alzheimers news-scan it

ALZHEIMERS NEWS-SCAN IT

today we head down to ucla
to the alzheimers center there
as i enter the 22nd week of the aducanumab study sponsored
by biogen

for those who dont know
the aducanumab is a monoclonal antibody against the
what i call
the bad beta amyloid that accumulates in the brain as
alzheimers disease progresses
causing brain cell death and initiating that snowball happening
that leads to more and more and faster and faster
rolling down that downward decline
that we call the progression of the disease

as the aducanumab binds that bad amyloid
it removes it from the spinal fluid
it also binds to the plaques as they have formed in the brain

in my case
if i am not getting the placebo
knowing my results of my initial amyloid pet scan
its spread over the brain

as it binds to the bad stuff
as it peels it off
it can be like a scab on a wound
there can be some oozing of blood that occurs

this event
can cause headaches and other symptoms
it also if it shows up on scans
gets you removed from the study

those at high risk for this to happen
are those who carry the apoe 4 apoe 4 gene
and
that would be me

i had headaches after the first infusion
but
have not really had any since then

there is just fatique a week after the infusion
i am in that period of time now
its easily helped with a short afternoon nap

as i wrote in this blog about vertigo
that i had
i thought about that this morning as i awoke
i wonder if that episode of vertigo had anything to do with all this
i hope not
since as i head down today for my mri of the brain
i
dont
want
them
to find anything on that scan
if they do
thats it for this study

so we are in the prime time for these bleeds to occur
called aria
amyloid related imaging abnormalities
this will be my third mri for this study
the last two have been normal

how do i know
since they dont give me the results

if its positive for anything i am not allowed to continue
this study

the thinking is that if when this stuff gets on the market
if it works
that even small bleeds will not one day prevent you from
continuing the treatments
but
for this study they have to be discontinued

i personally would not discontinue it if these occur
especially if there is nothing else out there available
to help slow down the disease

also
i will have blood drawn today
the blood is usually tested for the level of the antibody in the body
that is still present since the infusion
and
also it tests to be sure my body isnt making an antibody to destroy
the aducanumab
which would prevent the aducanumab from doing its job

next  up
in two weeks its infusion #7
we will be one year away from the end of the first segment
of the aducanumab study
thats when if this stuff seems to be working
and
if there arent too many side effects
then
all in the study even those getting the placebo
will be getting the drug aducanumab
for another 3+ years

remember
we need financial support to fight this disease
and
emotional support to deal with it

join us as we walk this year

we will be doing the
alzheimers texas walk in georgetown texas
on saturday september 23rd
team name is organicgreendoctor

yes we will be in georgetown for the above walk
as we walk with our austin friends and family
do join us
come say goodbye to us

i also will have a team in the
santa barbara walk to end alzheimers 
on saturday october 28th
team name is organicgreendoctor.com

join us

the organicgreen docotr

my head hurts

MY HEAD HURTS
thats what i told my wife she
last week as i was headed towards getting my mri

thats good she said
no
she wasnt being mean to me
she like me knows that if my head hurts a week or so
after getting my infusions of the aducanumab
thats a good thing

thats a side effect of the medicine
since
if i get headaches
that could mean i am getting the real thing

however
i will never ever know if i did get the real thing
unless
this mri shows something

the way this stuff works
the aducanumab
is it is an antibody to the bad beta amyloid that forms
plaques in the brain
beta amyloid plaques
these plaques damages brain cells
thus
the beta amyloid theory of what happens in alzheimers disease

remove these plaques then you are slowing down
or
if we are all lucky
stopping the disease in its tracks

the headaches
if they are caused by the aducanumab
occur in folks who receive it who have the apoe 4 apoe4 gene
which i do

for some reason those of us with this combo
are at risk as the beta amyloid is being removed
of getting micro bleeds
like
when you remove a scab off a wound
and
it bleeds

so you can get these when you remove the plaques of beta amyloid
with the aducanumab
however
if you get these micro bleeds
you get ousted from the study
since
things have the potential to get worse if it progresses

so if they call me to tell me the results of the mri
thats not a good thing
not hearing anything
thats a good thing

now dont worry about me
getting bleeding in the brain

i had headaches 24/7 after the first infusion
that lasted a week
however
that headache the other day was the first one i have had since

i have a different feeling
a different approach
i like having the headache up there
i usually wont even take a tylenol for them
they just remind me
that maybe
just maybe
i am one of the lucky ones that is getting the real thing
the real deal
i want to experience the full headache
its almost comforting knowing that its there

then
i do have about a week of fatigue two weeks after the infusions
that lasts about a week
i am in that time period now
just ask my relatives and friends i am visiting
as i fall a asleep mid day while visiting with them
ok ok
i do admit
that ive done that to them before over the years
not able to blame it on the aducanumab in the past
but
i can now

as i progress in the study
i count a total of 7 mris i will have over the course of the 18 month portion of the study
i count a total of 3 amyvid pet scans the pet scans for beta amyloid
i count approximately 20 infusions of the aducanumab

i would love to see that last amyvid scan thats done at the 18 month mark
if i got the real deal
the aducanumab
all that beta amyloid will be gone
if i didnt get the real deal
if i got the fake stuff the placebo
then that scan will still be positive like it was when it qualified me
for the study

at least next year
if this stuff is working for those who get it
and
not causing too much side effects
then the stuff i will be getting in my infusions
will be the real deal stuff
the aducanumab

so
thats why i get excited
when i have side effects
when my wife she is glad when i get a headache
when i fall asleep on everyone while i sit on the couch

weird huh

the organicgreen doctor

dental care, mri, nba

DENTAL CARE
am doing my least favorite thing today
thats going to the dentist
last year i had two wisdom teeth removed
that sucked big time
glad i wasnt awake when they got them out
something about a chisel and pliers was spoken
but i never asked questions
sure hurt like hell for several days
he told me it wouldnt hurt much but gave me a prescription
for 30 vicodin
that should have been a sign of what was coming

then last year i had to have a new crown put on then after
that had to have a root canal on that same tooth
again that sucked big time
glad i had some of that vicodin laying around

well today
i have to go back to get two new crowns put on
except i remember last year and am not looking forward to
when that numbing medicine wears off and when i stop
slobbering and slurring my speech
then the real pain begins
got me some vicodin left over to use if i need it
maybe that oral surgeon just knew what was in store for me
over the next year

just sayin

seriously
dental care is the entry to good health
brush twice a day
floss each tooth  each day
talking to you my wife she
seek dental care annually or twice a year
we do twice a year dental cleaning
promised my last now retired dentist i would do this after i
waited 5 years to see him and came in with a mouth full of problems

it is sad though that less than 50% of americans get regular dental care
of course a lot of dental insurances are not very good
like the one we have

take care of your teeth they are the soul of your health

MRI
had the 6 month followup mri last week and got the report today
this is the 4th mri ive had in the last year
it was normal
this mri for the study is a volumetric mri that is officially read
as part of the adni study using a special computer program that
measures the volume of the brain and especially the hippocampus
where atrophy can occur early on in alzheimers disease

this mri may be one of the tools that is used soon to pick up early
changes in mild cognitive impairment amnestic type and early
alhzheimers disease

next one is in 6 months then will have one every year after that

NBA
beware beware
remember what happened to he nhl
when they lost the whole season
remember you are the number 3 sport in the usa
you have a lot to lose
you dont want to be number 4 or 5 in the future

people are having a lot of financial issues themselves and
are not real tolerable of watching you fight over money

remember you are in the 1% not the 99% like the rest of us

think ill just enjoy those other professional basketball teams
college basketball

just sayin

the organicgreen doctor

recheck, interview, mri, more, almost

RECHECK
today is recheck day with the neurologist i see in dallas
its been 8 months since i started the aricept (donepezil)
i have done ok on this medication except for problems
with sleep
i wake up too early but besides that i am having no significant
side effect to the medication

is the medication working
i dont know but i havent gotten worse in the last 8 months
so if this is alzhiemers disease causing my problems then
the symptoms appear not to have progressed in the last 8 months

(remember aricept (donepezil) doesnt slow the alzhiemers disease
process it only slows the symptoms from the disease and it will
eventually quit working)

only time will tell for sure

INTERVIEW
today i get interviewed about my diagnosis and how i am
approaching this
they want to know about my blogging on this and my desire
to educate people about this disease and how this is all
affecting my wife she and me
the interview will be for the newsletter from the
alzheimers research center
if its available on the internet ill post the link when its available

i also may have an interview in the future with one of the local
tv station this month or next month
will post the link for that when its available also

MRI
didnt think i would get the results of this mri last week but i did
get the report so i can post it
this is the third one i have had in the last 8 months
this mri was normal as were the last 2 that i had done
thats better than abnormal
an mri usually will not be abnormal this early in alzhiemers disease

one of the things they are looking for in this study in a change in
volume of the hippocampus on the undersurface of the brain that
can occur early on in mild cognitive impairment amnestic type due
to alzheimers disease

will have more mris in the future as part of the adni-2 study that
im in over the next 5 years

more as it happens

MORE
this thursday i have to undergo a 8 hour neuropsychological exam
that is being required by the disability insurance company that was
suppose to start paying me in april of this year
(its not only health insurance companies that suck)

even though i have had at least 2 good neuropsychological exams
done in the last year by a reputable institution (university of texas
medical school alzheimers research center) that show i have
short term memory loss
and im seeing a board certified neurologist for this problem and
am on medicine (aricept-donepezil) to slow the disease
symptoms down
they still want an independent neuropsychological exam done

at least the person im seeing is a reputable well liked
neuropsychologist here in austin

will report the experience later
the 3-4 hour exams i had were torture so this 8 hour test will probably
fry my brain
may have to increase my aricept on friday

ALMOST
well we almost have had rain here the last several days
we finally did not have a 100 degree day
the rain gods though are messing with us
they are teasing us with the clouds and the storms just north of us

guess they want us to suffer a little longer
guess since i added underground lines connecting all of my
tanks together that now it wont rain so i can see if they work
or see if they are leaking

its like when if you finally wash your car then it will rain
or if you hang out clothes then it will rain or
if you leave your car windows down to keep the car cool
then it will rain

think its because i did all the work to my rainwater tanks
that the rain gods dont want it to rain

the organicgreen doctor

whoa, smartgarden, bye feathers, mri, musing

WHOA
whoa that wasnt exciting as the markets dropped down
over 600+ points
wonder what today will bring
hopefully this has scared the bajeevers out of the politicians
so they can start working together to improve things
gridlock in washington is no longer acceptable
next years elections should be interesting
there may be a lot of new faces if congress doesnt get to
work to fix this mess

SMARTGARDEN
have discovered a new website www.smartgardener.com where
you can use it to design plan and monitor your garden
you can design your garden eg i took my garden which is
raised 4ft x 12 ft beds and placed them on the design then
selected what plants to plant this fall and winter
the website then laid out where to plant them
the website also will tell you when to plant everything based on
where you live and
you can get reminders of a to do list for your garden

the choices of plants are from seed companies so i just
selected seeds even though i will use plants to transplant
that i will buy from the nursery eg
swiss chard spinach and lettuce
i have found its easier to plant them from the 4 in pots rather than
dealing with planting from seeds

i have just started playing with it but think i will use it to plan
my gardens over the next year
one thing i have noticed is that i can get more plants into my garden
if i follow their recommended planting design

time will tell if it will work for me

BYE FEATHERS
today we give away one of our roosters
one thing we have learned is that having two roosters will not work
they will eventually have a fight to the death
even though the two roosters we have red and feathers are gentle
roosters and are not not like our rooster larry
we had to use a rooster rake to protect ourselves from him

but one of them has to go so
since feathers is the youngest he has to be the one
he is black large with long feathers on his legs and feet so the name
feathers

i will sneak into the chicken coop when its dark and snatch him
the chickens never put up a fight when we do this
we hang him upside down and place him in a pet carrier
he will be still until we get him to his new destination

where is he going
to a preschool and kindergarten where they have animals and
chickens
feathers will be the only rooster and will have the chickens to
himself-lucky guy

now he wont have to sneak around to visit the girls when red is
not looking

good luck feathers
you lucky guy

MRI
got it done yesterday
thats the third one ive had in 7 mo
am sure my brain is magnetized by now
noticed my metal rimmed glasses now will stay on my face
better now
have to be careful and not get too close to nails and things
as they will attach themselves to my head

the mri was noisy but not too confining
glad i did not have a total body scan though
might have to have xanax for that

next mri in 3 mo

MUSING
a local weatherman posted he wanted his grass green
but just not flammable

the organicgreen doctor

happy anniversary, thanks congress, fb, mri

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
today is the first anniversary of this blog
it was started one saturday afternoon after my wife she
watched a show on public tv about a women who started
blogging about her life as she was going through a bad time
in her life
her blog caught on and she has now over a million followers

i told my wife she that i had always wanted to do that
so i did my first blog that day
i originally wanted to do it on organic living, green living, medical
topics, life as a family doctor, and other things

little did i know things would change in a few months when i
added alzheimers disease to the list and did less on life as a
family doctor

i have had almost 50000 viewings of my blog in the first year
my most popular blogs have been about my story from last winter
and my most recent posting on the three part blog of my story
final answer

80% of my viewers are from the usa with 20% from foreign
countries with russia, england, germany, and japan as the most
visited from nations

thanks to you the readers of this blog for taking time to read it
at times i find this blog therapeutic to write and always enjoyable to
write

i hope to make you smile each day but also to educate you on
things in this blog

thanks again

THANKS CONGRESS
i also would like to thank congress for getting us into this big
mess that we are in now
we have been downgraded to aa from aaa by s & p
guess our fica scores dropped down also

from fb posting i found this entry if pro and con are opposites
then the opposite of progress is congress

this says it all

whats scary is that we are in much better shape than most
countries and that other countries are buying our bonds even
though they are barely paid any interest because they feel that
their money is safer here in the us than other countries

if they dont do something about this mess i plan to vote against
all incumbents in the next election-thatll show them huh

FB
am so ready for football
went to the cowboy camp on saturday
they didnt look very good
hope things get better
it was nice and cool in the alamodome though

exhibition games start this week
cant wait

MRI
have an mri of the brain today as part of the adni study
during the 5 years of this study i will have 4 of these done

this mri especially looks at the volume of the hippocampus
the hippocampus is on the undersurface of the brain and is
where short term memory occurs
changes in its size occurs in early alzheimers

the organicgreen doctor