in this article are 5 questions that are from the alzheimers association
their website is www.alz.org and is the best website for information on alzheimers disease
if you are concerned about your memory and or concerned you have risks for developing alzheimers disease these are the 5 questions as written in the st george news
- Do I (or the patient) have any medical conditions that could increase my risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia?
- Am I taking any medications that could be causing memory or cognitive-related symptoms?
- What tests could you perform that might rule out Alzheimer’s or dementia as a diagnosis?
- Are you aware of my family history – particularly among immediate family (grandparents, parents or siblings) related to Alzheimer’s or dementia?
- Should I be concerned about … (explain any changes in memory, focus, thinking or mood)?
i will be answering the questions on myself to be an example of how a patient can provide the information needed to get the most from the visit
if you are concerned you have memory issues be sure and make the appointment only for that reason
1 yes
high blood pressure
high cholesterol
other risk factors would be obesity diabetes heart disease kidney disease liver disease anxiety depression sleep apnea poor sleep habits etc
2 no
meds that may cause memory issues are antihistamines like bladder pills over the counter sleeping pills allergy pills like benadryl prescription sleeping pills prescription anxiety pills and there may be other meds also
3 an in office memory test called the minicog test where you are given 3 words to remember and you draw a specific time on a clock eg 1110am
this is a screen only
if its abnormal you likely have issues
if is normal it doesnt mean anything
a better in office test may be the mmse test or the moca test
the moca test is more sensitive to early memory loss
if these are positive a more aggressive workup to include a neuropsychological memory test may be needed as well as a more thorough medical history and probably lab tests and maybe an mri of the brain
if i had had a moca test in 2010 in a screening visit it would have been abnormal
mine was done as part of a research study
if you are having memory issues the minicog test isnt good enough if its normal
you need another test done
4 yes
my mother and younger brother died from alzheimers disease
my older brother probably has it also
my father probably had it when he died
my maternal grandmother and my paternal grandmother had dementia
my maternal great grandfather is reported to have had memory issues
my maternal aunts and uncles all had alzheimers disease
at least one paternal aunt had alzheimers disease
this history i have is a big ole red flag for me for being at risk for developing the diseae
if your history is like mine you are at risk
5 if you have to answer this question you warrant a good thorough workup
starting with a good medical history and examination
then from there do the memory testing labs etc that are warranted
my advice
go to the doctor with this one complaint
dont go in with a bunch of other issues or complaints
ask these questions or similar ones
write down your questions on a piece of paper
include all your meds both prescriptions and non prescriptions
always consider they may not have your meds all correct in your record
they commonly dont in mine they may not in yours
give a copy to the doctor and keep a copy for yourself
it will enter your medical record and will be signed and dated by the doctor
he or she will not be able to ignore it
remember dont let them put you off
well
thats what i would do anyway
if i was starting all over again and was having issues
the organicgreen doctor
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