Chapter 18: Living with a Diagnosis
August 2023
It’s been about two months since mom was officially diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment. After all of the tests this spring, my family doctor called to ask to see mom. I went with her for that appointment where he explained that all of the scans came back clear – there is no discernable sense of “plaque” to be found anywhere. However, given the reports from the family and the battery of tests done so far (full blood panel, MRI, two brain scans, and interviews/cognition testing), he is ready to give mom this diagnosis. It was pretty uneventful, I guess. Not sure if this makes any of us feel better or worse, though.
The good news is that mom is not in the category of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Thank God. There are also no further assessments to be done – for now, anyway. However, now that we’re in the system, we just need to make sure we follow through on keeping up with mom’s annual brain scans so we can track whether or not there is any deterioration.
Unfortunately, mom’s blood pressure and lack of good quality sleep remain her biggest health risks. Not sure what we’re going to do there. Mom has always been a little anxious and talking about it more certainly isn’t going to help…and I don’t think she has slept well my entire adult life! She has always struggled there. Sigh…not sure what to do to help there.
I was grateful that my doctor was very specific with instructions to mom about what she needs to do to stay healthy. Again, when I say it – no interest. But when a doctor says it, mom tends to listen a little bit more intently. (Good grief, not that different an experience from parenting!)
- Mom needs to make sure she is taking her supplements and blood pressure medication regularly – that’s easy, mom is very good about her routine.
- She needs to get at least 60 minutes of exercise in a day. Mom admits that she has somewhat fallen off in taking her daily walks. I know she doesn’t like going out much in the winter when there is a risk of slipping on ice, but there’s really no excuse in the summer. She keeps saying she is “too busy,” but she never seems to be able to explain with what. So, I guess dad and I will just have to stay on her case a bit more about this.
- The doctor was really good about explaining the importance of increased blood flow to the brain in supporting cognition repair and why things like puzzles or strategy games are really helpful. Well, that’s great. Mom has been a daily devotee of the crossword puzzle in the newspaper for years. Maybe I will buy her a few more books so she sees them around the house more regularly.
- He also stressed the importance of a daily routine and good sleep hygiene. Dad and I have been a little concerned that ever since COVID, mom’s fear of getting sick has somewhat caused her to withdraw socially – it seems like a real chore to get her out of the house these days. I’ve been encouraging mom to write down one thing she did in the daytimer every day so she can start thinking about other ideas of things to keep her busy…and so she can remember the conversations she is having with people outside of the house. Let’s see how this goes.
I guess at least all of the poking and prodding and interrogations are done for now. I suppose it’s now on us…on mom…to “do her homework” and see if these lifestyle changes can start to have a positive effect. Fingers crossed.
Questions or comments? Contact me!