Monday, November 5, 2012

Long time for Alzheimer's blog.

Hello blog readers especially all of you in the UK that seem to be faithful readers! I realize I have not blogged since March I believe, much too long, I would like to say I have been busy, and I have, but that is not an excuse. I expect you will hear from my dear friend Joe Potocny shortly after I post this also. He loves to jump on after I post and it is always good to see him.
I know everybody just wants to know, "Is Alzheimer's a mental illness?" (see prevous entries over the years)
As far as Alzheimer's, not a whole hell of a lot to report in the trenches. You are all aware or should be of the concept of biomarkers which is the rage in the Alzheimer's world. Basically blood tests, spinal tap cerebrospinal fluid tests, neuroimaging MRI's PET scans etc, looking at ways to identify Alzheimer's months and years before it ever clincally shows up on a day to day basis. The idea is if we identify it really early before it is even there, we can develop better treatments, and even preventative treatments. The giant Alzheimer's Assosciation continues to clip along, non-profit that it is. One noble thing they are doing is trying to get the "experts" to come together, to work on this stuff. I give them much credit. Remember I tought you I think, that the first order of bussiness for any non-profit is to stay in bussiness. Second, secretly every expert it seems want to be the first to win the "space race' that is discover the cure for Alzheimer's. So the mission to make this not competitive and make it truly more collaborative is a noble thing. I know I am cynical and I know every expert and every Alzheimer's associaiton person has been "touched" by Alzhiemer's be it a grandmother, in-law, aging parent, or spouse. Everyone has been touched it seems, that's how prevalent it is.
We tend to gauge people on how close a relation that relative was, are they still living, etc.
Example I know when I show up at the local Alzheimer's walk, I feel more removed and left out, my pain is not as poignant objectively as some family member currently living throught it.
Nobody seems to give a crap. I mean my mother has been dead for 25 years now from Alzheimer's, so get over it right? I seem to have less creidbility as a survivor as the years go on.  Perhaps I have gotten over it, the fact that I am not on the inner circle anymore, put some daylight between it and me. Perhaps when you are over it, you still feel bad.
So anyways the biomarker stuff is not cmoing to you corner primary care any time soon. If this ObamaCare stuff continues you can and will see a lot less attention to more meds and treatments being developed. My opinion, and prediction. Many in the know would vainly and sarcastically refute that, but I am sure it is true. God help us tommorrow at the election.
I am seriously considering changing up the focus of this blog. There are so many places you can go to find out the latest fads and Alzheimer's news. I know you get things here that others don't know or say or are afraid to say. You have heard all the stories, you know the course, you will survive. If you are going through it, someday you will be like me 25 years later, still feeling bad but wondering why you don't fit in at an Alzheimer's walk, or if you are like me, and lost somone to AD a kong time ago, you know EXACTLY what I am talking about.
Good luck voting, don't be ashamed or embarrassed anymore to vote for the right guy espeically if you live in a geographic region or demogrphic that exepcts you to vote a certain way.
Lets wage a war on political correctness and be proud of who we are again! Vote from your heart not from hate.

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Talking about the book with the Lake Superior wind....... a calm day