ptsd Ptsd Or Alzheimer's

[jessie0054]

OK, I have written several times in the last year about different member's of my family i am trying to help. Now it is my husband, He's doing some really out of charater things for him. Usually he is more in control, But lately i am seeing things in him that are starting to worry me.

First i'll tell you he is 30% service connected for PTSD. He ususally fuctions pretty well and these things have been coming on over the last 10-12 months and the lid blew off the pot so to speak today.

I collect coins as a hobby and in the last 4 months he has brought home a roll of the Washington quarters 4 times. I didn't have the heart to tell him i already have them so i just took them and put them away.

I keep his PM medications in the bathroom so he will not forget to take them as he go's through his bedtime routine. I have caught him twice in the last week taking them in the morning!!

A few times even though i have watched him take them he gets up 30 mins later " Oh i forgot to take my pills" So i have to remind him he's already taken them.

Twice in the last month or two he wakes me up out of a very peacefull sleep and ask me if i can't go take a sleeping pill so i can go to sleep. Duh!! I'm already sleeping!!

Somedays he will call me or our son half a dozen times a day and gets upset because we don't answer our cell phone saying ' I'm going to throw that SOB cell phone out the door because you won't answer it" Well i check it to see if i have missed any calls because sometime if i'm in another room and the TV is on i can't hear it ring and ususally no i haven't any missed calls from him.

Last Saturday he got up at 5:30 Am and got dressed and ready to head off to work. I woke up and ask him what he was doing, You don't work on Saturadys.!!

This morning he called me from work very upset, Said he had hid some money in the gargage and some of it was missing and accused me of taking it. [And no, I didn't know he was hidding money and no i didn't take his money!!]

He got even more upset when i ask why he was hidding money and could he maybe have put some of it in a different area and forgot where he hid it?? Boy that was the wrong thing to say!! I'm sure i haven't heard the end of it yet!!

Like i said he usually is in pretty good control and i'm hoping that in the next few hours before he gets off work that he may take sometime and think about the things he said. So maybe he will have cooled off before he gets home. I have never had a reason to fear him, But!!! He loves his money and if he really believes i took any from him i don't know what he might do.

So could be his PTSD getting worse or is he getting Alzhemer's disease??

Jessie

[Jay Johnson]

""Infarction" is just medical terminology for "death", so if there are multiple infarcts within one's brain it should be detectable via a brain MRI scan."

It's false information. I have multi-infarct dementia. While it is cell death, these are too small for modern day imaging to detect. My numerous CT's and MRI's show nothing. This is more often the case then not in multi-infarct dementia.

Please don't post misleading information. Someone may choose not to pursue a possibilty and get the help they need.

Time

Seriously, I am growing tired of people questioning me without the background to do so....go HERE to confirm what I said....also, reread above as I have highlighted the relevenat errors in your rebuttal to my post!

I do not make absolute statements regarding medical information (hence the ***SHOULD***), so don't call me "misleading". Also, there are different forms of MRIs and CT (fMRIs for example) which are newer, more accurate scanning techniques that you may not have been subjected to (and likely not, because the VA technology is a decade behind in most cases).

Do not make this error again!

P.S. - From an MRI company - Applications Include:

Primary and secondary (metastatic) neoplasms

such as tumors of the hemispheres, the posterior fossa, foramen magnum (craniovertebral junction), pituitary gland and cerebellopontine angle lesion (acoustic neuromas)

Stroke (infarction) and other vascular lesions

such as lacunar (hypertensive, small vessel) disease, posterior fossa-brainstem lesions, bland vs. hemorrhagic stroke, arteriovenous malformations (AVM), multi-infarct dementia (MID)

[free_spirit_etc]

Jesse,

I am getting that more than an increased SC rating - you would really like to have your husband back.

So I would encourage you to really encourage some intensive testing to find out what the problem is. Or more likely - they can find out some things the problem is NOT.

But I have worked in the field of aging for years - and if a young person has the same problem they try to FIND OUT what is causing it. But for an older person - they often just pass it off as Alzheimer's or Alzheimer's Related Dementia, or "aging" - without really knowing.

Amazing also is the doctor's just pass out those diagnosis after talking to an older person for a few minutes.

There can be SO many things that cause those symptoms - but if you are older - they just slap an easy lable on it - and no one bothers to question it.

SO - question, question, question, until you find what the answers really are.

Free

[jessie0054]

Jesse,

I am getting that more than an increased SC rating - you would really like to have your husband back.

So I would encourage you to really encourage some intensive testing to find out what the problem is. Or more likely - they can find out some things the problem is NOT.

But I have worked in the field of aging for years - and if a young person has the same problem they try to FIND OUT what is causing it. But for an older person - they often just pass it off as Alzheimer's or Alzheimer's Related Dementia, or "aging" - without really knowing.

Amazing also is the doctor's just pass out those diagnosis after talking to an older person for a few minutes.

There can be SO many things that cause those symptoms - but if you are older - they just slap an easy lable on it - and no one bothers to question it.

SO - question, question, question, until you find what the answers really are.

Free

Hi Free:

Yes, Your so right!! I want my husband back!! I have never ever in all the years i've known him [ about 40 total] felt i needed to fear him in anyway. And i admit that his anger the other day did scare me enough to feel i need our son here.

I sat yesterday and went through all the changes i've noticed in say the last year or or 2 or maybe longer?? and i guess maybe i should have added 2+2 togather and paid a little closer attention, But i to have been involved in many other problems.

I do plan to be right there beside him with the Dr's and insist that to do whatever testing that needs to be done to find the right answer and diagnosis ant treat it.

My husband ask me last night if i thought he has Alzheimers?? I told him i didn't know only the testing will prove it one way or another.

He's going to turn 60 next month. Do people really get Alzheimer's that young?? I'm not a Dr. But i'm thinking because this issue of retirement has trigered this whole thing. And now he is feeling really insurcure about decisions he usually makes on his own and calls me to now run it by me before doing it. [it's a goog thing i have plenty of rollover minutes]

All said and done, I just want them to find out what the problem it, Fix it and give me back my husband.

Jessie

[Jay Johnson]

In hereditary alzheimer's it is common for people to get early signs of the disease between 45-55 (source...since someone will obviously question me it seems...: Berhardt, Seidler & Froelech, 2002; Khachaturian et al., 2004; Vickers et al., 2000)).

[jessie0054]

In hereditary alzheimer's it is common for people to get early signs of the disease between 45-55 (source...since someone will obviously question me it seems...: Berhardt, Seidler & Froelech, 2002; Khachaturian et al., 2004; Vickers et al., 2000)).

Hello Jay:

Thank You for your comments and wanting to help. [ i am not going to question you, as i just don't know]

There is no history of hereditary alzheimers in my husbands family. All his older siblings are still very sharp in mind and memory, Both his parents and grandparents died from Heart/Kidney conditions and several half siblings died of Cancer. One younger brother has AO related diabetes.

My husband does have high blood presure and heart problems and takes a hand full of medications daily for these along with the ptsd.

I'm not leaning in the direction of alzheimers, But then i'm not a Dr. So until next week we will just be in the dark, But i will keep an watchfull eye on things.

Thanks Jessie

[Wings]

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Listening to Jessie (the vets wife), I'm hearing (as likely as not) his PTSD is kicking into gear: forgetfulness, anger, mistrust, rage, disturbed sleep, etc.

Get some medical exams and file for an SC increase.

You'll be fighting the VA a long time ovefr the quantity and quality of medical testing. Use other insurance if ypu have it.

My 2 cents, HUGS! ~Wings