June 25, 2025.
My initial consultation with Dr. Andy Liu at Duke Neurology. My emotions ranged from excited to anxious. I had wanted this appointment for many months, and finally I was here. Time to find out what was going on with my brain.
Dr. Liu quickly calmed my nerves with his warm compassion and knowledge. For the next forty-five minutes, we discussed my family medical history, my history of migraine headaches and depression, and of course, my recent cognitive issues. He also gave me a cognitive test. Dr. Liu had studied my MRI images prior to my visit. The conclusion was that I likely had Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI).
MCI is treatable. Some people with MCI revert to normal cognition. For others, MCI progresses to dementia.
A PET (Positron Emission Tomography) was scheduled to confirm that I had MCI.
I left Duke Neurology somewhat relieved. Dr. Liu had made it clear that MCI could be treated with medication and lifestyle changes. Frankly, I was happy that I might only have MCI and not dementia.
While waiting for my PET scan appointment, my memory worsened. I also began experiencing other symptoms. There were days when I had trouble concentrating and making decisions. My writing mistakes continued. Yet, I continued with my normal busy life.
September 8, I returned to Durham for the PET scan. The scan is an easy procedure. I was told the actual scan would take ten minutes. While undergoing the scan, it felt like much more than ten minutes had passed. Afterward, I realized the scan had actually gone on for about twenty minutes. A little voice in my recently scanned brain told me something was wrong.
During the drive home, I received an email with the test results. I stopped at the next exit and read the results and looked at the scan images. One sentence in the results jumped out at me, “There is diffusely increased Florbetapir uptake throughout the cortical cerebral gray matter with clear loss of gray-white contrast.” I knew I had something much worse than MCI.
In the days following the PET scan, Dr. Liu has moved rapidly to begin my treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. I will be back at Duke this week to discuss the best infusion treatment.
My wife and I are scared, worried, and nervous. The unknown is terrifying.