We are delighted to be able to share the story of one of our newer Canadian DAI members, Paul Lea. Thank you Paul, for being a wonderful new friend to those of in the support group you have joined, and for joining the Action Group to help us with our work for all members.
The tragedy of Pauls story, is that even in the 21st Century, in spite of all the advances in diagnostics and research, people are being discounted when they present to health care professionals with symptoms of dementia! His snippet on revenge near the end of his story, will for many, be very amusing.
Paul writes:
"I've always been a fairly healthy person both physically and mentally but in 2005 I started noticing things were sort of unusual. Let me clarify that I started forgetting where I put things like my keys etc., sort of brushed this off and went on with my life.
I worked for a major clothing manufacturer where I was a quality auditor. I started noticing that I was having some difficulties performing my job. My responsibilities were to check the quality and the sizes of the jeans or shirts or jackets. I started having difficulties once I did the measurements of putting them back into the plastic wrappings. I was getting angry at myself because I didn't understand what was going on and I knew sooner or later that my supervisor would question why I was having my coworkers, fold and put back into the plastic wrapping. I started noticing that at the top of my eyes were like fractured vision or like a kaleidoscope; I could still see and do everything else so it was just a nuisance.
As days and weeks went on I noticed other things like difficulty reading. I saw my family Dr. and told him about what was going on and he made a note in my file. In the spring of 06 while I was working my right leg went kind of like rubbery and there was a feeling of pins and needles and I could not walk. Now I have sciatica on the right side so I figured it was acting up again and also brushed it off and continued working. I should mention that I was getting headaches not severe but still enough that I have to take aspirins now this is unusual because I rarely had headaches so once again I saw my family Dr. and explained what was going on and he made some more notes in my file.
Fast-forward to the end of 07 and I thought I had an idea what is wrong with me. I had seen on the TV a commercial about a man going to the store and buying a lemon and then going to put the lemon in the fridge and see that all that is in the fridge is lemons. The theme of the commercial was Dementia.
So I looked up Dementia on the computer and mentally went over all of my symptoms and what they said were signs and I decided that I had Dementia. I went to my doctor and explained to him my findings and asked if I could get an x-ray for my neck because I thought maybe I had a pinched nerve because my right arm also went numb and limp. At this point I found myself arguing with my family Dr. who I have known for 30 years and thought of him as a friend. After about 20 min. he finally gave in and set up an appointment to get an x-ray of my neck.
When the results came back negative I asked him why did my leg and my arm go limp. So I asked him, do I have Dementia? He looked at me and laughed and said no I do not have a Dementia and that I am a hypochondriac and stop smoking. I left his office a little confused but once again I brushed it off.
Now this was the first week of December 2008. I drove my wife and daughter to the airport because they were going to Jamaica, on the way I got confused on which exit I should take. This was a little disconcerting because I take this route every day to go to my work. Aft I finally got them to the airport and brushed it off.
A week later I picked them up at the airport and drove them home but once again I found myself being confused as there was construction and I could not figure out how to get around tit to get them home There was a line of angry sounding their horns., so I closed my eyes hit the accelerator and went through a stop sign and got them home.
After Christmas I'm at the bank and all of a sudden I get this sharp very sharp pain behind my left eye kind of like a brain freeze when you had something very cold but this is different because I also lost vision in my left eye. I finished my business and walked to my car but then, I again lost vision my left eye. I chuckled thinking what is be next and I didn't have to wait long because I as I was walking towards my car but I ended up walking into the car behind mine .
I'm driving home and I am noticing that I keep veering to the left ,I decided that I must need glasses and went to an optometrist. During my examination he asked me a number of questions and he picked up on something and excused himself and asked the receptionist to call the hospital and tell them that I need to be seen as soon as possible as he thinks that I'm having a TIA
So now things seem to be pretty interesting I am a hypochondriac I have lost peripheral in my left eye I keep veering to the left when I'm driving I do not have Dementia and now I'm told that I have or having a TIA in other words a stroke, I thanked the optometrist and went home.
December 26 I'm watching TV and I have the exact same sharp pain loss of vision symptom only this time I really felt strange so I called 911 and was transported to the hospital where I was put into a room and hooked up to a monitor. About a half-hour after that I went and had a CAT scan that I went and had an MRI.
I still did not know what was going on eventually, the doctor came out asked how I felt and I said I'm fine can I go home ?and he said no they are going to keep me overnight and I asked why not he said because I had a stroke.
When I think of someone having a stroke I think of someone who has some form of paralysis or having trouble walking or talking but I had none of these so I asked again can I go home? I told him that I felt fine and I just wanted to go home this time he looked at me and shook his head and said again no but this time, he said I had a massive stroke and I should be dead. I looked at him and saw that was serious and I said I guess I still mean I can't go home.
I stayed a week in the hospital and he finally said yes I could go home.
My family Dr., yes the same one that called me a hypochondriac was retiring so I went to his party. And I got my revenge, he handed me a camcorder and asked if I could film his retirement party and I said yes no problem. I'm looking at the camcorder and could not figure out how to operate it so I walked around pretended I was recording the celebrations.
June of 09 a psychiatrist gave me some tests and diagnosed me with Vascular Dementia
The rest is history."
By Paul Lee © 2018
Dementia Alliance International