for him
so
mr h is getting closer to get his transplant
hopefully that growth hormone shot will get him there quicker
as i say when people ask about him
i say
hes just so dang cute
the organicgreen doctor
mr h as we call him in our family is back at home settled in to his daily routine having survived that whirlwind tour of washington dc
he is just chllin in the pictures we saw of him
i think his pleasant disposition will get him through all of this
when i went with him and his parents to see the folks in the nephrology transplant clinic they said you know i think we need to consider giving him growth hormone shots every day
oh no i thought not another shot
so in my head i think ok lets see he takes a vitamin d derivative sodium bicarb sodium chloride ie salt an antibiotic a steroid pill to help him retain sodium and decrease his potassium
some of these are given more than once a day
at least he was able to stop his blood pressure medicine and his medicine to remove the potassium that can build up in his body
he also gets a shot of epigen a hormone made by the kidney that stimulates red cell production
its also given to chemo patients and its the one that lance armstrong and the bicyclists used to increase their red cells in the body
he gets that shot every 10 days in the muscle in the thigh
i havent had to give that one to him yet thank goodness
now that he has started eating food you have to watch what he eats
foods high in potassium he has to avoid like eg spinach
he cant have too much protein since that will build up urea nitrogen in his blood
but he needs some protein to grow
its a fine line
luckily he is still getting a lot of calories from breast milk which moms body seems to just know how to get things right for him
now back to the growth hormone
he makes enough growth hormone
its just that his body is resistant to the growth hormone so that he needs to be given more to overcome this growth hormone resistance
getting the additional growth hormone will allow him to stay on the growth charts and not drop off
well
here comes the prior approval process that we all hate when it comes to insurance companies
this has to be prior approved
or
as we use to say in the medical field
prior disapproval
little did the insurance company know that if this didnt get approved there would be a big outcry over not approving mr hudsons growth hormone shot
can you imagine the bad press that that company would get on the national news
little hudson that was at the national kidney health care signing at the white house cant get approval for his growth hormone shot so he can grow
remember
mr h has to get to a certain weight before he can get transplanted
the growth hormone is an important part of getting him there
the less time he has to be on peritoneal dialysis the better it is for his little body long term
yes
it did get approved finally
he now has had 5 shots
sadly to say for his granddaddy and grandmother i had to give one of them to him
im not sure who it hurt the most him or us
but
a few mintes later he was sitting up playing with his toys for a hour
i sure hope he doesnt hold this against me
no my wife she didnt give the shot i did
but she cried some maybe more than mr h did
when asked if i would mind doing the shot i said no ill do it
ive had to do more uncomfortable things to kids in my practice before like spinal taps arterial sticks venous access lines bladder taps catheterizations suturing etc
this shot thing wont be bad i thought
well this one bothered me more i think
he gets it each evening before bedtime in the fatty part of the upper arm upper thigh or upper buttocks
so far except for the pain of injection he has had no side effects
just
i must add the effects on his grandparents
now
mr hudson
hes not stupid
even though he is just 11 months old
he knows when its time to get it
he gets laid down on his back
two adults are in the room
one to hold him still
the other to jab him with that dart thing
i looked up the price if you paid cash for it
noting that the internet seems to try to hide the price
as near as i can tell if you had to pay cash for his dose
it would be around $670 a month or $8000 a year
luckily for them they have good insurance
their out of pocket may turn out to be about $100 a month
they hope
mr h has the potential to approach the height he would normally have been
not quite that tall but an adequate height
its the same height that my three brothers reached in their adulthood
once he gets transplanted he will be on two drugs that he will take forever to keep his body from rejecting the new kidney
thats why this first kidney is so important
you want the best match possible so that it will last longer
there are several people getting worked up now to be his donor
including his mom
the best match will probably be used
one of the first criteria is that the donor cant be too big since the kidney has to fit into his little body
most if not all of the other meds he is on now including the other shot will be discontinued when he gets transplanted
maybe even the growth hormone shot but i can see them possibly continuing that one also to get maximum adult height for him
so
mr h is getting closer to get his transplant
hopefully that growth hormone shot will get him there quicker
as i say when people ask about him
i say
hes just so dang cute
the organicgreen doctor
Monday, July 22, 2019
organicgreendoctor: is this what its like to get old
organicgreendoctor: is this what its like to get old: IS THIS WHAT ITS LIKE TO GET OLD thats what i was thinking on saturday afternoon as i laid down for my afternoon nap a benefit of retire...
is this what its like to get old
IS THIS WHAT ITS LIKE TO GET OLD
thats what i was thinking on saturday afternoon as i laid down for my afternoon nap
a benefit of retirement
am i getting old
is this that decline starting
8 now almost 9 years ago when i retired i was on no meds except for a baby aspirin each day to help keep a stroke or heart attack away
now im not sure im suppose to be on it anymore
i sure wish medicine would make up their minds on that aspirin a day deal
now
each morning i go to my medicine container
you know the one with the days of the week on it
i have two of them
one for prescription meds
the other for supplements i take that may help ward off alzheimers symptoms for awhile
not proven but maybe they said
so the total between the two is 18 pills a day
do i need them i asked myself this weekend
so
i picked out the definite ones
my blood pressure pill
my cholesterol pill
my vitamin b12
my vitamin d3
my stomach pill
my alzheimers pill
so i looked at those pills
i have to have my blood pressure pill or my blood pressure goes up
i dont want to die from a stroke a heart attack maybe but not a stroke
so ill keep taking that one
the cholesterol pill now that one im wondering
when is the time that that one wont make a difference anymore
when is the sweet point where that one wont really matter anymore
i will request that my wife she have them take me off that one
my vitamin b12 pill i want to keep taking that one since im not absorbing the b12 like i should
if that level drops too low my memory will deteriorate faster
so far now ill stay on that one
my vitamin d3 keeps my vitamin d2 levels up since for some reason i cant maintain a normal level without supplement
for now ill stay on it
i will request my wife she have them take me off that one when i fall off the cliff
my stomach pill well i have to have that one as long as i am eating since i get marked indigestion if i dont
when i stop eating well just stop that one ill tell her
then there is my alzheimers pill
the aricept
when do you stop that one
i wish i knew
since
its the reason for my issues i have every day
like
upset stomach abdominal pain
fatigue
lack of sleep
leg cramps
i know if i stopped it that one those symptoms would all go away and i would feel a lot better every day
but
there is a possibility if i stop it that my symptoms will take off down hill
but
i will tell you there are days i want to stop it and just not look back
but
then i see my two grandkids ms b and mr h and my two sons and their families and my wife she
i look and think about them and my life as im living today
and
i say
nay
im not ready yet to do that and take the chance
so
ill just put up with it
so then
im down to maybe
my blood pressure pill
my vitamin b12 pill
my alzheimers pill
my stomach pill
maybe
i can live with that regimen
so if you take the view of well i just want to take the scientifically proven pills that will make a difference in you health
these are the ones
the rest
well they are just maybes
ie
maybe they will help we just arent sure but maybe
well
maybe i dont want to deal with maybe anymore
i want to be like joe friday from dragnet
just the facts mam
just the facts
so i laid there saturday with my pillow under my knee with my hip flexed to relieve the aching in my hip and to slow down my muscle fasciculations and leg cramps
having just put my steroid eye drops in to control the iritis that has been flared now for 6 months from my two cataract surgeries on the same eye
having taken off my glasses since my glasses sit on part of the scar from my mohs surgery for basal cell cancer on the nose
having just took some indigestion chewables
having not gotten much sleep the night before because of the aricept
yes i laid there thinking about all of this
then
i fell asleep
when i woke up
i felt refreshed
there was no hip pain or calf discomfort or indigestion
my energy felt renewed
i put on my glasses
and
hopped out of bed
on for the rest of the day
having forgotten all that stuff i was thinking as i laid there
im not getting old i said to myself
the organicgreen doctor
a benefit of retirement
am i getting old
is this that decline starting
8 now almost 9 years ago when i retired i was on no meds except for a baby aspirin each day to help keep a stroke or heart attack away
now im not sure im suppose to be on it anymore
i sure wish medicine would make up their minds on that aspirin a day deal
now
each morning i go to my medicine container
you know the one with the days of the week on it
i have two of them
one for prescription meds
the other for supplements i take that may help ward off alzheimers symptoms for awhile
not proven but maybe they said
so the total between the two is 18 pills a day
do i need them i asked myself this weekend
so
i picked out the definite ones
my blood pressure pill
my cholesterol pill
my vitamin b12
my vitamin d3
my stomach pill
my alzheimers pill
so i looked at those pills
i have to have my blood pressure pill or my blood pressure goes up
i dont want to die from a stroke a heart attack maybe but not a stroke
so ill keep taking that one
the cholesterol pill now that one im wondering
when is the time that that one wont make a difference anymore
when is the sweet point where that one wont really matter anymore
i will request that my wife she have them take me off that one
my vitamin b12 pill i want to keep taking that one since im not absorbing the b12 like i should
if that level drops too low my memory will deteriorate faster
so far now ill stay on that one
my vitamin d3 keeps my vitamin d2 levels up since for some reason i cant maintain a normal level without supplement
for now ill stay on it
i will request my wife she have them take me off that one when i fall off the cliff
my stomach pill well i have to have that one as long as i am eating since i get marked indigestion if i dont
when i stop eating well just stop that one ill tell her
then there is my alzheimers pill
the aricept
when do you stop that one
i wish i knew
since
its the reason for my issues i have every day
like
upset stomach abdominal pain
fatigue
lack of sleep
leg cramps
i know if i stopped it that one those symptoms would all go away and i would feel a lot better every day
but
there is a possibility if i stop it that my symptoms will take off down hill
but
i will tell you there are days i want to stop it and just not look back
but
then i see my two grandkids ms b and mr h and my two sons and their families and my wife she
i look and think about them and my life as im living today
and
i say
nay
im not ready yet to do that and take the chance
so
ill just put up with it
so then
im down to maybe
my blood pressure pill
my vitamin b12 pill
my alzheimers pill
my stomach pill
maybe
i can live with that regimen
so if you take the view of well i just want to take the scientifically proven pills that will make a difference in you health
these are the ones
the rest
well they are just maybes
ie
maybe they will help we just arent sure but maybe
well
maybe i dont want to deal with maybe anymore
i want to be like joe friday from dragnet
just the facts mam
just the facts
so i laid there saturday with my pillow under my knee with my hip flexed to relieve the aching in my hip and to slow down my muscle fasciculations and leg cramps
having just put my steroid eye drops in to control the iritis that has been flared now for 6 months from my two cataract surgeries on the same eye
having taken off my glasses since my glasses sit on part of the scar from my mohs surgery for basal cell cancer on the nose
having just took some indigestion chewables
having not gotten much sleep the night before because of the aricept
yes i laid there thinking about all of this
then
i fell asleep
when i woke up
i felt refreshed
there was no hip pain or calf discomfort or indigestion
my energy felt renewed
i put on my glasses
and
hopped out of bed
on for the rest of the day
having forgotten all that stuff i was thinking as i laid there
im not getting old i said to myself
the organicgreen doctor
Saturday, July 20, 2019
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-women get it worse
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-women get it worse: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WOMEN GET IT WORSE well those of us who are married know that womens brains are just wired differently than men when it c...
organicgreendoctor: organicgreendoctor: monsters under the bed
organicgreendoctor: organicgreendoctor: monsters under the bed: organicgreendoctor: monsters under the bed : MONSTERS UNDER THE BED this monster came crawling out from under our bed this last week luc...
alzheimers news-women get it worse
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-WOMEN GET IT WORSE
well those of us who are married know that womens brains are just wired differently than men
when it comes to alzheimers disease it appears thats true
what happens in alzheimers disease is that early on before symptoms start the beta amyloid starts accumulating in the brain
later a protein called tau protein which is normally found in healthy brain cells begins to unwind and causes brain cell destruction
this release of the tau protein unwinding and its destruction is what causes the symptoms you see in someone with alzheimers disease
in a typical late onset alzheimers patient the amyloid accumulation starts in the mid 40s to late 40s
the tau unwinding and brain cell destruction starts in the early 50s to mid 50s
one harvard research says amyloid is the match that starts the fire and the tau protein is the wild fire that leads to all the brain cell destruction
the tau protein damage goes from brain cell connection to brain cell connection like a wild fire does
its thought to be like an infection as it spreads as it takes over the brain
womens connections are different than mans and goes to different areas than in a mans brain
this wiring difference may be what causes the disease to be worse in women
women use more brain energy than men do and early on in the disease this may protect them from early memory loss
women who work in the paid work force from early adulthood to middle age tend to have less early memory loss later in life than women who didnt
of course
all of us men knew that womens brains were wired differently
the women also tend to live longer than men
as you get older your chances of getting alzheimers disease increases
most older folks over 80 are women
so whats a women to do
exercise is important
walking as a form of exercise is best
walking at least 8900 steps a day seems to be the sweet spot for helping
on my iphone thats a little over 3 miles a day
aside here i many days walk 3 miles just staying active
i also read in one article that walking just over 2500 steps is where the benefits starts increasing
diet google mind diet
dont smoke
dont drink too much
if a person is at risk for alzheimers they can decrease the risk by 32% by doing these things above
heck
add controlling heath issues like weight blood pressure cholesterol diabetes makes this number goes even higher
so women
you are at greater risk
your brain is wired differently
what you can do about it is
those things above
of course
if you do then you will live even longer than men do but will be healthier
the alzheimers associations international conference on alzheimers was held this last week in los angeles
here is the link to read about some of the research that was presented
there may be a trend to push healthy lifestyles to be the new prescription to prevent or slow down this disease
the organicgreen doctor
well those of us who are married know that womens brains are just wired differently than men
when it comes to alzheimers disease it appears thats true
what happens in alzheimers disease is that early on before symptoms start the beta amyloid starts accumulating in the brain
later a protein called tau protein which is normally found in healthy brain cells begins to unwind and causes brain cell destruction
this release of the tau protein unwinding and its destruction is what causes the symptoms you see in someone with alzheimers disease
in a typical late onset alzheimers patient the amyloid accumulation starts in the mid 40s to late 40s
the tau unwinding and brain cell destruction starts in the early 50s to mid 50s
one harvard research says amyloid is the match that starts the fire and the tau protein is the wild fire that leads to all the brain cell destruction
the tau protein damage goes from brain cell connection to brain cell connection like a wild fire does
its thought to be like an infection as it spreads as it takes over the brain
womens connections are different than mans and goes to different areas than in a mans brain
this wiring difference may be what causes the disease to be worse in women
women use more brain energy than men do and early on in the disease this may protect them from early memory loss
women who work in the paid work force from early adulthood to middle age tend to have less early memory loss later in life than women who didnt
of course
all of us men knew that womens brains were wired differently
the women also tend to live longer than men
as you get older your chances of getting alzheimers disease increases
most older folks over 80 are women
so whats a women to do
exercise is important
walking as a form of exercise is best
walking at least 8900 steps a day seems to be the sweet spot for helping
on my iphone thats a little over 3 miles a day
aside here i many days walk 3 miles just staying active
i also read in one article that walking just over 2500 steps is where the benefits starts increasing
diet google mind diet
dont smoke
dont drink too much
if a person is at risk for alzheimers they can decrease the risk by 32% by doing these things above
heck
add controlling heath issues like weight blood pressure cholesterol diabetes makes this number goes even higher
so women
you are at greater risk
your brain is wired differently
what you can do about it is
those things above
of course
if you do then you will live even longer than men do but will be healthier
the alzheimers associations international conference on alzheimers was held this last week in los angeles
here is the link to read about some of the research that was presented
there may be a trend to push healthy lifestyles to be the new prescription to prevent or slow down this disease
the organicgreen doctor
Thursday, July 18, 2019
organicgreendoctor: monsters under the bed
organicgreendoctor: monsters under the bed: MONSTERS UNDER THE BED this monster came crawling out from under our bed this last week luckily for my wife she she was out of town and...
monsters under the bed
MONSTERS UNDER THE BED
this monster came crawling out from under our bed this last week
luckily for my wife she she was out of town
and
didnt experience how scary it was
and
didnt get to hear me yell real loud to scare it off
and
hear me throw a pillow across the room to impede its progress towards me
i woke up finally
sweating
my heart was beating fast
dont worry i said to myself
its just a dream
an aricept dream
now when my wife she is here she usually calms me down
that night this last week
i had to do it by myself
it was scary
real scary
so real
until
of course
i woke up
thats what living in aricept world is like
whats aricept
its generic version is donepezil
its used in alzheimers disease to slow down symptoms
the earlier its used the more effective it is
i started mine real early than most folks
i think if there was a side effect that would make me stop it
it would be the dream issue
so far the dreams are mostly pleasant except when the monsters come out from under our bed
thats when
i consider stopping it
but
i dont
since
i know it may really be the thing thats making me do so well 8 years later
so
ill just keep on dealing with these monsters
now
once i tried using cbd since there was some evidence it might slow down the disease
well
my dreams got worse real worse real violent real unsettling even after i woke up even during the day so i stopped the cbd
the dreams got back to just the monsters under the bed
which
i can easily deal with
even
though sometimes i scare the bejjeevies out of my wife she
the monster above at the top of this blog is actually from our closet if the door is open
its real tall and scary
if i keep that door closed it doesnt come out
then this one
it comes out of the tv sitting on our small dresser
it has two lights on it that look like two monster misshapen eyes
moving forward to get you as you wake up
scary
real scary
i must add at 200 am when you come out of a deep sleep in the attack mode
yelling and throwing pillows
so
this morning i am glad i didnt have a monster under the bed last night
luckily for me i woke up early before it escalated to them attacking me
so
i just got up
kicked the pillow on the floor
take that i said under my breath
as i went to the bathroom
then
i laid back down
went to sleep
and
finished the dream without those monsters
ok
ill admit
monsters cant come out from under our bed since it sits on the floor like those beds in the hotel rooms
but
its a dream so you can change things if you want
the organicgreen doctor
luckily for my wife she she was out of town
and
didnt experience how scary it was
and
didnt get to hear me yell real loud to scare it off
and
hear me throw a pillow across the room to impede its progress towards me
i woke up finally
sweating
my heart was beating fast
dont worry i said to myself
its just a dream
an aricept dream
now when my wife she is here she usually calms me down
that night this last week
i had to do it by myself
it was scary
real scary
so real
until
of course
i woke up
thats what living in aricept world is like
whats aricept
its generic version is donepezil
its used in alzheimers disease to slow down symptoms
the earlier its used the more effective it is
i started mine real early than most folks
i think if there was a side effect that would make me stop it
it would be the dream issue
so far the dreams are mostly pleasant except when the monsters come out from under our bed
thats when
i consider stopping it
but
i dont
since
i know it may really be the thing thats making me do so well 8 years later
so
ill just keep on dealing with these monsters
now
once i tried using cbd since there was some evidence it might slow down the disease
well
my dreams got worse real worse real violent real unsettling even after i woke up even during the day so i stopped the cbd
the dreams got back to just the monsters under the bed
which
i can easily deal with
even
though sometimes i scare the bejjeevies out of my wife she
the monster above at the top of this blog is actually from our closet if the door is open
its real tall and scary
if i keep that door closed it doesnt come out
it comes out of the tv sitting on our small dresser
it has two lights on it that look like two monster misshapen eyes
moving forward to get you as you wake up
scary
real scary
i must add at 200 am when you come out of a deep sleep in the attack mode
yelling and throwing pillows
so
this morning i am glad i didnt have a monster under the bed last night
luckily for me i woke up early before it escalated to them attacking me
so
i just got up
kicked the pillow on the floor
take that i said under my breath
as i went to the bathroom
then
i laid back down
went to sleep
and
finished the dream without those monsters
ok
ill admit
monsters cant come out from under our bed since it sits on the floor like those beds in the hotel rooms
but
its a dream so you can change things if you want
the organicgreen doctor
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
organicgreendoctor: my story revisted 12
organicgreendoctor: my story revisted 12: MY STORY REVISITED 12 i made a decision after i was diagnosed with mild cognitive impariment amnestic type due to alzheimers disease that ...
my story revisted 12
MY STORY REVISITED 12
i made a decision after i was diagnosed with mild cognitive impariment amnestic type due to alzheimers disease that i would be open and freely talk about my diagnosis and how it affects my life and my familys lives
if you dont believe me just ask me about alzheimers disease and ill tell you more than you want to know
you know like if you ask an old guy about something he just goes on and on and wont stop
well thats me
i have three perspectives of alzheimers that are mentioned in this blog 8 years ago
now we had seen this disease up close and personal with them and my mother
we knew what we were up against
i also got permission from my younger brothers family to freely talk about his disease and got permission from my older brother to freely write about his workup and diagnosis
they both said sort of the same thing
if it helps someone else please do it
in my case i knew a lot more than some since i was a physician who had treated a few patients with alzheimers and had the knowledge to read and understand articles and research on the disease
but
you as ive learned can read about things and think you know about it and when it hits you its not quite like you thought
so
my wife she and i will learn
as my wife says in the video that was done by the university of texas alzheimers center we take one day at a time
but
we are preparing
12-31-2010
MY STORY
i wanted to tell my story because it is therapeutic for me and for my wife she
at the same time as you follow my story you will be educated on alzheimers disease such that you will know more about the disease than most people do and more than most doctors know and more than i knew 2 months ago
and
hopefully you will know what evaluations need to be done if you or a family member should show signs of the disease
i have been on three sides of the alzheimers picture as a doctor treating patients now as a patient being treated which i dont like being a patient very much
and
as a family member dealing with a mother and close relative with the disease
so i have seen all sides of the story of alzheimers disease
i hope not to make the mistakes with my wife she and i that were made along the way dealing with the disease previously
remember
this disease will partially overwhelm the medical system in the near future as more and more baby boomers age
the organicgreen doctor
i made a decision after i was diagnosed with mild cognitive impariment amnestic type due to alzheimers disease that i would be open and freely talk about my diagnosis and how it affects my life and my familys lives
if you dont believe me just ask me about alzheimers disease and ill tell you more than you want to know
you know like if you ask an old guy about something he just goes on and on and wont stop
well thats me
i have three perspectives of alzheimers that are mentioned in this blog 8 years ago
now we had seen this disease up close and personal with them and my mother
we knew what we were up against
i also got permission from my younger brothers family to freely talk about his disease and got permission from my older brother to freely write about his workup and diagnosis
they both said sort of the same thing
if it helps someone else please do it
in my case i knew a lot more than some since i was a physician who had treated a few patients with alzheimers and had the knowledge to read and understand articles and research on the disease
but
you as ive learned can read about things and think you know about it and when it hits you its not quite like you thought
so
my wife she and i will learn
but
we are preparing
12-31-2010
MY STORY
i wanted to tell my story because it is therapeutic for me and for my wife she
at the same time as you follow my story you will be educated on alzheimers disease such that you will know more about the disease than most people do and more than most doctors know and more than i knew 2 months ago
and
hopefully you will know what evaluations need to be done if you or a family member should show signs of the disease
i have been on three sides of the alzheimers picture as a doctor treating patients now as a patient being treated which i dont like being a patient very much
and
as a family member dealing with a mother and close relative with the disease
so i have seen all sides of the story of alzheimers disease
i hope not to make the mistakes with my wife she and i that were made along the way dealing with the disease previously
remember
this disease will partially overwhelm the medical system in the near future as more and more baby boomers age
the organicgreen doctor
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
organicgreendoctor: tomato heaven
organicgreendoctor: tomato heaven: TOMATO HEAVEN recently i went to an organic farmers market near a friend we visited in north texas now when i left california i felt rea...
tomato heaven
TOMATO HEAVEN
recently i went to an organic farmers market near a friend we visited in north texas
now when i left california i felt real proud of my tomatoes
until
i saw the ones he grew
in the picture above are early girls and celebrities that i recently harvested
his were larger than mine
mine were tennis ball size
his were softball size
same type of tomato
big difference in size
why
ill explain below
as an aside he said you know i use to raise rice and soybeans in east arkansas
now this will make you feel good about what stuff gets sprayed on our food
he said you know that agent orange stuff
well when the military banned it the us government let us spray that stuff on our crops for another 8 years as the generic version of agent orange
on my trip someone i know said yep when i was younger i would spray that stuff around our soybeans
my leg would be blistered at the end of the day on the side i sprayed as i rode a horse around the crops
the horse had no hair on the side i sprayed on
makes you feel good about our food supply doesnt it
he the farmer told me he decided to quit farming that way and moved to north texas and started a smaller organic farm making a living doing it
we used his tomatoes and other veggies as gifts as we traveled to visit folks
that way we got to eat the veggies and matters as we drove around visiting
these tomatoes of mine the early girl and celebrity are two varieties that grow well here and obviously well in texas
i started them as 4 in plants i purchased at the ace hardware here
i potted them up to a 3 gallon pot and kept them on my porch and living room for a month
thanks to my wife she for putting up with this movable bunch of plants
then
the first week of march i planted them into my garden
originally i planned to plant 6 tomatoes but i ended up with 9 plants
two of them nature planted for me
one appears to be a heirloom plant the other a roma plant
i wrapped the early girl tomato cage with thick row cover to keep it warmer
now it doesnt freeze here but this tomato would get warm and toasty during the day
this early girl outgrew the others by a lot
when i left for vacation it was about 10 ft tall and loaded with tons of tomatoes
so
what i did was harvest the largest green ones off the plant
i would estimate around 20
i wrapped them individually with newspapers
put them in a large reusable grocery bag with a banana to help them ripen
then hug it in our kitchen closet
when i returned from my trip
i unwrapped them and what you see in the top picture is what they looked like on my return to california
i also now am putting green ones on a platter topped with a banana then placed a newspaper over that to see if they will ripen that way
now on my return
alas
all the tomatoes in the garden mine and the other gardeners got a fungus that killed a lot of the leaves and caused rotted areas on about half the tomatoes
i was bummed
but
even with all that i right now in my condo have about 70 tomatoes in different ripening stages
so i guess i cant complain
i removed all the dead leaves and rotten tomatoes and added fish emulsion and seaweed and molasses over the plant and now have a lot of new growth so im hoping for another good crop of tomatoes soon
why did it happen
well in texas and arkansas its hotter and sunnier in the spring unless you get too much spring rain
here in santa barbara well it dont usually get hot
we get in may and june a fog layer that moves in overnight and may not leave until mid morning to mid afternoon
tomatoes dont like fog they like heat and sun
so
they are susceptible to a lot of fungal diseases
so
you have to plant them farther apart
trim the leaves up off the ground a foot
cover the ground with mulch like pine straw to keep water from splashing up on the leaves
this allows air circulation
even when you do things right like this year you still get fungal issues from too much moisture on the leaves
even with all this i lost about half of my tomatoes
but
what are left healthy are red and delicious
in fact ive eaten so many tomatoes in the last week my mouth is sore i guess from all the acid in the matters
i eat a tomato cuke squash onion mixed green sandwich each day for lunch
and
a mixed green salad with lots of tomatoes
with
a sliced tomato on the side for supper
so
yes
im in tomato heaven right now with more tomatoes on the way
the organicgreen doctor
now when i left california i felt real proud of my tomatoes
until
i saw the ones he grew
in the picture above are early girls and celebrities that i recently harvested
his were larger than mine
mine were tennis ball size
his were softball size
same type of tomato
big difference in size
why
ill explain below
as an aside he said you know i use to raise rice and soybeans in east arkansas
now this will make you feel good about what stuff gets sprayed on our food
he said you know that agent orange stuff
well when the military banned it the us government let us spray that stuff on our crops for another 8 years as the generic version of agent orange
on my trip someone i know said yep when i was younger i would spray that stuff around our soybeans
my leg would be blistered at the end of the day on the side i sprayed as i rode a horse around the crops
the horse had no hair on the side i sprayed on
makes you feel good about our food supply doesnt it
he the farmer told me he decided to quit farming that way and moved to north texas and started a smaller organic farm making a living doing it
we used his tomatoes and other veggies as gifts as we traveled to visit folks
that way we got to eat the veggies and matters as we drove around visiting
these tomatoes of mine the early girl and celebrity are two varieties that grow well here and obviously well in texas
i started them as 4 in plants i purchased at the ace hardware here
i potted them up to a 3 gallon pot and kept them on my porch and living room for a month
thanks to my wife she for putting up with this movable bunch of plants
then
the first week of march i planted them into my garden
originally i planned to plant 6 tomatoes but i ended up with 9 plants
two of them nature planted for me
one appears to be a heirloom plant the other a roma plant
i wrapped the early girl tomato cage with thick row cover to keep it warmer
now it doesnt freeze here but this tomato would get warm and toasty during the day
this early girl outgrew the others by a lot
so
what i did was harvest the largest green ones off the plant
i would estimate around 20
i wrapped them individually with newspapers
put them in a large reusable grocery bag with a banana to help them ripen
then hug it in our kitchen closet
when i returned from my trip
i unwrapped them and what you see in the top picture is what they looked like on my return to california
now on my return
alas
all the tomatoes in the garden mine and the other gardeners got a fungus that killed a lot of the leaves and caused rotted areas on about half the tomatoes
i was bummed
but
even with all that i right now in my condo have about 70 tomatoes in different ripening stages
so i guess i cant complain
i removed all the dead leaves and rotten tomatoes and added fish emulsion and seaweed and molasses over the plant and now have a lot of new growth so im hoping for another good crop of tomatoes soon
why did it happen
well in texas and arkansas its hotter and sunnier in the spring unless you get too much spring rain
here in santa barbara well it dont usually get hot
we get in may and june a fog layer that moves in overnight and may not leave until mid morning to mid afternoon
tomatoes dont like fog they like heat and sun
so
they are susceptible to a lot of fungal diseases
so
you have to plant them farther apart
trim the leaves up off the ground a foot
cover the ground with mulch like pine straw to keep water from splashing up on the leaves
this allows air circulation
even when you do things right like this year you still get fungal issues from too much moisture on the leaves
even with all this i lost about half of my tomatoes
but
what are left healthy are red and delicious
in fact ive eaten so many tomatoes in the last week my mouth is sore i guess from all the acid in the matters
i eat a tomato cuke squash onion mixed green sandwich each day for lunch
and
a mixed green salad with lots of tomatoes
with
a sliced tomato on the side for supper
so
yes
im in tomato heaven right now with more tomatoes on the way
the organicgreen doctor
Monday, July 15, 2019
organicgreendoctor: gift of life
organicgreendoctor: gift of life: GIFT OF LIFE this picture is mr h when he was younger this below is about granger smiths son river smith and his gift of life granger s...
gift of life
GIFT OF LIFE
this picture is mr h when he was younger
this below is about granger smiths son river smith and his gift of life
granger smith is a country singer
his son drowned in a tragic accidental drowning recently
he was three years old
i was so happy when ms b learned to swim knowing that if she fell in she could get to the side of the pool and get to the steps
now
its mr h who has to learn to swim
we hope to dunk him in the pool some since he is back from his eventful washington dc trip
soon though when he gets his dialysis tubes put in his little belly he wont be able to swim until after his kidney transplant
we hope to let him enjoy the water until then
for him to get a new kidney it has to come from two sources
a deceased donor
like little river smith who drowned in that tragic accident
this child saved 2 lives with his organ donations
a deceased kidney doesnt last as long as a live donor
but
it saves a life
his familys donation of his organs saved two lives
so for mr h we are looking for a live donor since it will last sometimes twice as long
by then innovation eg may lead to other ways to grow his own kidney when his first kidney fails
so he could get a kidney that was grown from his kidney cells
the deceased donation is one of happiness and wretched grief
the live donation like this one in this article is one of happiness
recently as i stood face to face with someone who wants to donate their kidney to mr h
i told them
it takes a special special person to do this
now
i would give my kidney to mr h if i could qualify
but
i would admit im not sure i could do it to someone else not kin to me
it takes a special person to do that
toddler river smith saved two lives that day at dells childrens hospital in austin texas
please read his moms instagram posting in the article here
yes i teared as i read her posting
it seems i and others did a lot of that last week
organ donation is a gift of live and a gift of love
make sure you let your loved ones know that if you die you want your organs to be donated
i did tell my wife she to please donate everything that can be donated
except
my eyes
i wouldnt want someone to get iritis or my cornea that has a scar from that agave thorn and those lenses that arent good
but
everything else is ok with me
of course
my brain is already been donated to ucla when i die
many drivers licenses have on them a place to put that you are an organ donor
remember lots of folks die waiting for organ donations
go to organdonor.gov for information on donating organs
the organicgreen doctor
this picture is mr h when he was younger
this below is about granger smiths son river smith and his gift of life
granger smith is a country singer
his son drowned in a tragic accidental drowning recently
he was three years old
i was so happy when ms b learned to swim knowing that if she fell in she could get to the side of the pool and get to the steps
now
its mr h who has to learn to swim
we hope to dunk him in the pool some since he is back from his eventful washington dc trip
soon though when he gets his dialysis tubes put in his little belly he wont be able to swim until after his kidney transplant
we hope to let him enjoy the water until then
for him to get a new kidney it has to come from two sources
a deceased donor
like little river smith who drowned in that tragic accident
this child saved 2 lives with his organ donations
a deceased kidney doesnt last as long as a live donor
but
it saves a life
his familys donation of his organs saved two lives
so for mr h we are looking for a live donor since it will last sometimes twice as long
by then innovation eg may lead to other ways to grow his own kidney when his first kidney fails
so he could get a kidney that was grown from his kidney cells
the deceased donation is one of happiness and wretched grief
the live donation like this one in this article is one of happiness
recently as i stood face to face with someone who wants to donate their kidney to mr h
i told them
it takes a special special person to do this
now
i would give my kidney to mr h if i could qualify
but
i would admit im not sure i could do it to someone else not kin to me
it takes a special person to do that
toddler river smith saved two lives that day at dells childrens hospital in austin texas
please read his moms instagram posting in the article here
yes i teared as i read her posting
it seems i and others did a lot of that last week
organ donation is a gift of live and a gift of love
make sure you let your loved ones know that if you die you want your organs to be donated
i did tell my wife she to please donate everything that can be donated
except
my eyes
i wouldnt want someone to get iritis or my cornea that has a scar from that agave thorn and those lenses that arent good
but
everything else is ok with me
of course
my brain is already been donated to ucla when i die
many drivers licenses have on them a place to put that you are an organ donor
remember lots of folks die waiting for organ donations
go to organdonor.gov for information on donating organs
the organicgreen doctor
Friday, July 12, 2019
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-its in the blood
organicgreendoctor: alzheimers news-its in the blood: ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ITS IN THE BLOOD i am frequently asked why did they stop the aducanumab study that you were in at ucla well no one know...
alzheimers news-its in the blood
ALZHEIMERS NEWS-ITS IN THE BLOOD
i am frequently asked
why did they stop the aducanumab study that you were in at ucla
well
no one knows
hopefully the company will say something at the alzheimers association international conference meeting in los angeles this week
maybe we will all find out why it was stopped
there are guesses but no one knows for sure why
the company that did the aducanumab study is presenting data on a new study using an antibody that is similar to aducanumab but works on a specific spot on the amyloid proteins structure
hopefully they will say something when they do that presentation
we all want to know
we all deserve to know
they biogen has promised to tell us eventually
i have one more visit at ucla in two weeks to do the final exit visit which will mostly consist of memory testing
for me i can access where i am when i take these tests
so
in two weeks ill know how im doing
they wont tell me but ill know
i am still looking for a new study but have to wait until the fall to reenter one
my getting in is complicated by the fact that my memory is in the normal range now
and
its possible that my amyvid pet scan for the amyloid could be negative if i got the real drug for those almost 30 months i was receiving the infusions
so
what that would mean would be i may not qualify for any of these treatment studies
i knew this when i entered the aducanumab study
i knew it was possible that i would be where i am now
i knew this the aducanumab might be my only chance to get an experimental treatment
that time has passed now im afraid
i read today in an alzheimers article the author said
preventive care may be better than treatment for this disease
that means
take care of all those alzheimers risk factors now when you are younger and it may be better than any drug being developed
i also read usc researchers say that anything you do that can help your blood vessels will help fight alzheimers
like
exercise diet weight control blood pressure control cholesterol control stop smoking dont drink too much you know all those healthy things we should all be doing
then
researchers know have developed a test a blood test maybe just a drop of blood blood test that will identify if you have alzheimers even before you have symptoms
it measues the biomarkers that are the gold standard for diagnosing alzheimers disease
they compared it to the biomarkers used now the spinal analysis of amyloid and tau and the amyvid pet scan for amyloid
the blood test was almost as accurate as those two tests used now
it is predicted to be available in the doctors office in 5 years
now
what do you do when you find out
well
until there is an effective treatment found
you do what that blood vessel guy said take care of your blood vessels
its like if you have really high cholesterol and you find out and you dont do anything about it
well you are gonna die from a stroke or heart attack or blocked arteries in your legs or an abdominal aneurysm or kidney failure
control the cholesterol and you will maybe die of old age
so
be it
with this new alzheimers blood test
you be positive
you need to take real good of your health
that seems to be the answer to alzheimers diabetes high blood pressure heart attack stroke maybe cancer
take care of your health
now
when you are young
the organicgreen doctor
i am frequently asked
why did they stop the aducanumab study that you were in at ucla
well
no one knows
hopefully the company will say something at the alzheimers association international conference meeting in los angeles this week
maybe we will all find out why it was stopped
there are guesses but no one knows for sure why
the company that did the aducanumab study is presenting data on a new study using an antibody that is similar to aducanumab but works on a specific spot on the amyloid proteins structure
hopefully they will say something when they do that presentation
we all want to know
we all deserve to know
they biogen has promised to tell us eventually
i have one more visit at ucla in two weeks to do the final exit visit which will mostly consist of memory testing
for me i can access where i am when i take these tests
so
in two weeks ill know how im doing
they wont tell me but ill know
i am still looking for a new study but have to wait until the fall to reenter one
my getting in is complicated by the fact that my memory is in the normal range now
and
its possible that my amyvid pet scan for the amyloid could be negative if i got the real drug for those almost 30 months i was receiving the infusions
so
what that would mean would be i may not qualify for any of these treatment studies
i knew this when i entered the aducanumab study
i knew it was possible that i would be where i am now
i knew this the aducanumab might be my only chance to get an experimental treatment
that time has passed now im afraid
i read today in an alzheimers article the author said
preventive care may be better than treatment for this disease
that means
take care of all those alzheimers risk factors now when you are younger and it may be better than any drug being developed
i also read usc researchers say that anything you do that can help your blood vessels will help fight alzheimers
like
exercise diet weight control blood pressure control cholesterol control stop smoking dont drink too much you know all those healthy things we should all be doing
then
researchers know have developed a test a blood test maybe just a drop of blood blood test that will identify if you have alzheimers even before you have symptoms
it measues the biomarkers that are the gold standard for diagnosing alzheimers disease
they compared it to the biomarkers used now the spinal analysis of amyloid and tau and the amyvid pet scan for amyloid
the blood test was almost as accurate as those two tests used now
it is predicted to be available in the doctors office in 5 years
now
what do you do when you find out
well
until there is an effective treatment found
you do what that blood vessel guy said take care of your blood vessels
its like if you have really high cholesterol and you find out and you dont do anything about it
well you are gonna die from a stroke or heart attack or blocked arteries in your legs or an abdominal aneurysm or kidney failure
control the cholesterol and you will maybe die of old age
so
be it
with this new alzheimers blood test
you be positive
you need to take real good of your health
that seems to be the answer to alzheimers diabetes high blood pressure heart attack stroke maybe cancer
take care of your health
now
when you are young
the organicgreen doctor
Thursday, July 11, 2019
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson does washington dc
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson does washington dc: MR HUDSON DOES WASHINGTON DC thats mr h peeking over trumps head in the arms of his mom his dad is looking down from above mr h i must ...
mr hudson does washington dc
MR HUDSON DOES WASHINGTON DC
thats mr h peeking over trumps head in the arms of his mom
his dad is looking down from above mr h
i must say mr h did quite well for having to stand up on that stage for over an hour
luckily for all those up there that he is a good natured happy kid
lucky for him that he is that way since he has to endure a lot and will endure more in the future
when we were driving on our recent trip back to arkansas for our family reunion his mom texted us the speech that she gave during the ceremony shown on tv yesterday
as i was driving my wife she read it to me
i had to pull off the freeway since i was so blurryeyed i couldnt drive
yes
i did the same yesterday again when i listened
then
i did it again last night sitting in the airport waiting for our plane to leave
im sure those folks around me was wondering why this greyheaded man with earbuds on looking at his iphone was crying
this means a lot
to hudson now and as he gets older
to all those affected and those who will be affected by kidney disease
sadly
some of you and your family will be affected also
when i heard about this new kidney plan
i was skeptical i must say
another government plan blah blah blah
but
if theres a chance it would help hudson i said then ill check it out
so
the folks from washington sent a lot of stuff to read
so
i sat down with my pen and paper to take notes
i started to read what was being proposed
as i sat there the first thing i wrote was
this looks likes something the democrats would do
then as i read further
the affordable care act set all this up
a czar for medicare and medicaid services for innovation was established
the latest one is standing to the right of the group
he is the bill gates of health care
this czar established by the affordable care act yes ie obamacare is able to act somewhat independent without so much interference from congress and the political system
they can be innovative think out of the box as needed
something politics sometimes wont allow
so this new czar was the right person at the right time to do this job
this kidney plan should be nonpartisan
i do worry that politics will be involved here
the democrats might oppose this since trump stands to gain politically
the republicans might oppose this since it sort of look likes what the democrats might propose
some things should be bipartisan
like
infrastructure
immigration should be but its not
womens and child health
this one kidney failure definitely is one of these bipartisan issues
so after doing a lot of reading and listening to presentations by the hhs secretary and the czar i feel like i can fully support this
we should see more live kidney transplants
less folks having to go to dialysis center since folks will be encouraged to do home dialysis
more financial support to those involved especially the live kidney donor
a new innovative way to pay for kidney treatment
an organization called kidney x has been set up made up of private groups kidney organizations and the department of hhs to provide money and to promote innovation in kidney care
the first research monies were recently awarded to researchers
one goal is a wearable dialysis unit
maybe one day they can 3d print a person their own kidney
medicare pays for a lot of the care for kidney disease no matter the age
eg
hudson can get on medicare two months after starting peritoneal dialysis
he will remain on it for two years after his transplant
he has private insurance that will cover the bulk of the cost
its about time this is happening to our healthcare system
just a few months ago they did a similar plan for primary care as an option on medicare
what if we attacked all diseases like this new plan attacks kidney disease
yes as of now im all in
yesterday
as i watched and listened i mostly watched hudson during the presentations
hudson did something for me
now
i know he was sending me a message
he got a hold of his dads alzheimers purple bracelet and played with it for a long time
hudson
i got the message
we are in this together these battles
to watch the full ceremony including his moms speech you can
click here
the organicgreen doctor
thats mr h peeking over trumps head in the arms of his mom
his dad is looking down from above mr h
i must say mr h did quite well for having to stand up on that stage for over an hour
luckily for all those up there that he is a good natured happy kid
lucky for him that he is that way since he has to endure a lot and will endure more in the future
when we were driving on our recent trip back to arkansas for our family reunion his mom texted us the speech that she gave during the ceremony shown on tv yesterday
as i was driving my wife she read it to me
i had to pull off the freeway since i was so blurryeyed i couldnt drive
yes
i did the same yesterday again when i listened
then
i did it again last night sitting in the airport waiting for our plane to leave
im sure those folks around me was wondering why this greyheaded man with earbuds on looking at his iphone was crying
this means a lot
to hudson now and as he gets older
to all those affected and those who will be affected by kidney disease
sadly
some of you and your family will be affected also
when i heard about this new kidney plan
i was skeptical i must say
another government plan blah blah blah
but
if theres a chance it would help hudson i said then ill check it out
so
the folks from washington sent a lot of stuff to read
so
i sat down with my pen and paper to take notes
i started to read what was being proposed
as i sat there the first thing i wrote was
this looks likes something the democrats would do
then as i read further
the affordable care act set all this up
a czar for medicare and medicaid services for innovation was established
the latest one is standing to the right of the group
he is the bill gates of health care
this czar established by the affordable care act yes ie obamacare is able to act somewhat independent without so much interference from congress and the political system
they can be innovative think out of the box as needed
something politics sometimes wont allow
so this new czar was the right person at the right time to do this job
this kidney plan should be nonpartisan
i do worry that politics will be involved here
the democrats might oppose this since trump stands to gain politically
the republicans might oppose this since it sort of look likes what the democrats might propose
some things should be bipartisan
like
infrastructure
immigration should be but its not
womens and child health
this one kidney failure definitely is one of these bipartisan issues
so after doing a lot of reading and listening to presentations by the hhs secretary and the czar i feel like i can fully support this
we should see more live kidney transplants
less folks having to go to dialysis center since folks will be encouraged to do home dialysis
more financial support to those involved especially the live kidney donor
a new innovative way to pay for kidney treatment
an organization called kidney x has been set up made up of private groups kidney organizations and the department of hhs to provide money and to promote innovation in kidney care
the first research monies were recently awarded to researchers
one goal is a wearable dialysis unit
maybe one day they can 3d print a person their own kidney
medicare pays for a lot of the care for kidney disease no matter the age
eg
hudson can get on medicare two months after starting peritoneal dialysis
he will remain on it for two years after his transplant
he has private insurance that will cover the bulk of the cost
its about time this is happening to our healthcare system
just a few months ago they did a similar plan for primary care as an option on medicare
what if we attacked all diseases like this new plan attacks kidney disease
yes as of now im all in
yesterday
as i watched and listened i mostly watched hudson during the presentations
hudson did something for me
now
i know he was sending me a message
he got a hold of his dads alzheimers purple bracelet and played with it for a long time
hudson
i got the message
we are in this together these battles
to watch the full ceremony including his moms speech you can
click here
the organicgreen doctor
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson will be the face of kidney failure today...
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson will be the face of kidney failure today...: MR HUDSON WILL BE THE FACE OF KIDNEY FAILURE TODAY mr h will probably be up soon ready to eat then get dressed for his big day today he w...
mr hudson will be the face of kidney failure today
MR HUDSON WILL BE THE FACE OF KIDNEY FAILURE TODAY
mr h will probably be up soon ready to eat then get dressed for his big day today
he will be wearing this nice blue bow tie
my favorite color i must add
im not suppose to write about it
however
first i googled donald trumps schedule today
here is what it says
1110am est he will deliver remarks and sign an executive order to advance american kidney health
huumm
i said to myself as i read this
and
you know mr h is going to washington today to be the face of kidney failure
they have to be related
then
on politico up jumped yesterday this article on the same thing
so
i read it
twice
so i put 2+2=4
i know now where hudson will be today at 1110am est
yes
his mom is suppose to give a short statement on hudson and his condition
we plan to be tuned to cspan and the national 24 hr news channels ie fox news cnn msnbc to see if we can watch it live
if not
we will watch it delayed on the internet
links to be posted tomorrow with my thoughts on this
mr h your journey starts today
the organicgreen doctor
mr h will probably be up soon ready to eat then get dressed for his big day today
he will be wearing this nice blue bow tie
my favorite color i must add
im not suppose to write about it
however
first i googled donald trumps schedule today
here is what it says
1110am est he will deliver remarks and sign an executive order to advance american kidney health
huumm
i said to myself as i read this
and
you know mr h is going to washington today to be the face of kidney failure
they have to be related
then
on politico up jumped yesterday this article on the same thing
so
i read it
twice
so i put 2+2=4
i know now where hudson will be today at 1110am est
yes
his mom is suppose to give a short statement on hudson and his condition
we plan to be tuned to cspan and the national 24 hr news channels ie fox news cnn msnbc to see if we can watch it live
if not
we will watch it delayed on the internet
links to be posted tomorrow with my thoughts on this
mr h your journey starts today
the organicgreen doctor
Tuesday, July 9, 2019
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson is on his way to washington dc today
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson is on his way to washington dc today: MR HUDSON IS ON HIS WAY TO WASHINGTON DC TODAY as you can see he will be all dressed up for the kidney event he is going to tomorrow hint...
mr hudson is on his way to washington dc today
MR HUDSON IS ON HIS WAY TO WASHINGTON DC TODAY
as you can see he will be all dressed up for the kidney event he is going to tomorrow
hint
maybe tune in to a 24 hour news channel around 1100 am est
if its not done live i will post links to it the next day
it could be on the national news wednesday evening
i have been asked by those involved to not write about more specific reasons for the event
afterwards i can write all i want to
thats why we i have been vague about why he is going to washington dc today
now
he has flown before about 6 months ago to a wedding in new orleans
now
he is going to advance his cause and others with kidney failure on this trip
besides the question of why we are being vague
the other most common question is
when will he get transplanted
when he gains a few more lbs around 4 lbs now i think he will be eligible to be transplanted
that should happen in the next year most likely
when he meets that magic weight he will get it unless he is doing well
ie
if he is stable growing good eating well they will wait until there are downward changes
remember kidneys donated from
a cadaver donor only last 10-15 years
a live donor will last longer like 15-20 years
each year you can wait as long as the patient is doing well the longer it will be until the second transplant has to be done
this fall hudson will get his tubes put into his belly to ready him for home peritoneal dialysis which he will do until he gets his transplant
the longer you do peritoneal dialysis the greater chance of damage being done to the body
so
its a fine line deciding when to transplant
so for now
hudson is doing some traveling today
so
tomorrow he can do what he can and his family to advance the cause for better kidney care
i as a proud granddaddy couldnt be prouder of him and his family
go hudson go
the organicgreen doctor
as you can see he will be all dressed up for the kidney event he is going to tomorrow
hint
maybe tune in to a 24 hour news channel around 1100 am est
if its not done live i will post links to it the next day
it could be on the national news wednesday evening
i have been asked by those involved to not write about more specific reasons for the event
afterwards i can write all i want to
thats why we i have been vague about why he is going to washington dc today
now
he has flown before about 6 months ago to a wedding in new orleans
now
he is going to advance his cause and others with kidney failure on this trip
besides the question of why we are being vague
the other most common question is
when will he get transplanted
when he gains a few more lbs around 4 lbs now i think he will be eligible to be transplanted
that should happen in the next year most likely
when he meets that magic weight he will get it unless he is doing well
ie
if he is stable growing good eating well they will wait until there are downward changes
remember kidneys donated from
a cadaver donor only last 10-15 years
a live donor will last longer like 15-20 years
each year you can wait as long as the patient is doing well the longer it will be until the second transplant has to be done
this fall hudson will get his tubes put into his belly to ready him for home peritoneal dialysis which he will do until he gets his transplant
the longer you do peritoneal dialysis the greater chance of damage being done to the body
so
its a fine line deciding when to transplant
so for now
hudson is doing some traveling today
so
tomorrow he can do what he can and his family to advance the cause for better kidney care
i as a proud granddaddy couldnt be prouder of him and his family
go hudson go
the organicgreen doctor
Monday, July 1, 2019
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson goes to washington dc
organicgreendoctor: mr hudson goes to washington dc: MR HUDSON GOES TO WASHINGTON DC this cute face could be on national tv soon keep reading to know why he is going to washington dc read...
mr hudson goes to washington dc
MR HUDSON GOES TO WASHINGTON DC
this cute face could be on national tv soon
keep reading to know why he is going to washington dc
read his story below
this is mr h that i have written about several times since he was born 10 months ago
he had an early rough start for the first two months but has improved since
his name is
hudson joseph william nash
joseph after his maternal grandfather who passed before he was born
he would i am sure be so proud of mr hudsons toughness and good nature dealing with all this
william named after his paternal grandfather
that would be be the organicgreen doctor
yes he has been in the garden multiple times in his lifetime
as an aside his sister ms b was born by csection with a bag of my texas country n soil in a baggie lying under the surgical table
hudson well thats one of those millennial or generation x names
he was born early at 34 weeks by csection since he was found to have totally obstructed kidneys that as it turned out left him with chronic kidney failure or chronic kidney disease
his initial 6 weeks were pretty rocky
once i told my wife she that ms b needs to be brought into the nicu to see him even with all those tubes everywhere since i thought he wasnt going to make it
he was in kidney failure and heart failure
with treatment he lost almost 2 lbs of fluid caused by diffuse edema
but
he is a tough little bugger
the heart thing totally cleared
in fact he recently got a clean bill of health on his heart
he is otherwise a normal 10 month old doing what a child who was 6 weeks premature should be doing
laughing playing standing trying to talk eating well
as i say and others say when they see him
you would never know anything was wrong with him
however
he is in kidney failure
he takes a shot of epigen every 10 days to stimulate his bone marrow to make red blood cells
this hormone is made in the kidney
he takes a shot of growth hormone every day or he will whenever it gets approved by the insurance company to make sure he grows appropriately
he makes enough of his own growth hormone
his body becomes resistant to growth hormone so he needs more to keep his growth up
he use to take a blood pressure medicine called nifedipine or procardia three times a day for his blood pressure but he is off that now
he takes an antibiotic keflex or cephalexin to prevent a kidney infection since he has severe urine reflux that could damage his kidneys
he takes a strong salt solution called sodium chloride or nacl since his kidneys cant keep enough salt in his body
he takes sodium bicarbonate known as baking soda to keep his bicarb levels up
he takes a special prescription of calcium to maintain a normal calcium and phosphorus levels and vitamin d level
he has been on breast milk since he was born even though mom has to work every day during the week
this will be used as long as the milk supply holds up
breast milk works best for kids with kidney failure
its funny how a womans body knows how to make that milk just right
he is eating well for his age
he seems to me to be developmentally normal for his true age which right now is 9 months old
yes he looks like a normal baby
except
he is in kidney failure
he probably will start dialysis in a few weeks and will soon be put on the transplant list at cedars sinai in los angeles
waiting for a donor from this list may take up to 2 years
the longer one stays on dialysis the more damage can be done to the rest of the body
they would like to see him get a live donor instead
since
a live donated kidney can last twice as long as a donor from someone who has died
yes he can take an adult kidney if its not too big
hudson has to weigh 23 lbs to get his transplant
he weighs 18+ lbs now
when he does get transplanted he will be one of 68+- kids under 4 years of age that get a live donor kidney transplant each year
his kidneys are slowly deteriorating
his bun which is a kidney function should be less than 15
his is 44
when it gets to 50 he will start dialysis until he is transplanted
he will have to have catheters placed in his belly
he will be in the hospital for a week or two
his parents and hopefully my wife she and i will learn how to do all that so he can have home dialysis
two things are going for hudson
he is healthy otherwise
he has such a sweet happy disposition
now
why is he going to washington
well in about two weeks look for him to be on the national news
he and his parents are going there
she his mom will talk at an event there
Hudson may be the representative sort of the poster child or face of chronic kidney disease
especially pediatric kidney disease
when the details of when this happens is known i will post it here and on facebook so that you can see cute little hudson in his little bowtie and suit
our goals in all of this are
1 to publicize hudsons case hoping for a live donor
since sometimes parents and family dont match up
he may need a non family member kidney
it helps to have several donors lined up so the best match is used
luckily for hudson he is a universal recipient being ab+
his grandparents are all too old
his dad is probably too big well not probably is too big
so that leaves his mom who is not tall
but its always possible that she wont match
plus they would like to save her for his transplant in his teenage years when he will probably have to have his next one
so they would like to hold her kidney in reserve for future use
once you get in the teenage and beyond years the wait for kidney donations start lengthening like to 8-11 years or longer
1 in 4 folks on the donor list die before they get a kidney
2 to find live kidney donors for other patients
3 to stimulate interest in live kidney donation and or other organ donations
since hudson is an infant he gets moved up on the donor list but it can still take up to 2 years
to get a kidney that way
4 to stimulate interest in chronic kidney failure or chronic kidney disease especially in kids
5 to stimulate interest in potential new kidney health care in the united states that may be soon proposed that will need bipartisan support
here is hudsons facebook page
click on this link above
please share freely
for hudson
and
maybe for others waiting for a kidney transplant
please share this blog
the organicgreen doctor
this cute face could be on national tv soon
keep reading to know why he is going to washington dc
read his story below
this is mr h that i have written about several times since he was born 10 months ago
he had an early rough start for the first two months but has improved since
his name is
hudson joseph william nash
joseph after his maternal grandfather who passed before he was born
he would i am sure be so proud of mr hudsons toughness and good nature dealing with all this
william named after his paternal grandfather
that would be be the organicgreen doctor
yes he has been in the garden multiple times in his lifetime
as an aside his sister ms b was born by csection with a bag of my texas country n soil in a baggie lying under the surgical table
hudson well thats one of those millennial or generation x names
he was born early at 34 weeks by csection since he was found to have totally obstructed kidneys that as it turned out left him with chronic kidney failure or chronic kidney disease
his initial 6 weeks were pretty rocky
once i told my wife she that ms b needs to be brought into the nicu to see him even with all those tubes everywhere since i thought he wasnt going to make it
he was in kidney failure and heart failure
with treatment he lost almost 2 lbs of fluid caused by diffuse edema
but
he is a tough little bugger
the heart thing totally cleared
in fact he recently got a clean bill of health on his heart
he is otherwise a normal 10 month old doing what a child who was 6 weeks premature should be doing
laughing playing standing trying to talk eating well
as i say and others say when they see him
you would never know anything was wrong with him
however
he is in kidney failure
he takes a shot of epigen every 10 days to stimulate his bone marrow to make red blood cells
this hormone is made in the kidney
he takes a shot of growth hormone every day or he will whenever it gets approved by the insurance company to make sure he grows appropriately
he makes enough of his own growth hormone
his body becomes resistant to growth hormone so he needs more to keep his growth up
he use to take a blood pressure medicine called nifedipine or procardia three times a day for his blood pressure but he is off that now
he takes an antibiotic keflex or cephalexin to prevent a kidney infection since he has severe urine reflux that could damage his kidneys
he takes a strong salt solution called sodium chloride or nacl since his kidneys cant keep enough salt in his body
he takes sodium bicarbonate known as baking soda to keep his bicarb levels up
he takes a special prescription of calcium to maintain a normal calcium and phosphorus levels and vitamin d level
he has been on breast milk since he was born even though mom has to work every day during the week
this will be used as long as the milk supply holds up
breast milk works best for kids with kidney failure
its funny how a womans body knows how to make that milk just right
he is eating well for his age
he seems to me to be developmentally normal for his true age which right now is 9 months old
yes he looks like a normal baby
except
he is in kidney failure
he probably will start dialysis in a few weeks and will soon be put on the transplant list at cedars sinai in los angeles
waiting for a donor from this list may take up to 2 years
the longer one stays on dialysis the more damage can be done to the rest of the body
they would like to see him get a live donor instead
since
a live donated kidney can last twice as long as a donor from someone who has died
yes he can take an adult kidney if its not too big
hudson has to weigh 23 lbs to get his transplant
he weighs 18+ lbs now
when he does get transplanted he will be one of 68+- kids under 4 years of age that get a live donor kidney transplant each year
his kidneys are slowly deteriorating
his bun which is a kidney function should be less than 15
his is 44
when it gets to 50 he will start dialysis until he is transplanted
he will have to have catheters placed in his belly
he will be in the hospital for a week or two
his parents and hopefully my wife she and i will learn how to do all that so he can have home dialysis
two things are going for hudson
he is healthy otherwise
he has such a sweet happy disposition
now
why is he going to washington
well in about two weeks look for him to be on the national news
he and his parents are going there
she his mom will talk at an event there
Hudson may be the representative sort of the poster child or face of chronic kidney disease
especially pediatric kidney disease
when the details of when this happens is known i will post it here and on facebook so that you can see cute little hudson in his little bowtie and suit
our goals in all of this are
1 to publicize hudsons case hoping for a live donor
since sometimes parents and family dont match up
he may need a non family member kidney
it helps to have several donors lined up so the best match is used
luckily for hudson he is a universal recipient being ab+
his grandparents are all too old
his dad is probably too big well not probably is too big
so that leaves his mom who is not tall
but its always possible that she wont match
plus they would like to save her for his transplant in his teenage years when he will probably have to have his next one
so they would like to hold her kidney in reserve for future use
once you get in the teenage and beyond years the wait for kidney donations start lengthening like to 8-11 years or longer
1 in 4 folks on the donor list die before they get a kidney
2 to find live kidney donors for other patients
3 to stimulate interest in live kidney donation and or other organ donations
since hudson is an infant he gets moved up on the donor list but it can still take up to 2 years
to get a kidney that way
4 to stimulate interest in chronic kidney failure or chronic kidney disease especially in kids
5 to stimulate interest in potential new kidney health care in the united states that may be soon proposed that will need bipartisan support
here is hudsons facebook page
click on this link above
please share freely
for hudson
and
maybe for others waiting for a kidney transplant
please share this blog
the organicgreen doctor