welcome to the organic green doctor blog

i am a family physician who was diagnosed with
early mild cognitive impairment(mci) amnestic type on december 21, 2010
this is a precursor to alzheimers disease
because of this diagnosis i have opted to stop practicing medicine
this blog will be about my journey with this disease
please feel free to follow me along this path
i will continue blogging on organic gardening, green living,
solar power, rainwater collection, and healthy living
i will blog on these plus other things noted to be interesting

Monday, October 19, 2015

i be ready

I BE READY
we had a nice weekend seeing a friend who has been ill
but seems much better
and
doing a walk to end alzheimers in little rock in front
of the clinton library
on team #joenash
the walk raised $100,000
for research and education
some of the monies from these walks are used in the
study i am in now

i saw the neurologist at the alzheimers research centers
memory care clinic on friday
in reviewing things with her over the last five years
my memory is much improved
maybe even normal based on what i notice
and
what she sees on my memory tests

i am under no illusion here that its all gone
its there just waiting to rise up and take over

now next month i will have my memory tests updated again
as part of the study im in
as well as
maybe getting a new scan for tau in the brain
quick review
tau is the protein that unravels in the brain in alzheimers
forming tangles and destroying brain cells
in the process
lots of inflammation occurs
the bad beta amyloid accumulates first then the tangles of tau

now that tau can be seen on scans

also ill be doing new memory tests online from home for
the study

but the most exciting is
they are getting new treatment studies there
one in particular that i really want to get in
using one of the new vaccines

in preliminary studies
when given to folks with memory loss
the memory tests improved
as well as
that bad beta amyloid gets removed from the brain

if this study shows it works well
it will become the new treatment for alzheimers
probably before folks have symptoms
yes
before folks have symptoms
i have to have the amyvid pet scan to get in the study
the scan for the bad beta amyloid
if its positive you probably have alzheimers disease
or will get it

so if i get into the study
that means only one thing
my scan is positive
which means
i probably do have alzheimers disease
so
ill know in january or february
good way to start the new year

so if i get a call
ogd you are accepted in the study
ill be maybe a little sad
that means only one thing
you got it
the big a

however
it is exciting
since i would if i dont get the placebo
a 50/50 chance
be getting treatment that if it works
will slow this stuff down
and
if it works
it will be available for public use for
everyone so diagnosed
soon after that

so
for my wife she and family
guess what i want for christmas
thats right
an amyvid pet scan and intravenous infusions each month
for 18 months

folks
i be ready

the organicgreen doctor

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