I am watching Joy Behar and Ron Reagan is being interviewed. About his book, he was defending his statement about saying that his dad had alzheimer's while he was in office. He said" he had dementia first, dementia is a symptom of alzheimer's." I am still trying to understand if I heard that right. Anyone else watch it. He hasn't got a clue if that is what he said. A lot of people are still thinking that alzheimer's is different than dementia.
Actually, he is correct. My social worker always lets me explain it this way to the new people in our group:
Dementia is a symptom of something wrong. It is like a fever. A fever is a symptom of something wrong. When you have a fever, the doctor does tests to find out what is CAUSING the fever. It could be bronchitis, pneumonia, a skin infection, or a million other things. Once he finds out what is CAUSING the fever, he treats it with the correct medications.
Dementia is a series of symptoms, such as memory loss, confusion, personality changes. There are many causes of dementia, some of them treatable. It could be caused by a brain tumor, a stroke, vitamin B deficiency, NPH (normal pressure hydrochephalus), Lewy Bodies Disease, Frontal Lobe Dementia, OR Alzheimer's Disease. 70-80% of dementia symptoms are caused by Alzheimer's Disease. Once the doctor runs all of the tests and rules out all of the other causes, Alzheimer's is diagnosed.
I did not hear the Ron Reagan interview, but from what you wrote, he is correct, but perhaps he should have worded it - "He showed signs of dementia first, and his dementia was determined to be caused by Alzheimer's Disease.
I didn't see the program today but I would suggest that as an example, when President Reagan was shot, had it been a head wound and he didn't survive and an autopsy was done to include the brain, I would bet there would have been the evidence that some type of dementia was going to develop at some point. But that would not have meant that at that time, his thinking and decision making was not clear headed...Our neuro told us that evidence that a dementia has a strong possibility of developing can be seen as much as 20 years before the individual presents with the first symptom that there is a problem.
I agree that they are probably just subtle little changes that the majority of people, including doctors, overlook or do not even take notice of at the time. We all can testify to being able to look back years and see changes that were unexplainable yet not serious enough to tell a doctor.
To me I will not take anything away from President Reagan. What I do take away is what we all know: that the disease starts years before there is anything identifiable and the person is still able to perform or do their normal activities. Let this revelation be taken to show the importance of finding a cause(s), cure and treatment long before it destroys the persons normal life.
Joan, So then if I understand you right my DH's diagnosis is vascular disease that was caused by dementia. Or is it the other way around. I thought I had it straight in my mind but now I am not so sure. If I look up the ICD code that his doctor gave his diagnosis it says vascular dementia.
I agree with Charlotte...Showing signs of AD should not taint everything one does from that point forward. President Reagan was a gifted leader and he was long out of office before he was incapacitated to the point that his judgement was impaired.
No, you have it backwards. His dementia symptoms are caused by vascular disease. Sid's dementia symptoms are caused by Alzheimer's Disease. My friend's husband's dementia symptoms are caused by FTD. My father's dementia symptoms are caused by NPH. The reason it's so important to find out what is causing the dementia symptoms is that some causes are treatable and reversable. Dementia caused by vitamin B deficiency can be cleared up with massive doses of vitamin B. Dementia caused by NPH can be cleared up by putting a shunt in the brain and draining the fluid. Unfortunately, dementia caused by Alzheimer's Disease, Vascular Disease, Lewy Bodies, etc. cannot be fixed.
Joan, Thank you for that excellent explanation. The other day my husband asked me just what dementia is. I'll use your explanation if he asks me again. And I will use it for others who have the need for an explanation.
Deb. Joan's explanation is right on target. That's what we have to teach others. The example given to me was similar: Sore throat = same as dementia. So why does one have a sore throat (dementia)? It could be from a cold, tonsillitis, strep throat, meningitis? The Sore throat is the symptom............. Strep was the cause. Dementia is the symptom ..... and the cause could be stroke, Alzheimers or a dozen other things.
Ron Reagan, the younger one, is a JERK. He has been a ballerina, protester, dog show host, and pseudo writer...anything to earn a buck. I'm sure his mother has supported him most of his life. Although he said he hated his father, ... he was on the front line all through the funeral services, again, grabbing the spotlight. Once again, he is using sensationalism to get attention. That one line is all anyone will remember from his book.
Just have to add an observation. Dealing w/ DH with AZ. Also have son w/ ADHD. Yes, I've helped him financially. Yes he has held many different jobs, not always successfully. Affects his marriage, but he's a fantastic father to 2 girls. Perhaps R Reagan has something similar. We who experience others making judgements about our spouse need to withhold judgement about other people when we don't know what is their reality. Our daughter is first born, smart, successful = then came son first with hyperactivity and then diagnosed ADHD after entering school. I'm sure he has said he hates his dad, after all his dad has had a hard time accepting son's challenges and has vocalized it more since AZ took hold.
I taught physical ed for special ed school and know that many of the students had much less support from their dad. But every time PJ makes comments about son, it hurts. Just like it hurt when daug and SIL said "nothing wrong with Dad, your fault." Now they've learned more about AZ, but not in the country, so don't have to deal with it and provide no help or even a day off for me.
PJ and I talked last night about the new blood test - does that mean future will include results of test for future AZ before someone marries, especially an older person? There's been no comments about this new test and the potential impact it will have, possibly affecting everything from marriage to public officials or candidates. It's scary to consider how this may be used to discriminate.
You can sum this all up by this: “I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”
Thank you, Frank. I appreciate your support. I know you understood what I was trying to say. My opinion of Ron Reagan has been echoed all over the web and news stations. Imagine how his mother feels about his statement!!!
But he will inherit millions and millions of dollars. So, he wins.