Mom's tests for Alzheimer's are back, and last week we went to see Dr. Shyam Moudgil of Lakeside Neurology in Grosse Pointe. www.lakeside-neurology.com He asked us (me) general questions and read the CT report. Then he scooted his seat over to Mom, facing her.
He leaned in as he asked her a set of questions about time and place. She passed.He tested her upper body strength. Not bad. He watched her take a few steps -- with assistance.
He asked her to do some simple math -- take 3 away from 20. 17, she said. Good. Now take 3 away from 17. She thought and sighed and said she didn't know.
He gave her a piece of paper and pencil and asked her to write a sentence. She thought and sighed again. She looked up at him, frustrated. You're a tough doctor," she said. Then she scribbled on the paper and handed it to him.
He read: "Share my seat.""That's a sentence," Mom said with confidence. And she was right. I smiled, remembering diagramming those declarative sentences on the blackboard in elementary school.
When Dr. Moudgil left the room to read the film of her CT scan, I told Mom I liked her sentence.She wasn't interested in my complement. "I knew he wouldn't do it," she said.
"Do what?""Share my seat. I knew he wouldn't because there's not enough room," And she tried to scoot over a little in her chair as if trying to make room.
I smiled. She didn't. "I know you think I'm losing my mind," she said. "That's why we're here."In July, I wrote about taking Mom for CT brain scan http://www.brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb/2011/07/20/alzheimers-going-for-the-test-awaiting-the-results. Unsure of what was causing her dementia -- Alzheimer's, weak heart, lack of oxygen, a stroke -- I wanted more information.
Alzheimer's, the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, continues to steal away our parents and grandparents. Some research is pointing toward genetic trends. The number one risk of Alzheimer's is age. The number two risk is family.Dr. Moudgil returned and reported he saw "nothing out of the ordinary." No tumor, no bleeding, no sign of stroke. "So what's going on?"
"Her symptoms fit Alzheimer's," he said. www.alz.org That's the most definitive he could get. Because Alzheimer's cannot definitively be diagnosed without"Not vascular dementia?" I asked. I was sure her weak heart was the culprit. A smoker for 50 years, Mom has congestive heart failure.
"No, there's no sign of stroke."But, Dr. Moudgil said, her brain is shrinking. And apparently, he finds that pretty normal.
He noted my discomfort with his nonchalance. "Look," he said. "The body and brain are built to live only so long, and we're living longer. If we all lived to 140, 100% of us would have Alzheimer's."
We talked about drugs to slow the process, but agreed not to. Dr. Moudgil explained that he considered such drugs important if they can delay the move to a nursing home."But that doesn't seem to be an issue in this case," he said.
"You're right," I said. I know: "Never say never." But I can't imagine why Mom would ever need to move to a nursing home.
I know many exceptional caregivers. Thankfully, they're finding their way to my business, BrightStar of Grosse Pointe / Southeast Macomb. They're going through my rigorous testing and hiring processes as well as a thorough new employee orientation -- all supervised by my Director of Nursing, an expert RN who demands the best from them.It won't be long until I entrust one of them with my mother.
n Anne Marie Gattari is president/owner of BrightStar of Grosse Pointe / Southeast Macomb, providing top quality care to seniors, children and disabled in their homes. Contact: 586.279.3610; am.gattari@brightstarcare.com; www.brightstarcare.com/grosse-pointesoutheast-macomb
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