Know the 10 Signs

#10 Changes in Mood and Personality

"My boyfriend would tell me I was forgetting conversations we had. I was forgetting certain things yet retaining others, so he accused me of "remembering only what I wanted to remember." He also told me I wasn't the same person. I wasn't acting like my "old self." I often became irritated and aggravated with many things which was unlike my normal personality.

With the help of Early Diagnosis and Intervention with medication and treatment, I found out I wasn't going crazy. I found medications to slow down the AD process and therapy to help me cope with my disease. I am still an active member of society, do volunteer work, help take care of my mom who, also has Alzheimer's disease, and am still able to take care of myself. I am able to live alone and function pretty well. I have been able to put all my affairs in order so that my daughter won't have to face that when I can no longer make those decisions. I am able to participate in clinical trials of new medications which may be disease modifying.

Early Diagnosis and treatment has helped me and my loved ones make the best of the situation."

-Lisa Carbo

Know the 10 Signs

#5 Trouble with Visual or Spatial Relationships

"I felt my wife was nagging me about my driving; in my view, there was nothing wrong with it. I agreed to a meeting with my doctor to discuss her complaints. He agreed with her; he told me not to drive.

To foil their view and show them how wrong they were, I took a simulated driving test at Sister Kenny Institute in Minneapolis. I failed it miserably.

After a Neuropsychometric test, I was diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease.

The test told them I had substantial visual peripheral perception deficiency. This meant that I would see things but they had no meaning. This explained why I was screwing up driving, why I was falling after tripping over things in plain sight. It explained why I bumped into closed windows and was clumsy as could be.

My tripping and falling shattered a 12- year-old hip replacement that required surgery that had me on my back homebound, unable to walk, for 2 months. The recovery was rough. That was price enough! I am now on my feet ready to live again.

Knowing about the source of my clumsiness has helped me and my family create a safer environment. It has also given me the opportunity to pursue creative, social and fun activities as much as I want, which is very important to me. I just let my wife drive!"

-Mike Donohue

Know the 10 Signs

#3 Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks

"The first sign for me was forgetting and having trouble at work. I was trusting my brain to be there and denying that something was wrong. The problem with that I was forgetting too many things and I thought it was menopause. I saw my OBGYN and she said that all was well. I then went to my primary care doctor and we did blood tests. Everything came back normal.

As time went on, it was getting worse and my family, friends and co-workers were growing very impatient with me, especially when I missed dinners or events that were planned. Working as a meeting planner was a more specific problem: I was not able to multitask as I had been for years. I could not remember things without writing them down, and then I could not find the paper with the note on them. And that was that...I had Younger-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease...

It was a blow, but I am not the type of person that gives up that easily. Now, I am active in my community, educating others about this disease and getting involved."

-Karen Zimmerman

Know the 10 Signs

#2 Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems

"One of the first indications that something was awry was missing appointments that were on my schedule. Frequently, I put times down wrong, or failed to follow the time I had down correctly, arriving too early, late or not at all.

Now that I am diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I keep two schedules to avoid missing anything. At one time I didn’t keep a schedule. A busy lawyer, I had every appointment, deadline and due date in my head.

With Alzheimer’s, I know I need to take these extra steps and it helps me be able to continue to be active and involved."

-Mike Donohue

Know the 10 Signs

#1 Memory Changes that disrupt Daily Life.

"There was one episode with my memory that scared me a great deal. When I was trying to recall something, in my mind, a large black cloud appeared, covered the answer and it was gone.

I was on a bus on my way to visit my daughter when an elderly woman sat next to me. We began to chat as strangers do. During the conversation she asked where my daughter lived. I got out “Allen…” and that black cloud enveloped the rest. And I stammered, "No it's not Allentown, that's in Pennsylvania. It's not Allenberg, I never heard of that. It's Allen something or other." I must have looked as upset as I felt, because she patted my hand and said, "That's all right dear, we all forget things as we get older."

I know now that the black cloud wasn’t just a sign of aging. Once I was diagnosed and starting getting treated for Alzheimer’s, the black cloud disappeared."

-Mimi Steffen

Early Detection Matters

This week, the Alzheimer’s Association is launching its new Early Detection campaign, “Know the 10 Signs.” We’ve asked our Early Stage Advisors to contribute some of their personal experiences recognizing the signs of Alzheimer’s. These courageous individuals have all endured the arduous process of discovering their disease and have volunteered their energy to the Alzheimer’s Association to advance the most effective step in Alzheimer’s treatment: Early Detection.

Every day this week, we’ll be posting real stories of diagnosis and the relation of each to the 10 Signs of Alzheimer’s disease. For more information on the 10 Signs, please contact the Alzheimer’s Association at 877-IS IT ALZ (877.474.8259) or visit alz.org/10signs.