Vascular Dementia

Well my plan to not talk to my parents last week because they were mad at me for contacting the doctor didn't work.  I got a call on Saturday from my dad.  My mom had a stroke on Thursday and she was discharged from the hospital on Saturday.  Turns out there was no lasting damage from the stroke.  While she was at the hospital, they did an MRI to check for any lack of blood flow to the brain.  From my dad's report, there was an area on the right hemisphere that showed damage.  Her stroke symptoms showed up on her left side, which makes sense.  When she left the hospital, she was able to move her legs, arms and her mouth wasn't drooping like it was when they went to the hospital.  So the first thing I think of is that her dementia symptoms are likely vascular related.

Then I think the same thing I've heard so many families say, maybe if it's vascular dementia and her blood pressure is under control and blood thinning medication started, it won't continue to progress.  They have not been back to the primary care doctor yet, so I don't know yet what she is thinking.  The good news is that with this major event happening, my transgression of contacting the doctor about my concerns has been forgotten, at least for now.  It has worked out that I can continue my talking points of concern about a medical condition that can be treated.  In the light of the stroke, that approach has been easier to sell than an all out criticism of mom's memory which is how she took it originally.

So now begins the Google search on all things vascular dementia.  So far what I've found are mixed results.  Some information says the symptoms can slow when high blood pressure is treated and clots prevented.  Other information says the prognosis is not good.  I guess it is just one more step forward.