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Fast Forward to 2023

 Even after a visit to the GP in 2014 to explore the possibility of Parkinson's, medical opinion at that time was that Chris’s symptoms were a likely product of Type 1 Diabetes. After something of a battle, Chris was referred to Kings College Hospital and given a sensor insulin pump which alarmed if his blood sugar dropped. It was a life changing piece of equipment, and we were both trained to use it. I became an expert at ‘rewiring’ my husband.

And so we reach 2023. Lockdown is over, and I have increasing concerns about Chris’s mental deterioration and his decreasing mobility and dexterity.

We have moved to a large ground floor flat closer to the town centre, so that I no longer have a lawn to mow, and Chris can walk into town. However, his balance is poor, and he starts to walk with the aid of a stick. I buy him a small mobility scooter on Ebay.

  


At his 6 monthly appointment with the Diabetes Nurse in early 2023, the nurse refers Chris for a Dr’s appointment to discuss his mobility. A young locum phones to talk to us, and Chris actually gets a ‘face to face’ appointment the very same day. His cognition, movement and dexterity are scrutinised. He is referred to the specialist memory nurse, and for an appointment with physiotherapy. This leads to an MRI scan on his spine (nothing of significance shows up) and FINALLY a memory clinic appointment and a referral to a neurologist. 

The memory clinic comes first. Chris is assessed on the Addenbrooke’s scale and comes out with some indications of dementia. The Dr explains everything very clearly.

‘Your husband’s cognitive profile is unusual. His short-term memory is not too bad, but he is finding it hard to process language. Something is going on here, but I’m not sure what it is. I don’t think it’s Alzheimer’s. Combined with his mobility issues, we could be looking at a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia.’   

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