Alzheimers is like an Iceberg

Alzheimers is like an Iceberg.

Most people and Doctors only can see the people with severe dementia. 

The hidden 90% of the iceberg under the water is like early Alzheimers that is not recognized or seen. 

Like an iceberg it is very difficult to predict the the future course an iceberg will take. 

We do know the course of Alzheimers is inexorable and like an iceberg going south it will completely melt the person away. 

I was diagnosed with Alzheimers in Dec 2017 and yet most people can't believe I have AZ. 

I aced my MOCA in Feb 2020 but my disease is getting worse. 

30/30 result on MOCA link

90 percent

Remember that the density of ice is 0.92 g/mL, and the density of water is 1.0 g/mL (1.03 for salt water). This means that ice has nine-tenths, or 90 percent of water's density – and so 90 percent of the iceberg is below the water's surface.

I participate in a ZOOM conference each week with a group of Episcopal men.
Another retired Internal Medicine physician joined the group a month ago.
He wrote me this week that he didn't think I have Alzheimers. 

link People don't think I have Alzheimers 

The Doctor thought he was being kind telling me his opinion which is based on having treated many Alzheimers.  I guess he thought he was giving me hope.  He seemed to take offense when I pointed out how my diagnosis was made by three different Neurologists.  He wrote back that a positive PET scan for Amyloid plaques can have a rate of false positives of 20%'
I agreed and said my diagnosis is based on sequential cognitive tests that are 3 hours long.  
I also have one gene for Alzheimers. 

I am not judging my colleague as I myself knew nothing of what to expect for myself when I first had the diagnosis in Dec 2017.

Surprising since I am board certified in Geriatrics and have treated many patients with dementia in nursing homes. 


Just because someone passes the MOCA test does not rule out dementia.

This is why I started my series of books written in the first person perspective.  There is no other book on Alzheimers that does this.   The ones I have read have been on famous people with early onset Alzheimers and a rapid deterioration. They are filled with gloom and doom.  I wanted to show people it is not that way for many years.  I am in Year 3 now. 

When I was first diagnosed I looked up my prognosis.  Even with Namzaric I could maintain my present level of function for 2 years but after that there would be a steady decline.  
It is 100 days till the  Presidential election.
I was very afraid I wouldn't be able to follow the campaign and the results of the election.
This year I understand politics better than ever in my life. It is very gratifying. 

People need to understand the iceberg of Alzheimers. 

Thus if people don't see an obvious dementia they think there is no disease.