Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other factors?

[Guest guest]

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

,

I have heard a lot of talk here that includes

1. My Mom had high blood pressure for a long while before dementia..

2. My mom took thyroid meds.

3. At some point I remember my Mom had a very serious head injury.

4. There was usually some kind of surgery prior or during the initial onset of

dementia.

Those have even been almost as high as the stress factors, although my mom had

high stress factors in her life too.

There is one other odd one I heard long time ago. It was that most people who

had dementia came from a family of 5 or more siblings. And my Mom did that too.

I have no idea what that is about.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other

factors?

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi all . . . new member here. My mom was never diagnosed with any particular

type of dementia, but her symptoms match LBD exactly. She was always nervous,

but did not fit into any of the points Donna or mentioned below. An

interesting thing about alcoholism though, mom did not drink, but when she was

diagnosed with dementia they also found she had liver disease consistent with

alcoholism. No-one knows where that came from.

Lynn

Donna Mido wrote:

,

I have heard a lot of talk here that includes

1. My Mom had high blood pressure for a long while before dementia..

2. My mom took thyroid meds.

3. At some point I remember my Mom had a very serious head injury.

4. There was usually some kind of surgery prior or during the initial onset of

dementia.

Those have even been almost as high as the stress factors, although my mom had

high stress factors in her life too.

There is one other odd one I heard long time ago. It was that most people who

had dementia came from a family of 5 or more siblings. And my Mom did that too.

I have no idea what that is about.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other

factors?

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Lynn,

It seems to me that there are some meds that do that to the liver also. Did she

take meds at some point?

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other

factors?

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

She always used tranquilliers and sleeping pills, not heavily though. And she

took hormones. She had been, in general, a very healthy eater.

Donna Mido wrote: Lynn,

It seems to me that there are some meds that do that to the liver also. Did she

take meds at some point?

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other

factors?

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Lynn,

What did the MD think her liver damage was related to? Or did he say?

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other

factors?

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Wow! My mother fits every one of these including the fact that she is child

#6 of 7.

Gladys

-- Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about

other factors?

Just for the record, my mom was a teetotaler, so alcohol didn't have

anything to do with her getting DLB.

Other factors she had that she wondered if they might have

contributed, a combination of high stressors and health issues that

can affect the mind:

1. kidnapped at age 5 and abused by father and grandfather when

growing up -- high stress, possible post-traumatic stress syndrome

2. lots of UTIs throughout her adult life

3. my brother almost died as a baby, and had lots of life-

threatening health problems -- more stress

4. encephalitis around age 40, with shrinkage of brain at that time,

causing memory problems and difficulty with math and alphabetizing

5. my dad was in a motorcycle accident and sustained head injuries --

she took care of him for 2 years till he died -- more stress

6. when she was 78, my marriage of 20 years broke up -- more stress

7. when she was 79, she had kidney stones but they couldn't find

them for months, and she was on morphine for pain for quite a while

8. when she was 80, my brother was married and divorced within a

short time span -- terrible stress for her at that age

Some time in there, I realized she was having horrible nightmares.

Then she started going downhill in so many ways.

What about the rest of you -- can we find common factors?

G

> >

> > Hey,

> >

> > Just to add to this discussion - my Dad has had at least two MRIs

> since he has been exhibiting DLB behaviour / physical symptoms (he

> has never " officially " been diagnosed with DLB) which showed his

> brain has shrunken. I saw the MRI - the actual brain mass is

smaller

> than a regular person, but if there were actual regions of the

brain

> that the brain has lost mass from - I can't answer that question.

A

> neurologist did not review the scan, as the family doc and the

> psychiatrist were looking for organic irregularities that were

> causing the bizarre behaviour and physical problems. (i.e.: brain

> tumor)

> >

> > The psychiatrist has attributed it to alcohol abuse. This is a

> common precursor to DLB, whether it causes DLB, I don't know.

> >

> > He too was a master at " Show time! " and still hallucinates, but

not

> nearly as badly as he used to, as now they adjust his meds as

> needed. He is on 50 mg of seroquel daily - 25 mg morning, and 25

mg

> at bedtime.

> >

> > Dad was, and still is a highly intelligent person. He too, did

not

> lose this brain mass from inactivity. He has a VERY active

> imagination, and was a very busy guy before this snuck up on him.

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Never said. It was a mysery to him. But on another note, my husband thinks mom

got sick so young because she worries so much.

Donna Mido wrote: Lynn,

What did the MD think her liver damage was related to? Or did he say?

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about

other factors?

She always used tranquilliers and sleeping pills, not heavily though. And she

took hormones. She had been, in general, a very healthy eater.

Donna Mido wrote: Lynn,

It seems to me that there are some meds that do that to the liver also. Did she

take meds at some point?

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

[Guest guest]

Millie is from a family of six kids. Parents were first cousins. One other

sister had LBD.

I am just commenting on the large family theory.

How does that hold up?

Seems like alcohol is not a factor, but maybe a glass of wine once in a while

might have been a good idea.

So let's chase the multiple-sibling bunny for the sake of science.

Carol

---------------------------------

Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

If worry were the case, I'd be there, too. I really

don't think that causes it. My husband never worried

about much of anything; hence that fell to me, and I

did enough of it for both of us. I truly think that

the disease is possibly there all along, and something

triggers it, such as exposure to chemicals, medicines,

or other things such as that. Head injuries and

anesthetics prior to dx has been quite common among

some of those with LBD. My husband had both a head

injury many years ago and surgery in 1995, although it

wasn't a long time under anesthetic, but it might not

take long. He was the 11th of 13 children; had 4

siblings with some form of dementia; 2 infant siblings

who died with Down syndrome; 1 with Down syndrome who

lived to be in his 50s (very unusual); 1 brother with

epilepsy. So, 9 of the 13 had some sort of brain

disease or syndrome. His mother/father married

brother/sister, and 5 in that family had some form of

dementia, and one of the remaining ones is showing

signs I've heard. His father also had Parkinson's for

many years before he developed dementia. At that

time, it was called " hardening of the arteries. "

--- L Mercer wrote:

> Never said. It was a mysery to him. But on another

> note, my husband thinks mom got sick so young

> because she worries so much.

June

Wife of Darrell, dx'd Alzheimer's in 1999, Aricept started, added Celexa 2003

for depression; probable dx of LBD 2006; died at age 75 in November 2006.

Autopsy confirmed LBD and AD.

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Be a better pen pal.

Text or chat with friends inside Yahoo! Mail. See how.

http://overview.mail.yahoo.com/

[Guest guest]

Carol,

My mom came from a family of 5 girls and one boy. Don't know what that would be

about but it seems to hold up sometimes.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about other

factors?

Millie is from a family of six kids. Parents were first cousins. One other

sister had LBD.

I am just commenting on the large family theory.

How does that hold up?

Seems like alcohol is not a factor, but maybe a glass of wine once in a while

might have been a good idea.

So let's chase the multiple-sibling bunny for the sake of science.

Carol

---------------------------------

Be a better sports nut! Let your teams follow you with Yahoo Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

So you're proposing that maybe it's genetic, but still needs

a trigger. I've only been on this list a short time, have there

been studies about a genetic link? Mom never had any of

the triggers your husband had. She sank slowly into a mild

dementia over years, then one day she would not answer

the phone so we sent the police over where they found her

on the floor with pneumonia. She couldn't walk, yet there

was nothing wrong with her legs. I live in the US and she

lives in Canada so I could not vouch for how well she was

walking before that incident.

Interesting subject, June. Espeically vital for children of LDB

patients.

June Christensen wrote:

If worry were the case, I'd be there, too. I really

don't think that causes it. My husband never worried

about much of anything; hence that fell to me, and I

did enough of it for both of us. I truly think that

the disease is possibly there all along, and something

triggers it, such as exposure to chemicals, medicines,

or other things such as that. Head injuries and

anesthetics prior to dx has been quite common among

some of those with LBD. My husband had both a head

injury many years ago and surgery in 1995, although it

wasn't a long time under anesthetic, but it might not

take long. He was the 11th of 13 children; had 4

siblings with some form of dementia; 2 infant siblings

who died with Down syndrome; 1 with Down syndrome who

lived to be in his 50s (very unusual); 1 brother with

epilepsy. So, 9 of the 13 had some sort of brain

disease or syndrome. His mother/father married

brother/sister, and 5 in that family had some form of

dementia, and one of the remaining ones is showing

signs I've heard. His father also had Parkinson's for

many years before he developed dementia. At that

time, it was called " hardening of the arteries. "

--- L Mercer wrote:

> Never said. It was a mysery to him. But on another

> note, my husband thinks mom got sick so young

> because she worries so much.

.

---------------------------------

Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your homepage.

[Guest guest]

Lynn M,

There are some studies or talks I have seen and the one that seems to be genetic

is " Early Onset. " That is anything before 65. This is an old person's disease

and you see more between 75-85 with dementia than before that.

There does seem to be a trigger. Death of a loved one, surgery, or falls. And

initially falls are common anyway. It may be part of the PD thing. Remember,

when you are dealing with LBD, you are dealing with PD, LBD and AD. There are

different amounts of each in any one person.. (My mom mostly only fell and

lost her balance a lot. She had no shaking or other PD symptoms.)

So hope this helps. Remember, you can go to the bottom of any of these messages

and click in and read a lot that has categorized for well for us. You

can try " LINKS " or " FILES " and there is lots in there. If you go to Yahoo to

read, those are down the left side of the page too!

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

Re: Re: alcohol = common precursor to DLB? What about

other factors?

So you're proposing that maybe it's genetic, but still needs

a trigger. I've only been on this list a short time, have there

been studies about a genetic link? Mom never had any of

the triggers your husband had. She sank slowly into a mild

dementia over years, then one day she would not answer

the phone so we sent the police over where they found her

on the floor with pneumonia. She couldn't walk, yet there

was nothing wrong with her legs. I live in the US and she

lives in Canada so I could not vouch for how well she was

walking before that incident.

Interesting subject, June. Espeically vital for children of LDB

patients.

June Christensen wrote:

If worry were the case, I'd be there, too. I really

don't think that causes it. My husband never worried

about much of anything; hence that fell to me, and I

did enough of it for both of us. I truly think that

the disease is possibly there all along, and something

triggers it, such as exposure to chemicals, medicines,

or other things such as that. Head injuries and

anesthetics prior to dx has been quite common among

some of those with LBD. My husband had both a head

injury many years ago and surgery in 1995, although it

wasn't a long time under anesthetic, but it might not

take long. He was the 11th of 13 children; had 4

siblings with some form of dementia; 2 infant siblings

who died with Down syndrome; 1 with Down syndrome who

lived to be in his 50s (very unusual); 1 brother with

epilepsy. So, 9 of the 13 had some sort of brain

disease or syndrome. His mother/father married

brother/sister, and 5 in that family had some form of

dementia, and one of the remaining ones is showing

signs I've heard. His father also had Parkinson's for

many years before he developed dementia. At that

time, it was called " hardening of the arteries. "

--- L Mercer wrote:

> Never said. It was a mysery to him. But on another

> note, my husband thinks mom got sick so young

> because she worries so much.

.

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