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"I Am What I Remember."
Welcome to my weblog. My mother Libby D'Ignazio has Alzheimer's Disease. I love my mom as much as I love any person in
the world. I know she loves me. Having her slowly drift away from me and not know me is something I can't bear.
I will use this weblog (or "blog") as a public diary. I will tell you what I learn, experience and feel as I go through
my days as the son of a person with Alzheimer's. I hope that this journal will help others as they follow the same path I
am following.
-- Fred D'Ignazio (Fall 2005) |
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Please send me your comments by using the form on the "Contact Us" page. Let me know if you want me to post your comment in the blog. Also, tell me if you want your email address listed.
This blog appears each day with the newest article on the top and the oldest article stored in the blog's
monthly archives. In effect, it reads backwards!
To read the blogs in chronological order or to find a particular blog, click on Blog Articles.
For a quick introduction to the blog, take a look at:
"The Long and Winding Road" is the first article in the blog. It appeared on Monday, October 24, 2005.
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Monday, March 12, 2007
Anesthesia May Put Us at Risk for Alzheimer's
Many of us have received anesthesia as part of an operation. Anesthesia is usually administered as an inhaled drug that renders us unconscious and blocks the pain from the surgery done in the operation. Now scientists have found evidence
that inhaling the gases used in anesthesia can create the protein fragments that cause the gooey plaque in our brains that
leads to Alzheimer's Disease.
The Alzheimer's Channel of RxPG News reports that researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have completed a study of laboratory mice. The mice
were genetically engineered to have the amyloid plaque characteristic of patients with Alzheimer's Disease. When these mice
were subjected to anesthesia the amount of plaque increased and the toxicity of the plaque to the brain cells of the mice
also increased. New studies are now being conducted on normal mice who have no symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease.
The University of Pennsylvania study does not prove that inhaling anesthesia increases brain plaque in human beings--especially
humans who have no prior symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease. But it does raise a red flag that older people who have some
accumulation of the brain plaque might be at risk of developing Alzheimer's more quickly after being put under anesthesia.
Studies are also being conducted with different anesthesia gases. Today the most popular anesthesia gases are nitrous oxide, halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, sevoflurane and desflurane. Research is being done to measure the effect
of individual gases on the production of brain plaque. Perhaps an existing gas or a new gas might be used if a connection
between anesthesia and Alzheimer's in humans is proven.
This is potentially a big issue. Over 100 million people around the world undergo surgery each year and receive inhaled
anesthesia. Many of these people are older and at risk of Alzheimer's Disease.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Taking It One Day at a Time
I talked with Dad on the telephone this morning. I asked him to tell me his plans for the day.
"Well, said Dad, "I try to balance between what I want to do and what I'm able to do. I try not to get too excited. I
just take it one day at a time."
(Dad is beginning to sound more like a Zen Master and less like an Italian godfather.)
"So, how's Mom?" I asked. "Do you think she wants to go to Florida?"
"My friend doesn't know where she is," said Dad.
"Oh, Dad," I said. "That doesn't sound good."
"On the other hand," said Dad, "she is the sweetest person I know. She just made me my cereal. And right now she's putting
on my shorts."
"I guess things are not all bad," I said.
"Not bad at all," said Dad.
Monday, March 5, 2007
Are They Going to Florida?
The good news is that Dad is now done his radiation treatments. According to Dad his leg looks pretty good, and the sore
on the leg has begun to heal.
Now the big question is: Are Mom and Dad going to Florida this year?
On the PRO side: Florida is a warmer, safer place for Mom and Dad during the last part of the winter. There will be no
danger of ice or snow. They live in a one-level home in a gated community. All their needs are accessible by a short golf-cart
ride. The community has many seniors and has resources for seniors including exercise clubs, tennis courts, trainers, medical
clinics, etc. Mom and Dad have friends who live in this same club.
On the CON side: All of Mom and Dad's children live elsewhere. If Owsley goes with them, then they will be okay. Otherwise
they will be on their own most of the time. As we know, Dad is extremely reluctant to hire caregivers who aren't part
of the D'Ignazio family. Will Mom and Dad's health-care and daily maintenance needs be met once they are on their own?
Stay tuned. I will call my brothers and sister today to see what they think about Florida. I'll report back in this blog.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Animal-Human Embryos for Alzheimer's Disease?
According to London's Evening Standard, on February 28th the UK's chief government scientist, Sir David King, said he was backing the creation of animal-human
hybrid embryos for use in developing drugs to treat everything from heart disease to Alzheimer's.
At first glance this sounds like we are creating Frankenstein's monsters. How could anyone support it?
An animal-human hybrid embryo is created in the following manner: First you harvest a fertilized egg from an animal such
as a rabbit or a cow. Next you extract all the genetic DNA material from the nucleus of the egg. Last, you replace that animal
DNA with DNA from a human being.
This sounds like weird science. Why would we want to do this?
There is a huge temptation to do this because human embryos are costly, hard to find, and morally controversial. It is
one thing to do experiments on a human embryo. It is entirely different to do experimentation on an animal embryo with human
DNA inside. No human embryo is aborted, killed, or manipulated. Many people think it is ethical to experiment with animal
embryos.
What do we get out of this?
Stem cells. We can harvest stem cells from this animal-human hybrid embryo. The stem cells might be used to treat cancer,
heart disease and Alzheimer's. They can be used in experiments to develop new cures for life-threatening diseases.
What happens if we let these embryos mature? Aren't we in danger of creating genetic monsters--horrible mutations?
According to current regulations, the embryos are only allowed to produce stem cells for approximately 14 days. Then
they are destroyed.
Many people are disturbed by this line of research, including several bioethicists. According to Britain's AN Wilson:
If it is wrong it is wrong. The scientists are blinding themselves to the distinction between what
is human and what isn't human.
Even if that resulted in the end of all the diseases on the planet, it wouldn't necessarily make it
a good thing.
What do you think? Are animal-human hybrids unethical? Or do you think that they are a valid tool for scientific
research? Would it make any difference if you or a beloved family member had Alzheimer's?
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To see earlier entries (posts) to this weblog, click on the dates above. (If there are more recent posts, you
will see a link marked "Newer.")
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