crs

CRS

thats what people frequently say to me
i cant remember stuff anymore
usually they are grey headed but sometimes they are younger

i tell them
if you occasionally forget an appointment then remember later
if you make occasional errors balancing a checkbook
if you occasionally need help with the settings on a microwave or
recording a television show
if you get confused occasionally about what day it is but figure
it out later
if your visual changes are due to cataracts
if you sometimes have trouble finding the right word
if you make a bad decision occasionally
if you misplace things from time to time then are able to eventually
retrace your steps to find them
if you sometimes feel weary of work family or social obligations
if you develop very specific ways of doing things and become irritable
when a routine is disrupted

then
you have normal aging behavior

if its more than this i refer them to this link
at the alzheimers association at www.alz.org
that has the 10 early signs of alzheimers

things like repeating questions over and over again
being unable to follow a simple recipe or taking care of monthly bills
driving to a familiar place
forgetting where you are
having trouble judging distance or color contrast
having trouble following a conversation
putting things in unusual places
making poor judgement with money
removing yourself from social activities
easily getting upset outside of your comfort zone

then you may have a problem

again go to the link and read more

then if you or your family think there is a problem take
one of the online quizzes at this link
or the ad8 test at this link
or a family member can go to this link and answer
the 21 question test at this link

then if there seems to be a problem
you should get evaluated

remember there are a lot of treatable causes for memory loss
like b12 deficiency thyroid issues depression high blood pressure etc

when you go to a provider take the online quiz results
and your concerns
usually its good to take a spouse or loved one with you
the provider may want to interview them also

remember dont let the provider ignore your symptoms

get a good history
an exam
probably some labs
a good mental status evaluation like the mmse or mocha test that
is commonly used in the providers office

if indicated a full neuropsychological evaluation
if indicated an mri of the brain

remember the most important test is the history and exam

you are looking for an explanation for your memory loss

if the primary provider doesnt seem interested go to someone
who is interested in memory loss patients
a good source is an alzheimers research center like the one i go to
at ut southwestern medical center in dallas
every state has them
they wont ignore you and will do the workup thats needed

hopefully that answers that question
when someone asks me about crs

the organicgreen doctor

how do i get tested

HOW DO I GET TESTED

i frequently am asked this question by people when they
talk to me or via texts or on emails or on facebook or via comments
to this blog

sometimes its easy to do a self administered test or one
administered by a love one and then take it to your doctor
for them to look at

this weekend i got an email from a blog i follow that has
5 of the most common self tests that are recommended
the best of them is the sage test that ive written about
before

you can go to this link to see those 5 tests then click on
the ones that you are interested in
remember the sage test is the best one

there also is the ad8 test from washington university
that can be seen at this link and taken

then there is the 21 question test that ive also written about
before that can be viewed at this link

take one of these tests if you think you or someone else
has a problem

if the results show that there may be a problem
then i suggest you

make an appointment with your doctor

take a copy of the test you took with the results

if you have noticed problems or someone else has
write these down and show them to the doctor

in tomorrows blog i will include a slide from my presentation
i will  be doing in a month at an alzheimers symposium
that tells you exactly what tests you should have done
if there appears to be a memory problem

hopefully this will be helpful

remember my problem with short term memory was
identified only because i had a normal mental status evaluation
5 years ago when i applied for long term care insurance
then 3 years later when i tried to enter the alzheimers disease
neuroimaging initiative study in the normal control group
i had developed short term memory problems identified
on the studys neuropsychologial tests

my short term memory loss is very early but further evaluation
probably has identified the cause as possible alzheimers diesease

remember if you or some one else has noticed a problem with
your memory that is not due to the age related memory issues that
we all get then you do have a problem and should seek an
evaluation by your doctor

tomorrow i will do the first of 4 blogs on my presentation that i
will be doing in 1 month
if you are interested in alzheimers disease you might want to
read those blogs on the next 4 fridays



also i will be entering my 2 year followup of the study that
im in and will be blogging about the testing as it happens this
month
neuropsychological test
neurology examination
lots of blood work including blood biomarkers for alzheimers
spinal tap for beta amyloid and tau
mri scan of the brain
glucose metabolism pet scan of the brain
beta amyloid pet scan of the brain

ill discuss each and what they mean as im having it done

the organicgreen doctor

ad8 test, duct tape, football

AD8 TEST
the ad8 test is a screening test designed by washington state
it can screen for cognitive changes in dementia
the i cant remember **** stage

it can be taken by a patient or can be administered by a family
member or friend
eg
when i take this test i get a perfect score
and when i take the sage test i do ok also
however when more advanced test are given to me thats
when the slight cognitive problems i have show up

(report-one year follow up neuropsych tests from ut southwestern
show no change in cognition over the last year)

the ad8 test will pick up someone with problems more advance
than i am eg pat summitt would probably have problems with
this test and glenn campbell
my younger brother he would probably not get any of these
correct as he is in stage 5 of alzheimers disease

go to this link to read about the test and take the test online

it can also be obtained online at this link and printed off
to be done manually

if you or a family member score poorly on this test consider
seeing your primary care provider for evaluation

DUCT TAPE
my wife she read my blog yesterday on duct tape being used
as a fly trap
she said oh no
because she knew what was going to happen today at our house
your right and shes right
duct tape hanging from the windows and doors to see if it would
work to catch those pesky flies

at least i used the christmas red colored duct tape so it sort of
looks like christmas decorations

no flies caught yet but will monitor the situation closely and will
report here if successful

FOOTBALL
its going to be a great football weekend here
it starts tonight with two good high school teams meeting in the regional
finals of 4a playoffs
they played once this season and cedar park lost by just a few points
lake travis is a machine
where do they get all those good players
should be a good game

lsu vs georgia
what if georgia wins wont they make things interesting
then who gets to play in the bcs championship game
if osu beats okla could they be there if lsu loses

texas plays baylor
rg3 tore texas up last year
he is going to be fun to watch at the next level
bet this is his last year
if texas wins they could end up with a decent season to build
on for next year

we just need a play off system like d3 schools have
wouldnt that be fun to watch

cowboys need to keep winning
can tebow continue his magic
can the texans win without a quarterback

it will be cold here and wet
the firestove will be going and the tv games will all be watched

have a good weekend

gardeners get you row cover out to cover your plants this next
week as we may see some 20s here in the austin area

the organicgreen doctor