Gary, I think that your question got overlooked on the other thread, this is the basic info here but if you search on this site for FTD you will find more info and also just google it and you will find even more.
Behavioral Symptoms Early signs of frontotemporal dementia may involve the following symptoms:
Apathy or an unwillingness to talk Change in personality and mood, such as depression Lack of inhibition or lack of social tact Obsessive or repetitive behavior, such as compulsively shaving or collecting items Unusual verbal, physical or sexual behavior Weight gain due to dramatic overeating Patients may neglect hygiene and resist encouragement to attend to themselves. They also may lack awareness or concern that their behavior has changed.
Pretty much apathy, change in personality almost like a personality disorder, mood problems and depression, extreme compulsive behavior, easily suggest-able, unless I make the suggestion, was verbally abusive last year and her sexual behavior changed radically ( found a boyfriend ) supposedly cheated on me, then thought nothing of it....Gary, I cheated on you, don't tell our son and daughter, well gotta do the laundry and don't forget we go to the outside band concert tonight. No interest in her health needs but extremely concerned about mine or others. Yet does not think anything is wrong. I could go on more. The only problem is trying to get her a diagnoses because she thinks her brain is fine. She thinks I'm the nut case.
You may need to get her to her GP on a different context and then arrange to the GP to insist that she see a neurologist, possibly again not being truthful and using a reason that does not involve dementia.
Your wife sound so much like my hubby does except for the sex stuff. His enlarged prostate save me from going through that. My hubby says it's not him but me that needs to be in LTC and he has no idea that he has anything wrong with his behaviour. He has FTD with behavioural variant. Maybe you could try having both of you tested and that way the Doctor will have the info he needs. One thing I did learn through all of this is to be honest with the children. I kept somethings from them regarding his behaviour and they eventually found out everything and were not happy with me and it made it much harder to get the support I needed. This is a disease that will eventually show it's ugly face and they will see it effects on you. Best talk to your Doctor and he should be able to guide you.
Gary, my husband had FTD/Alzheimer's. When we thought something was wrong, my daughters and I made an appointment to see his primary care without him. We all told his doctor what we each we're seeing. His doctor at first didn't believe there was anything wrong with him mentally, that it might be a vitamin deficiency, etc. With our strong encouragement, my husband and I went to his primary and he had all the physical testing performed. He did have a vitamin deficiency and vitamins were added. He then had a CT scan done which showed shrinkage of the frontal area of the brain, a sign of FTD. We then had him take a day-long test which showed extreme changes I him and his behavior at testing and then with his neurologists confirmed that he had dementia.
Somehow you have to get her to a doctor. Some of the medicines might slow down the progression and psychiatric meds might help as well. They sure did for me. I wouldn't have been able to keep him at home with me for eight years if they hadn't.
Gary ..... Your wife reminds me of mine. During the last year that I had her at home, she didn't recognize me as her husband. She would ask me who I was and how I got into the house etc. But she was usually quite friendly. When we were playing around in bed at night. she would say .... "what if George finds out about us?"
Well, our GP already knows about this and had her for neurology. The neurophysch test was to be performed but somehow the appointment got messed up and she never went. Now we are at square 1 again. But as I mentioned in a previous post, I am living in her reality because I cannot get her back to mine. I went to our GP today for my checkup, told her the updates and said she really trusts you ( the GP). Funny, the reason being that her name is Jennifer which was her first counselors name and my wife told me once the GP looks like someone she knew from the seventies. I did tell her she is highly suggestible and highly compulsive. My wife does see her on 3/10 so perhaps she will re-suggest something to her.
For now the sex (cheating)is over since July of last year. I think it only lasted a couple of weeks and she was giving me so many hints, looking back, that it was going on. Similar to a kid knowing they are wrong but can't stop. I don't think it was heterosexuality as she claims, but her saying she felt like I abandoned her. What the Alzheimer's support person told me was change is a big deal to someone who may have FTD. I lost 120lbs due to health reasons and grew a beard. We moved back to her old area were she lived at until after high school, so it is possible that change in me and environment caused her problems. I forgot all about it before we mover to this area, but in high school, she had a traumatic incident (rape) that she told me once about many years back but I forgot about. That may have caused all this too, I don't know.
George..we still have fun, if you will, but that reminds me what she said she told her boyfriend 'I wish this was my husband instead of you.' Kind of weird but I guess when it comes this disease you got to be understanding. Most spouse's are not. I figure, two years ago I almost passed away from a massive pulmonary embolism. If it wasn't for my wife's quick thinking at that time, that night I would have been laying in a morgue. God let me live for a reason, perhaps taking care of my wife? I figure I owe her and Him something in return.