One Life To Live Discussion Group
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Subject: I believe I read that a cross-section of the brain must be studied to definitively identify Alzheimer's, which would mean no one should ever be so diagnosed. It seems everyone lumps all forms of dementia under one heading. eom/sea
Response Posted by: sea
Date Posted: Fri Mar 5 17:28:50 2010
Message:
x
Subject: Actually, there are numerous neruological tests that can defintively diagnose Alzheimer's, without taking frozen sections of the brain. There are scans (CAT scans & MRIs are two) that take pictures of various areas of the brain without having to wait for someone to die to take frozen sections. CAT scans & MRIs have been around for MANY yrs & are routinely used for diagnostic work. There are also PET scans that map the ways the brain works in different ways. All three of these tests are non-invasive. eom
Response Posted by: Rosebud1
Date Posted: Fri Mar 5 19:15:13 2010
Message:
eom
Subject: Yes, Rosebud, I know that. None of these tests is definitive; diagnosis is made after a battery of tests, and there is not even agreement among doctors as to what the results mean. I didn't mean to make this an argument; I actually found the subject a bit offensive, the same way the word 'retarded' is offensive. eom/sea
Response Posted by: sea
Date Posted: Fri Mar 5 20:02:48 2010
Message:
x
Subject: LOL, sea, of course you found it offensive. It's easy to mistake any mention of Alzheimer's or dementia in a joke for a joke at the expense of real people with dementia, just as it's easy to say that the word ''retarded'' itself is offensive, rather than the mocking or pejorative use of any word that is supposed to describe someone with a developmental disability. Idiot, cretin, subnormal and retarded are all clinical terms that had to be discontinued because their use as insults became too common. If enough people say things like ''Incest could explain why Rex is... you know, special,'' it will become impossible to speak of ''special needs.'' Fortunately, some people understood that the target of my joke was simply the writing for Todd. Rosebud1, although my questions were not asked seriously, thank you for your helpful answers.
Response Posted by: Brhannada^sArmour
Date Posted: Fri Mar 5 21:25:25 2010
Message:
*
Subject: sea: ICAM about finding it offensive. What I find exceptionally offensive is that soaps have, for the last several yrs, used MANY medical issues in storylines without researching them. If they are going to use real medical issues, then they need to get their facts right, otherwise why do them?! They did the same thing w/Todd w/the DID story yrs ago. At least when Vikki's multiples were introduced there was research done & they got a larger percentage of the basics right! I'm tired of seeing Todd always turning out to have nothing wrong--like w/the DID. That could/should have been a very interesting storyline w/great long range potential for the character, but TPTB dropped the ball then, as now. eom
Response Posted by: Rosebud1
Date Posted: Sun Mar 7 8:34:03 2010
Message:
eom
