Hi everyone,
My uncle has recently been diagnosed by his doctor as having Frontotemporal
Dementia (FTD). As usual, the doctors have no idea why he has it, and have no
real therapies or cures for it. The most they can do is try to treat some of
the early symptoms. He is only 56.
Apparently, this is a rare form of dementia, and is under the "umbrella" of
Alzheimers type diseases (with some differences). One of the main physical
symptoms is a shrinking or atrophy of the front temporal lobe of the brain.
Manifestations include a level of lethargy, depression, and difficulty with
language. Memory, right now, is not so much an issue.
Right now, I am making sure that my uncle does indeed have this problem by
asking question of the doctors (the tests he had ,etc). I'm also looking into
issues that can mimic the disease, although this will be difficult because this
disease is rare.
Financially speaking, my uncle has always been on the poor side, and his home
is an old run down place in them middle of San Francisco's lower downtown.
Because of this, I have considered whether it might be possible he has lead
poisoning, with the old water piping and car traffic right outside. In
addition, his mother recently died, and she too suffered with a more general
form of dementia. It makes me wonder if it is something is happening in the
house that is affecting their bodies.
I want to ask if any of you have dealt with dementia issues in your family and
how you dealt with it, or if you have any ideas on what else might be
misdiagnosed as dementia.
Best regards,
-Ken Bagwell
