Posted 12/19/19
“There is age-appropriate involution with expected changes of ventricles and sulci, cisterns are not effected. There is no intraparenchymal area of restricted diffusion, mass effect or midline shift. Craniocervical junction is unremarkable. There is findings of partially empty sella. Orbits and paranasal sinuses are unremarkable. There are confluent (re: merging together…this is not a good thing) white matter changes predominately in the periventricular white matter suggestive of moderate small vessel ischemic disease ( not uncommon, but not good…). Given the patient’s diffuse volume loss (not good), the overall hippocampal volume loss (Not good) appears to be relatively symmetric but is advanced. (bad)”
Wanna see pictures? Here ya go:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/…/artic…/PMC2593803/figure/F1/…
First, I feel like I could have slipped some computer and/or
fancy sci-fi terms in the diagnostic info above and less than .01% of the world
would have recognized them. Maybe throw in something like “The hippocampal
volume loss is not inconsistent with similar class 404 hypertext transfer
protocol loss in geriatric Borg specimens?”
Like I said in my last post, I am a fixer and I want to fix mom.
🙁 Does it help to know the medical jargon as you review the
chart of a mom with advanced Alzheimer’s? Not particularly. Not any more
helpful as it is to run to WebMD with every headache to find out that there is
a chance you have brain cancer, a forgotten roofing nail or a ceti eel
implanted by Khan (Khaaaaan!) from Star Trek II. Yet, as part of the
pre-grieving process I am intrigued…no I am captivated by studying her
records. Maybe I will stumble upon something the doctor missed? lol
I am going by shortly to see mom and do what actually CAN help
her: I plan on giving my normal, per visit allotment of squeezes and top of
head kisses. If I am going to win the child of the year award over my superstar
siblings, I have to work the system pretty good.
😉 I may even have to pull the lucrative baby of the family
card too. (I am the youngest) .I have to laugh as I think of this subject, at
least a little, because she would approve.
🙂
In all seriousness, I really look forward to her getting back to a nursing home
so she can play the piano, socialize with similar folks and get more/better
sleep. That would be the Christmas present of the year. Hospitals, regardless
of quality, are not even as homey as the memory unit with the Sweet 17.