Memory clinic appt- nervous

[Orangesandlemons77]

I have an appt next week for the memory clinic as have been having some memory problems, mainly short term.

I'm nearly 50 and was putting it down to perimenopause but the GP was quite worried and has referred me.

Anyone been possible with a relative or themselves? They have asked if DH can some along and I'm wondering what they might ask me / us.

I know, it would be quite a worry to have going on for months otherwise x

It's better having one than two copies I suppose, that's what I try and think!

Just been reading in the news that those new weight loss jabs have been shown to have some impact on early dementia. Interesting.

Yes you are right and I know that having a copy doesn’t always equate to getting Alzheimer’s - it’s definitely not cut and dry, more research is needed and hopefully as PP mentioned, new treatment options going forward.

I'm going to ask MN to move this into the health topic, I will update after the scan.

I've had my referral letter through and it says the atrophy is 'out of proportion to her age' so that answers my question about that :-( feeling a bit anxious about the whole thing, but at least will be getting the PET scan I suppose.

If it's any consolation I had a head CT with that report in my 30s.

No issues many years later but it did freak me out.

Glad you are OK. Did they do any further tests or monitoring?

Nope! I only had the scan after banging my head.

I was most put out that I had a small brain. But asking around it seems it is a frequent but not necessarily meaningful comment on scans.

They seem a bit concerned about mine, discussed it in their neuroradiology meeting and have recommended this PET scan.

But I'm glad to hear you are OK AnnaMagnani

I've got an appointment now for the PET scan, it's next week. be glad to get that over with.

Not getting much support from family. they don't really understand why I am getting it done, saying things like I 'need to get out more' and 'stop being anxious'. Maybe it's easier not to think about such things. I think I will just keep it to myself from now on.

I’m sorry your family aren’t being as supportive as you’d like. Hopefully they are just trying to distract you and trying to stop you being worried about it until the scan happens next week. I hope the next week goes quickly for you and that you soon have some clearer results/answers 🙏🏼

Hope it goes well x

Thanks x

I think you are doing the right thing by getting the scan. No one would advise you to skip a mammogram or cardiology review. I wonder if your family are not wanting to talk about it with you as the possible future health of blood relatives could also be impacted by any diagnosis you receive.

Hopefully the PET scan will reveal that everything is normal for you and it will then be a benchmark for any future scans. And, if there is something found, that's then a gateway to potential treatments and trials. Plus, whatever you are told, it allows you to put some more meaningful thought into what you want to do with the rest of your life. A friend of mine who lost her father young to cancer and had breast cancer herself before the age of 50 gives more thought about her bucket list of things she wants to do and makes time to do them than another friend whose parents both survived to an average age of 87. She is more focussed on saving for a long retirement .

Good luck next week.

Thanks, that is helpful. I'm a bit anxious about it but I'll get through it Ok.

Just to update this, I had the PET brain scan last week but need to wait until the memory clinic discuss them in a meeting and they should get back to me sometime in September, we are away for a short holiday anyway and it is a bit of a relief to go without hearing about it to be honest.

The scan went OK, I was a bit worried as difficult to cannulate but they got it first time!

Enjoy your holiday. Well done for facing up to it and going for the scan. Sorry your family aren't being more supportive, it sounds like they're probably in denial and hoping their words are true.
Have a lovely time.

Thanks GinandGingerBeer, yes no-one has asked about the results. I think I will just forget about it for a bit and enjoy the sunshine!

Great to hear an update from you @Orangesandlemons77 . I hope that you can enjoy your holiday and try to put the scan results to the back of your mind until you return. I know easier said than done! But you deserve a nice break.

I have still not heard from the memory clinic but I got my PET scan results and think they seem OK.

"There is occasional mildly prominent sulcus but taking this into account there is no convincing patent of hypometabolism to suggest evidence of a neurodegenerative disorder from this test."

Im not a Doctor but to me that sounds reassuring! However, I hope that you get your appointment through with the memory clinic soon, where you can discuss this in greater detail.

Thanks for updating.

Thanks!

Yes, I'm not sure it will be good to discuss it, just read this when looking at research into the area

In AD, sulcal morphology has been proposed as an imaging marker of early-onset AD14, has been found to be more diagnostically accurate than traditional measures such as hippocampal volume6, and is related to cognitive impairment6