Early-onset Alzheimers is a Bummer; Yeah, Pretty Much. Thanks Captain Obvious

I took a big  HUGE step last night.


Up to this point, the only people who know about my diagnosis were my husband, two of my children (they live with me so sort of had to tell given my unusual behavior lol) and of course, my doctors.

Last night I got a text from my oldest brother asking how I was since he hadn't heard from me for a while.

I decided to swallow hard and fess up to what has been happening. I used the platform of "well some things of concern have lead me to see a neurologist," thinking maybe, just maybe he would be satisfied with that and say something flip like "Oh I am sorry, hope whatever it is you are seeing him for, can be fixed" type of thing, but no I couldn't get that lucky.

He asked why and so I told him.

The next reply from him was..."Symptoms?" My first reaction was, symptoms? Symptoms?! I don't need no stinkin symptoms! No big bro, I just felt like adding another fucking doctor to my repertoire and thought a neurologist would be fun.

But, I thought better of it and told him what I had been experiencing. I also told him that my suspected cause (since there is no family history of Alz) was Type-3 diabetes. In fact, many doctors are beginning to call non-familial Alzheimers, Type-3 diabetes. There is a strong causal link between the insulin manufactured in the brain and society's miserable eating habits

I wrote pretty much a dissertation that even JAMA would be proud of. So off I sent the text.

I waited for his response....
    and I waited....
           and I waited....

In the time after I sent the text until the time I received his I took a shower, did the dishes, took the dogs out one last time before bedtime, watched the last 30 minutes of a TV show I had been watching when I was interrupted by him asking how I was doing. My only thought on this is that he must have decided to research my answer for some reason.

Finally, the text came.

You know, I don't know what I was expecting really. He is 12 years older than me. We haven't ever been terribly close. He was always the golden child and myself and my other (estranged) brother always lived in his shadow where my parents were concerned. etc, ad nausem.

So when I got the message, I thought " really? Is that all you can say??"

The text was..... Wait for it.....drum- roll.....

"Bummer"

Yeah, so according to my brother who is in perfect health and pushing 70, Alzheimers is a bummer.

Well, I will give this to him - he is right, it is a bummer.