I've been thinking a lot about dementia, especially while lying awake , recently. My mother and grandmother, both nuts, anyway, had it, and quite early, but in my mother's case, we never noticed until she was very old, because she was
always 'like that.' Last night after choir, (and a lot of drinking and yoghurt slurping afterwards-) I noticed when I went to brush my teeth, that my lipstick was all smeared halfway down my chin! I can only pray that it happened after I got home. ..I thought people were looking at me funny..but then, I always think that.
crazycrone
So a couple of weeks ago I went to see a neurologist, because I'm concerned about my own chances of developing dementia as I get older. It's not the hereditary part of this I'm concerned about as much as that I had a brain injury back in 1981 and I'm still living with the sequelae. (I'm 51 now.) I had had an MRI ordered by his office several months ago, but did no follow-up because there was nothing to follow.
Recently, however, I heard about all the retired football players who come up showing signs of dementia in later life—presumably as a consequence of all the brain injuries they suffered throughout their careers. And we all know about Muhammad Ali—although what he has is Parkinson's disease, not dementia.
So fortunately for the doctor, it was a short appointment; he recommended to me that I take fish oil—which I'm not likely to do, but there's a vegan equivalent I'll look into—and CoQ10, and (probably most important) brain training with Lumosity.
I'm going to keep trying to figure out the right things to do about this, because I've seen dementia in a few other people, and I'd rather not go down the same road.
Most European jaunts should be doable if you're allowed to go at your own pace. (Ambling round Old Cities, with a centrally located hostel or hotel to retreat to.) Cheap enough in Riga to dive into a coffee shop for a rest if you need a break. See how it goes!
Edited at 2014-01-30 03:03 pm (UTC)