Today was D DA, after only 4 months later...
Back in November sometime I made an appointment with the UCLA neurology dept. Today, March 5 was finally that day! Way to go!
The day started out like any other day only this time I was afraid nothing would go as I had planned and we would be late to everything. Luckily for me someone was smiling down on us and had my back I set out to Grandma's house and there was little traffic, I called her when I was about to get on the FWY and she was almost ready, I was able to stop at the grocery store before ever even getting to her house. When I walked in the door we left with in 10 min. There was NO traffic on our way to UCLA and We were seen by her Dr. with in 5 min of getting there!! What is going on?? Is about all I could think but I was glad! Today her blood pressure seemed abnormally high but the Dr. never seems to be over concerned about it, we talked for about 10 min about more of the same old nothing and see you in 3 months! YAY
Great! Now we had 40 minutes in between appointments and we could eat our lunch in peace. We walked over to the 300 building of UCLA and checked in with Neurology. Meanwhile this whole time grandma is complaining... I'm Tired, I can't walk this far, I need to sit down, I need to walk more. The woman Really should walk as much as she talks and she wouldn't feel so bad... but on we go. She made it and I gave her the sandwich I bought this morning along with her yogurt. She is very particular about her food and how she eats it. About 20 minutes later we get called back to see the Dr. and here is where the fun begins because the first question she asks is "How can I help you?, Why are you here?" Grandma laughs because she has NO CLUE! Even though I mentioned it to her on numerous other occasions and even that morning on our drive in. Either way, I began to explain My concerns over the last 4 months. I began to describe the paranoia, the confusion, the agitated state and the mix up of me go to Italy/Florida. She looked at me in disbelief, "That didn't happen!" She exclaimed... I laughed and said Yes, It did! this is why I made the appointment back in November. Then she asked the golden question, "well, then Why don't I remember any of this?" I laughed again and simply said THIS is why we are HERE :)
The Interview started, the Dr. when through a series of questions to gauge her mental state and it was like a ping pong table.
Dr: Can you manage your own finances? G: Yes, I can. ME: NO, she doesn't
Dr: Why don't you? G: She just likes to be in control (pointing to me) ME: Begin to explain the late bills, and 2 issues with signed estimates on house repairs. and catalog ordering.
Dr: What is your daily routine? G: I sit and read Me: ALL DAY, I can't get her out of the house
Dr: Do you still drive? G: No Because I began to get confused. Me: correct
Get the picture? That's about how it went for about 45 min. She said vs. she said. I felt sorry for the Dr. after a while but we got through it. The next half would require me to leave the room and she would be giving her a cognition test. I believe the highest score is 30 and in 2010 she scored 29 and today she scored 19. Severe decline. Simple questions like todays date and awareness questions are now too difficult for her to recall. Once they called me back into the room She began to discuss the Vascular Dementia I already knew existed and how we could treat it. Since the Aricept didn't work she is trying something new with less side effects. I was also able to ask her for a Social Worker referral so I could get someone in the house with her a few days a week when I can't be there. So that alone I would say was a successful visit because none of her other Dr.s seemed to be concerned.
By This point she was tired and hungry and now we had to draw blood. She again began to complain about sitting too long and wanting to go home and that she could leave right now and they wouldn't notice. Because all the blood tests are the same. I shook my head and just laughed. She's looking for different information I told her... she disagreed.
4 hours later we were done and now I had the task of convincing her to go to the Beauty salon...
Who won that battle?
Too Be Continued...
Back in November sometime I made an appointment with the UCLA neurology dept. Today, March 5 was finally that day! Way to go!
The day started out like any other day only this time I was afraid nothing would go as I had planned and we would be late to everything. Luckily for me someone was smiling down on us and had my back I set out to Grandma's house and there was little traffic, I called her when I was about to get on the FWY and she was almost ready, I was able to stop at the grocery store before ever even getting to her house. When I walked in the door we left with in 10 min. There was NO traffic on our way to UCLA and We were seen by her Dr. with in 5 min of getting there!! What is going on?? Is about all I could think but I was glad! Today her blood pressure seemed abnormally high but the Dr. never seems to be over concerned about it, we talked for about 10 min about more of the same old nothing and see you in 3 months! YAY
Great! Now we had 40 minutes in between appointments and we could eat our lunch in peace. We walked over to the 300 building of UCLA and checked in with Neurology. Meanwhile this whole time grandma is complaining... I'm Tired, I can't walk this far, I need to sit down, I need to walk more. The woman Really should walk as much as she talks and she wouldn't feel so bad... but on we go. She made it and I gave her the sandwich I bought this morning along with her yogurt. She is very particular about her food and how she eats it. About 20 minutes later we get called back to see the Dr. and here is where the fun begins because the first question she asks is "How can I help you?, Why are you here?" Grandma laughs because she has NO CLUE! Even though I mentioned it to her on numerous other occasions and even that morning on our drive in. Either way, I began to explain My concerns over the last 4 months. I began to describe the paranoia, the confusion, the agitated state and the mix up of me go to Italy/Florida. She looked at me in disbelief, "That didn't happen!" She exclaimed... I laughed and said Yes, It did! this is why I made the appointment back in November. Then she asked the golden question, "well, then Why don't I remember any of this?" I laughed again and simply said THIS is why we are HERE :)
The Interview started, the Dr. when through a series of questions to gauge her mental state and it was like a ping pong table.
Dr: Can you manage your own finances? G: Yes, I can. ME: NO, she doesn't
Dr: Why don't you? G: She just likes to be in control (pointing to me) ME: Begin to explain the late bills, and 2 issues with signed estimates on house repairs. and catalog ordering.
Dr: What is your daily routine? G: I sit and read Me: ALL DAY, I can't get her out of the house
Dr: Do you still drive? G: No Because I began to get confused. Me: correct
Get the picture? That's about how it went for about 45 min. She said vs. she said. I felt sorry for the Dr. after a while but we got through it. The next half would require me to leave the room and she would be giving her a cognition test. I believe the highest score is 30 and in 2010 she scored 29 and today she scored 19. Severe decline. Simple questions like todays date and awareness questions are now too difficult for her to recall. Once they called me back into the room She began to discuss the Vascular Dementia I already knew existed and how we could treat it. Since the Aricept didn't work she is trying something new with less side effects. I was also able to ask her for a Social Worker referral so I could get someone in the house with her a few days a week when I can't be there. So that alone I would say was a successful visit because none of her other Dr.s seemed to be concerned.
By This point she was tired and hungry and now we had to draw blood. She again began to complain about sitting too long and wanting to go home and that she could leave right now and they wouldn't notice. Because all the blood tests are the same. I shook my head and just laughed. She's looking for different information I told her... she disagreed.
4 hours later we were done and now I had the task of convincing her to go to the Beauty salon...
Who won that battle?
Too Be Continued...
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