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A primer for newbies and old pros alike.
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a1iendays
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Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2022 1:15 pm

New to the site

Post by a1iendays »

Hello everyone! My name is Natalie and I am 24 years old. As of Tuesday I have found out that my 56 year old mother has stage 5 early onset Alzheimers. I have also taken a 23andMe test and carry two variants of APOE4. These last two days have been nothing but tears and obsessive research on how I can delay this for myself and who can I go to for more information. I thought a good place to start would be to find a place where others are in a similar situation. I am very intellectually curious, and this forum caught my eye with its emphasis on research for APOE4. If anyone has any books recommendations or videos please let me know and I am so grateful to find this forum!
Kmlseattle
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Re: New to the site

Post by Kmlseattle »

a1iendays wrote: Thu Nov 17, 2022 1:23 pm Hello everyone! My name is Natalie and I am 24 years old. As of Tuesday I have found out that my 56 year old mother has stage 5 early onset Alzheimers. I have also taken a 23andMe test and carry two variants of APOE4. These last two days have been nothing but tears and obsessive research on how I can delay this for myself and who can I go to for more information. I thought a good place to start would be to find a place where others are in a similar situation. I am very intellectually curious, and this forum caught my eye with its emphasis on research for APOE4. If anyone has any books recommendations or videos please let me know and I am so grateful to find this forum!
Welcome, A1iendays.

It can be quite overwhelming to get the news that your loved one has Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and that you cary the ApoE4 variants. I remember the worry and concern I experienced when my mother was diagnosed and that I, subsequently, cary one variant of the allele. You have found a very supportive and knowledgeable community in the ApoE4 Info forum. I am sure there will be plenty of members who have specific recommendations for books, articles and treatments. This information may, in itself, be overwhelming. I would advise you take your time to assess and choose the options that resonate with you and/or your mom. Those may be very different. Your curiosity and quest for knowledge will serve you well.

As a welcome intern, I'd like to make sure you are aware of some useful resources with which to begin your research. First of all, the Primer is written by a member physician who carries two copies of the APOE-ε4 allele. It offers accessible science background and prioritized sensible preventative measures. There is also an accompanying glossary for the primer.

Secondly, the WIKI is a searchable resource that links to various topics concerning AD. I'd recommend starting with the topics What You Need to Know... and Just Found Out You're an E4 Carrier pages.

Finally, in a community such as this, we can learn a lot from the experiences of other members. You can find that information in Our Stories. You are also most welcome to add your own story here, as well.

One other thing, if you're a Facebook user, take a look at our Facebook page. Many research studies and scientific data are posted there. You may find that useful as well.

Regardless of the information you find here, I hope you will find the support you need. I encourage you to post any questions you may have and please feel free to reply to this message, as well.

Best wishes on your journey,

Kathleen
TLS
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Re: New to the site

Post by TLS »

Welcome to the site Natalie. You have come to the right place, there is a ton of great information on this site.

I would imagine you may be in a bit of shock at the news you've recently received, however finding out at a young age about your APOE 4 status means you can take the bull by the horns and implement healthy living, exercise and eating habits. There are people on this site with APOE 4 who are in the 70's and beyond without the disease, it can be done!
apoe 3/4
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