Friday, January 7, 2011

my story revisited

MY STORY REVISITED
because of the increased viewers of this blog will
revist my story

i am a family physician

one year ago while buying long term care insurance i had
a normal neuropsychological evaluation

a year and a half later i underwent an evaluation to be in an
alzheimers research study as a control subject

i wanted to be monitored annually so that if i developed any
symptoms of alzheimers that i would know and would
know to stop practicing medicine

a neuropsychological evaluation done for that
showed changes in short term memory that was abnormal
for my age and occupation

looking back i had noted some changes but no one
else had

my mother had alzheimers disease and a close relative has
azheimers disease

my diagnosis was made as early mild cognitive impairment
amnesic type
it is thought to be a precursor to alzheimers disease

a normal evaluation, then a year later an abnormal test  plus
the changes i had noted plus my strong family history made
this clincal diagnosis

there is not a definite test for alzheimers -it is made as a
clinical diagnosis early into the disease

my decision and along with my neurologists decision was that
i start aricept (donepezil)-my mother was on it and my relative
is on it-to slow down the progression of the symptoms which
progress slow or fast

however nothing slows down the disease
(see blog on napa 1-6-10)

i elected to stop practicing medicine as i always had
concerns this would happen and
i did not want to cause any harm to my patients if this
process progresses

where is my future
i will continue to be in a study at the alzheimers research
center at the university of texas southwestern medical center
i will now be in the study group and not in the control group

i will continue to blog about my involvement in that study
and with my treatments and evaluations as they are done

i want to give a doctors view of all this while also being
a patient

i have had normal lab work and a normal mri
these were looking  for treatable diseases that can cause
these sympotms

i will have genetic studies, more blood tests, a lumbar
puncture, and a pet scan soon     these are looking for
some of the changes that occurs in alzhiemers

i will either
1   stay the same forever or
2   completely clear up or
3   slowly progress to alzheimers or
4   rapidly progress to alzheimers

a bad thing can be a good thing
i know now
my wife she and i can plan for the future
i can be involved in educating people about this disease
my involvement in the study is my small part in finding
treatments and cures for this disease

www.alz.org

the organicgreen doctor

6 comments:

  1. I wish I had told you the last time I saw you how much I appreciated having you for a family doctor! I would have hugged you right then. We love you and will miss you. I will miss your wit, your knowledge, and the way you interacted with my children. Reading your blog has helped take the sting away from knowing I won't see you when I come to the office. You and your family will be in our family's thoughts and prayers. Love, Wells Family

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  2. thanks
    it was families like you and your kids that made it difficult to leave
    thanks for allowing me to care for yall

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  3. Dr Nash,
    I am happy you found this early,SAD that you cannot practice, BUT also happy for you to be able to enjoy your well deserved retirement. You will always be so very special to every family you have cared for. I know it was a pleasure to work with you and for Brayden to look up to you and want to be like you. I have had you and will continue to have you in my prayers and love the Blog. If you have a day free for us to come out ---I know that Brayen would love it. I will miss you man but I know that you are a going to be just fine for a long long time.

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  4. c
    thanks
    enjoyed b
    tell him thanks for the airplane book
    continue to be good to the kiddos
    enjoyed working with you
    tog

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dr Nash,
    Sadly found out today that your are no longer practicing. My girls, will also be sad. Kami has never seen another doctor since she was born at King's Daughters. I will keep you in my prayers, you have always been an important part of our lives and I have been blessed by you as our family doctor.
    Donna Lujan

    ReplyDelete