The doctors were wrong. He was misdiagnosed.

My husband does not have Alzheimer's. Regardless of the blood draw and spinal tap results, mri and mini-mental exams, which all indicated early Alzheimer's (dementia of the Alzheimer's type), they were all wrong. In January 2012 he stopped taking Namenda, Seroquel, and Aricept. Just stopped. One day he declared he was not taking them any longer. The next thing I knew, he was out hiking and photographing waterfalls. These activities required him to learn how to use the camera, understand and follow maps, and interact with people along the way. He had to remember routes, drive mountain roads, slog through underbrush, climb over rocks and fallen trees, and get himself home in one piece. People with Alzheimer's do not behave this way. We will never know what happened. He refuses to see another doctor, and I don't blame him. For all we know, his dementia might have been caused by untreated sleep apnea and a severe vitamin deficiency, both now corrected. He shows some cognitive impairment, but don't we all at this age. I know I do. When he got bored with hiking, he outfitted himself with new fishing gear and loaded up our freezer with trout. I waited this long to write this post because I wanted to be sure his improvement was not temporary. Praise the Lord, so far so good. I guess I won't be an Alzheimer's Caregiver after all -- at least not for a while yet.

The falls at Brasstown Bald.