lament on old age.

[65-2x2]

I am of the age where I now view my personal mortality as a fact rather than a theory. Bad health doesn't scare me, death doesn't scare me, but I am scared ******** about losing my mind. My Grandfather, my mother, and all five of her sisters developed Alzheimers and died very undignified and lingering deaths. When I asked my doctor what my family history means for me, his reply was, "You don't want to know." So, at 73, every time I forget something, or have a hard time finding a word, I find myself wondering, "Is this the beginning?" I try to comfort my self in remembering that my Mother was much younger than me when she started displaying the signs, but the odds are, with three sibliings, two of us will get the dreaded disease.

 

[ralph7]

I am of the age where I now view my personal mortality as a fact rather than a theory. Bad health doesn't scare me, death doesn't scare me, but I am scared ******** about losing my mind. My Grandfather, my mother, and all five of her sisters developed Alzheimers and died very undignified and lingering deaths. When I asked my doctor what my family history means for me, his reply was, "You don't want to know." So, at 73, every time I forget something, or have a hard time finding a word, I find myself wondering, "Is this the beginning?" I try to comfort my self in remembering that my Mother was much younger than me when she started displaying the signs, but the odds are, with three sibliings, two of us will get the dreaded disease.

Your doctor's bedside manner is sadly lacking, imo.
Your Mother's family history isn't a certainty that you will follow the same.
I believe I would find another more compassionate doctor for a second opinion and some real life advice on how to proceed.
There has been a lot of advances that have been made recently and being proactive is a smart move.

 

[Rustyt1953]

It isn't the aging process as we all learned early on that bodies break down and deteriorate.

It's when after two years of walking 2-3 miles per day and eating well that it all flies out the window when blindsided by pancreatic cancer.

Life comes at you hard.