As a person with FTD I can say that there are some differences between FTD & AD but not alot as you progress. In the beginning stages my deficits were personality change, getting lost in familiar places, difficulty in paying the bills, loss of empathy, not recognizing our family pets, etc.

I had taken Exelon for almost 3 years until it no longer worked and mu husband says he was seeing some aggression. My medication regimen was changed to Aricept with adding Tegretol which is actually for seizures but is used off label for aggression and also Lamictal whcih is also for aggression and agitation. I am now after about a year off of the Aricept as the aggression and agitation became so great I had to be put in the hospital to figure out what was happening. Through studies my Neurologist & Psychiatrist learned that Ariicept, Exelon and Reminyl CAN cause increased aggression with patients with FTD.

We knew the chance we were taking with going off of the Aricept of decline. The Aricept was helping greatly along with the Namenda with my short-term memory and I have now been off of the Aricept @ 3 months and there has been great decline in my short term memory though the aggression is gone with very little agitation at times. I go back to my Neurologist in about 6 weeks and he said that if things were still declining he would try a very small low dose of Aricept along with a very low dose tranqulizer.

So I guess what I am saying is you have to weigh the odds in what you choose to do depending on your situation. In our case we have a 13 year old at home and I did not want him to go through the aggression, anger, etc. So we made the best choice for us. Personally I think that you can have a mixture of dementias and I think that is what I have due to the atrophy in several areas of the brain and lesions in the frontal temporal lobes of the brain.

I was in the bathroom the other night and after my shower it appeared as if a stranger was looking back at me, I could not remember how I wore my hair or how to fix it. I stood there and cried because I felt so lost, my husband came in and asked what was happening he held me and told me not to cry that this is why he was here. He told me on the days I felt this way to let him know and he would fix my hair and that he was honored to do these thing for me after all we were partners. Thoguh I have a talking medication box I am also forgetting when I take my meds because I get the days mixed up and his is now taking that over again. Even with this decline I can say that the meds I have taken Exelon, Aricept have given me 5 quality years that I would not have had without them. Each day is still a new day as to who we will be and what will happen but each days is also another blessing to be with my family.
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Tracy,

Thank you again for always sharing with us.

That had to be very upsetting for you not to remember how you wore or fixed your hair. But you know what Tracy, it's time you found a new style for yourself. That was then and this is now, and we all need a change. Go to a hairdresser, and start all over again. When you come home, have your husband take a picture of the new you. Tape that picture on the bathroom mirror. When you see how beautiful you look with the new change, it might perk you up a bit, and you won't have to think about how you used to wear your hair, but how you now wear it.

And your husband holding you and offering to do your hair, what a guy! My husband does the same thing when I have problems with my hair, not for the same reasons, but he's a hairdresser!!

Tracy, when my mom was living by herself, she ususally didn't know what day of the week it was, and a calendar was not helping. I went to Target, and purchased a wall clock for her that not only had the time on it, but the days of the week and the date. Well I ended up taking it back, as she got very insulted and had a fit.

I don't know if they still have those clocks there, but when I go to Target or Wal-mart, I'll look and let you know. In the meantime, google clocks, and I bet you can order one online. You are so very independent, that I think that it would be good for you to have that and be able to go back to taking your meds on your own.

Let me know if you find anything out, and I'll do the same. Take care my friend!

Jackie

Tracy,
I just did a web search and put in "clocks with time day & date". The first thing that came up was "Buy Alz. Products". I clicked on that, and the Alz. store came up, and there is a clock on there with time, day and date. Their website is www.alzstore.com/alzheimer-products, but when I tried that, It said the page cannot be found. But it does work when you do the above.

I think I'm going to order one again for my Mom. She can't make me take it back now, cause she's in my house. And she really does get frustrated in the morning when she always has to ask me what day it is.

Let me know.


Jackie

Tracy,

Yes it's me again. If you click on day clocks on amazon.com, they have all kind of clocks with day date and time. I am really going to investigate this more for Mom. See how you always help us. You always work our minds dear friend.

Jackie

Tracy, when you said you got confussed on the day, it reminded me of a very good friend. She never wore a watch and her kids would make comments about how can you get by not knowing what time it is. Her reply was "Hell, I don't know what day it is". That's me too, many times I don't know what day it is. So it's not just FTD or Alz.

As always it's always a pleasure to read your input on this disease. Thank you, again