Sandra's Dementia Diagnosis

I first became aware that something was wrong when my children kept telling me,

“Mum, you’ve told me that 10 times already”, yet I could not even recall saying it.
I was also misplacing things more and more frequently, which was making me very frustrated and concerned as to the reason why. It was so not me to forget these minor details. At the time I was also fighting a battle with Cancer and Chemotherapy, which made me think that perhaps this was the problem (brain fog).

Eventually my children suggested that I should get a full check up with my GP, which I did, and my daughter came with me. I had a memory test which was not great, I then had various other tests done, Scans, MRI etc… Eventually my appointment letter arrived to see a Consultant for my results. On arrival we were shown the results of the tests on the screen, and he explained what they meant. My daughter asked him various questions which she wrote down the answers to. The outcome was that I did have early-stage Vascular Dementia.

I was in a daze by then, my mind went back to my mother who also had Vascular Dementia for 10 years before she passed away. My sister and I looked after her at home until it was no longer possible due to her aggressive deterioration at the end stage.

The Consultant brought me back to reality by telling me to get my Lasting Power of Attorney done as soon as possible. We thanked him and left his office in shock.

I felt that I had just been given my death sentence.