FAMILY FRIENDS AND PHONE CALLS Day 2: 27forParkinsons One question I've been asked a lot lately is 'when was Bill diagnosed with Lewy Body' ... only on the 20th July this year when he went to see another specialist after his original one retired .. prior to that the diagnosis was Parkinson's with Dementia .. to even get to this diagnosis took years, due to the many other health issues Bill suffered over the past ten or so years ... How is Lewy Body Disease Diagnosed: This type of dementia is diagnosed by taking careful history of the pattern of symptoms, and by excluding other possible causes such as Vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. A brain scan may reveal brain degeneration, but the Lewy bodies can only be identified by examination of the brain after death. LBD is similar to Alzheimer's disease in many ways, and in the past, it has sometimes been difficult to distinguish the two. It has only recently been accepted as a disease in its own right. It can occur by itself or together with Alzheimer's disease and/or Vascular dementia It may be hard to distinguish LBD from Parkinson's and some people with Parkinson's develop dementia which is similar to that seen in LBD. LBD and is accompanying disorders can present diagnostic challenges. LBD is still now known. People with LBD can present with a variety of problems in the early stages of the disease.
They may have problems with autonomic (the system that automaticalliy regulates bodily functions), cognitive (thinking) behavioural or motor functions, Getting a diagnosis can be more challenging when the motor signs are not as evident. Often the person dismisses the concerns of others, presents well at a GP consultation and perfoms well on intial screening tests such as the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) A 'watch and review' plan is sometimes suggested or medication is offered for the most pressing complaint. Yesterday I had coffee with my friend Bev - my how the time flew by - suddenly almost two hours had passed us by - I hadn't seen Bev for 3-4 months ... won't be so long next time! ...since May actually when I had to give up as physio/gym as I wasn't able to leave Bill alone and had no respite carer ... I joined the oncology rehabilitation physio group on Fridays early in 2020 and after two weeks Victoria went into our first COVID lockdown .. we had a few stop starts where Patrick and his team were able to have us in on a one-to-one basis. Earlier this year the group sessions started up again, new friendships were formed - Jo, Bev, Ruth, Julie, Barb and I (Paul came only to the education sessions) - we kept those 'boys' on their toes! Must organise a girls catchup soon. Had over an hour long phone call from Carolyn (and Riley) last evening - could hear the storm which tore through the Gold Coast in the background. So looking forward to when we are able to travel interstate again and we can visit. Despite my best efforts (putting them in the bathroom at night away from the heat of the lounge ) the majority of my flowers are dying - I think they've lasted well almost three weeks ..