Hi. At first I wasn't sure that this was the right board to post this question on. After reading several posts, I've come to the conclusion that I'm in the right place. You guys Know what you're talking about! ;)
My dad is 78 years old. He has congestive heart failure, high bp and high cholesterol, all of which he takes meds for.
My sister and I have been concerned about him for quite some time so I took dad to the VA to be evaluated for Alzheimers. The geriatric specialist we saw said it looks like alzheimers but she wanted more blood tests and a CT scan of his brain to rule out other things. She called a little while ago with the results. She said the CT scan showed an enlarged blood vessel. She wants him to have an MRI. She didn't have much time to explain but said she was concerned about this and needed the MRI. I'm taking him in on the 24th for a visit with her anyway so she's going to try to schedule the MRI for the same day.
My question is what is this? And what can we expect?
My dad's mother died five years ago of an abdominal aneurism (sp?). Is this doctor talking about a possible brain aneurism? I'm getting really scared now.
Barb

My question is what is this? And what can we expect?
My dad's mother died five years ago of an abdominal aneurism (sp?). Is this doctor talking about a possible brain aneurism? I'm getting really scared now.
Barb

it's a possibility, tho' you won't know until he has the MRI ... CAT scans are like x rays, very powerful but only show bone and, if he swallowed some radiation stuff, veins and other vessels ... MRIs are a completely diff. technology, no x ray, but powerful magnetism (i've had them several times - last time, the little office adjacent and the whole machine shook) .. they scan the tissues of whatever-part-you're-having-scanned, and present a much cleared view of the part ...

if it is a brain aneurism, it can perhaps be operated on (altho' the doctor will have to make that judgement) ... just last nite i was watching "hospital interns" or some such reality show, and there was an 86-year-old man who had an aneurism in his heart -- they operated (and also replaced an artery and some other stuff -- a lot) -- and he was fine ...

more educated minds than mine ;) will surely provide you with more information, so be patient and try not to panic ...

jb

Dad can't go under general anesthesia. The last time they did that, he flatlined on them. He was going through an angiogram at the time.
We were told his heart wasn't strong enough to take it anymore. I think it's time for me to accept the inevitable. He's not going to live forever, I know. I just wish his quality of life could be better than it is now. I hope I never have to go through what he's going through. And I pray for a cure or at least better meds than are out there now for alzheimers.
Barb

Dad can't go under general anesthesia. The last time they did that, he flatlined on them. He was going through an angiogram at the time.
We were told his heart wasn't strong enough to take it anymore. I think it's time for me to accept the inevitable. He's not going to live forever, I know. I just wish his quality of life could be better than it is now. I hope I never have to go through what he's going through. And I pray for a cure or at least better meds than are out there now for alzheimers.
Barb

how bad is his alzheimers?

maybe there's a drug or something ...

my father-in-law is being desperately kept alive by my MIL -- he has dementia and COPD, arthritis and all sorts of things ... he has good days and bad (in intensive care, twice) ... he's in the VA hospital now, and sometimes he's up in his wheelchair, sometimes in bed ... what's his quality of life?

who can say what's best for another person? sometimes just the sunlight on a person's face can make him happy, sometimes listening to the birds ... for some ppl there will never be happiness, in part b/c they've never had a happy one in their lives ... i'm sure i have at least one friend who would say, "how can she live like that!!" and i know i have another who gets so upset over every little thing that goes wrong with me that i can't take her worry and have had to cut her off ...

alzheimers is a horrible disease, yet what do you think when you have it??

it took a lot of strength for me to say, "now", to the hospice doctor, and i pray that you have it too, whatever your decision ...

just rambling, barb -- i have no answers ...

jb