Stages of Alzheimers Diseases Progression

I know my fate. I will die of Alzheimer's. Unless a cure is found, I will follow in the sad and scary footsteps of three great grandparents, three grandparents, and a multitude of uncles and aunts. The gene that exists in my family is not early onset but it is voracious and it is terrifying.

Fact: There is a genetic component to Alzheimer's disease. The chances of getting it are greatly increased the more family members who have it.

I know what will happen to me. I will start forgetting that I ate my lunch. I will no longer be able to hold my concentration in my weekly bridge game. I will get lost driving through the city I have lived in half my life. I will brush these off at first because I am much too smart and these are just "senior moments". I will fuel my denial by doing lots of crosswords because surely if I can finish a crossword puzzle I don't have Alzheimer's. I will pull out my photo albums and start naming family members because if I remember all the names, then surely I don't have Alzheimer's. I will cook big fancy meals, because if I can host dinner parties, I surely don't have Alzheimer's.

Fact: In the first stage of Alzheimer's disease, memory loss and the loss of some cognitive abilities will be noticeable but the person can usually compensate for the loss and continue to function.

But then will come the day when I doing my crossword and I can't remember who played the nanny in the Sound of Music, and I will forget the name of my first grandchild in the photo, and I will put the dinner roast in the freezer instead of the oven. I will know for sure that I didn't beat the gene.

Fact: First symptoms can include: forgetting names and words, forgetting their own history, difficulty with routine tasks such as making dinner.

So I will tell my children, only to find out that they already suspected. We will cry, we will try to stay positive and we will go see the doctor. We will get the diagnosis we were dreading.

Fact: Those closest to the patient experience grief at the loss of the person they knew. They often are treated for depression after the diagnosis.

There is talk about moving in with my children, there is talk about having a caregiver come in and live with me. All of a sudden so many people need to know all my business. There is talk of lawyers and "power of attorney". "Where is my banking information?" "Where is my will?" "Where is my jewellery?" All I want to say is, "Where is my privacy!", "Where is my dignity?" But when they all leave, when I am alone in my bed, I am terrified. I try to make deals with God. I pray not to lose all of myself. I pray for an early death when it all becomes too much. I pray not to die alone in a nursing home. When I wake I try to be positive. I tell myself that there are great new drugs that can delay the advance into stage two. Perhaps I have more time yet; perhaps a cure is still possible.

Fact: There is no drug that can cure or even halt the progression of the disease. The best drugs available can only slow the downward spiral. However, they do offer something. They stop the quality of life from declining as rapidly and they may help delay moving the patient into a nursing home.

The drugs have helped. For a number of months I have lived quite happily with my daughter and her family but things are getting worse. I looked in the mirror today and didn't know the woman looking back. I have forgotten my husband. They tell me we were married for 40 years before his death but I look at our wedding picture and can't remember a thing. I know my daughter, but I have no idea who those loud children who live with her are. My daughter is always annoyed with me. She says I am not bathing, but I know I have. But I don't remember what day, and there are criminals that are trying to steal my clothes whenever I get into the tub.

Fact: In the middle stages of Alzheimer's, people may become disoriented about the season, the day of the week, the time of day, they may think they took a bath this morning but it actually was 2 days ago. They may forget their personal history and important events in their life. The personality changes and they may become anxious, easily agitated, suspicious and paranoid.

I almost set my daughters house on fire. I thought I was making some tea and I plugged the iron in instead of the kettle. I guess I put it on some papers and they caught fire. They have decided it's too dangerous for me to live there anymore. They are putting me in a nursing home. I don't care though. I am so tired all the time. All I want to do is sleep. That woman I was living with (they say is my daughter) was always trying to get me to stay up. She was always trying to get me to look at photos and to eat. I just wanted to be left alone.

Fact: It is difficult to pinpoint the onset of the next stage because they overlap; however no longer recognizing family, limited communication skills and exhaustion are usual symptoms of the beginning of the last stage.

I don't know where I am. Strangers take care of me, strangers come to visit me. I can't eat anymore. I can't move. I am always cold. I don't know who I am. I can't remember anything. I have occasional lucid moments where I pray to be released from this prison. I believe the end of my life is near and I welcome it, but will I know it when it happens? I can hear voices, I can no longer see, but I can hear a bit. They are comforting. Are they family or are they angels? They are telling me I can let go, that I can surrender. And I do.

Cause of Death: Alzheimer's Disease

Fact:
Alzheimer's is the 7th leading cause of death Over 5 million Americans are suffering with Alzheimer's

Sources: USA - Alzheimer's Association www.alz.org, Canada Alzheimer's Society of Canadawww.alzheimer.ca