Is It Goods News or Bad News When a Doctor Bumps Up Your Appointment?

Or am I overthinking this?

If you’ve read a few of my earlier posts, you know that I’m headed down the road of either ruling out early-onset dementia or diagnosing it.

From what I understand, the process is more about ruling out other causes. That’s because many treatable or reversible conditions can mimic early-onset dementia.

But here’s the thing…

I just had blood work done a few months ago, and everything was perfectly fine. In other words, the reason for my cognitive decline doesn’t seem to point to things like thyroid dysfunction, infection, liver or kidney problems, diabetes, etc.

I’m otherwise healthy.

Next step: Speaking with a Psychiatrist

The psychiatrist’s office phoned me last week and allowed me 45 minutes to fully explain the signs and symptoms I’ve been experiencing over the past year (or so).

Hey, at least I felt HEARD. My family doctor did not take me seriously, claiming it was just anxiety.

It’s not.

Thankfully, he at least got the ball rolling towards an official diagnosis.

They said the official appointment wouldn’t be until September 3rd.

That would have made it another 7 weeks from the time they spoke to me on the phone and took all my details.

Then they called back!

The office called this morning and asked if I would mind speaking with the psychiatrist TOMORROW at 2 pm.

They didn’t mention a cancellation.

That makes me wonder if they feel it’s urgent enough to get the ball rolling a little faster. I hope so. I mean, I don’t want to be an “urgent case”, but if I have to be, let’s at least push things along.

So what do you think?

When the office called this morning, they didn’t mention they had a cancellation. They just said they wondered if I could speak with the psychiatrist tomorrow.

So, is it urgent, or is the psychiatrist just planning to go on vacation in September, thus the change in appointment?

Here’s what I think

I think it’s more urgent than initially thought. We may have free healthcare in Canada, but it is a slow, arduous process. If it wasn’t urgent, they would have rescheduled my appointment further out. They wouldn’t ask to speak with me tomorrow.

As it stands, it can take several months to see specialists (neurologists, etc.) and sometimes even longer to get an MRI scan, CT scan, etc.

What will tomorrow bring?

That’s the existential question of the century, isn’t it?

What WILL tomorrow bring? I’m going to be ready when the psychiatrists calls, complete with my full list of unusual symptoms in case I’m asked to talk about them again.

Should I ask the psychiatrist what their recommendations are?

Yes! I think I have a right to know. That way, when my general physician calls me back, I’ll know what options he’s got in front of him. That will help me become a better advocate for myself.

My Worst Fear

My worst fear is that they’ll brush it all off as anxiety. Yes, I have generalized anxiety disorder, but this is not that.

I’ve been well-treated for GAD for many years. GAD isn’t making me forget whole swathes of a morning. GAD isn’t making it hard for me to find the right words while I’m speaking or making me forget what an apron is.

SIGH

I could write about this until the cows come home, but it’s not going to change the fact that I have to wait. But hey, at least I don’t have to wait until September to speak with someone and get recommendations underway!

Hey, if you or someone you know has gone through the process of being diagnosed with early-onset dementia, can you tell me about it?

What was it like? How long did it take to get a diagnosis? Was it something other than early-onset? I could learn a lot from your experiences, so please share!

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Thanks for reading!

Lisa Theriault (pronounced Terry-OH)