Grief and acceptance!

I think that if you are diagnosed with a memory impairment that you need to take the time to grieve. Give yourself the time that you need to grieve the loss of how you thought your life would be. Then you can work on accepting the way things are now and moving forward. I think that it is a process that you need to go through. Everyone is different so this process will be different for everyone. While you are going through this process, you can be experiencing many emotions.

In 2005, I think that when I was first misdiagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease (EOAD), I was devastated and angry. I thought that it was a death sentence. A few months later, a second neurologist changed my diagnosis to mild cognitive impairment (MCI). I think that I was relieved that I probably didn’t have dementia but I was confused because I didn’t know which was the correct diagnosis. Fifteen years later, I’m so grateful for my life! I have been able to accept that I can't change how my brain functions but I can change my reaction to the symptoms.