My Mom called tonight and my Grandfather's test results have come back. He has "fast-moving" Alzheimer's. Originally they ruled out Alzheimer's but after further testing it looks like that is what is causing the atrophy (shrinking) of the brain. Based on the position of the fluid in the brain and his other test results that's definitely what it is. They suspect he has had it for 5 years or less. So he probably started with it around the age of 63. In some ways we are fortunate that my Mom specializes in Alzheimer's care and owns two facilities for assisted living care. Her team met with my family today to discuss where to go from here. He has been put on Alzheimer's medication and his license has been taken away.
My Mom is working out a care plan with my grandmother, we hope to have him at home for as long as possible. Unfortunately, where he is so young it is very fast moving. For those of you in the medical field, his gait and balance are way off. The doctor's can't pin-point how long he has left, he will be going for further testing. Where he is rather young they will also be doing genetic testing. Obviously my family is absolutely devastated. We are trying to make the best of it and my Mom's mentality is "Quality of life vs. Quantity".
I haven't seen him since my wedding and apparently he has decreased rapidly, I guess he was really "masking" things before. We have a family vacation planned for Christmas and they will be coming up to Canada for two of DH's games in the Fall (Montreal & Hamilton). For now he is really looking forward to all three trips. He is working on his "bucket list" this week with my grandmother to hopefully tackle a few dreams before he can't remember them. Because of my Mom's field of work my brothers and I are very familiar with what this disease entails. For being 12 and 16 they both know how to handle individuals with Alzheimer's in a way that preserves their dignity. We will all continue to do this with my Grandfather.
Thanks for letting me vent it has been a rough night, it's hard living a 7 hour plane ride away with no family here to be with I feel helpless. On top of this all it has been a rough couple of days for DH. We are both feeling the stress.
Re: *Grandfather Update*
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