Man diagnosed with Alzheimer's aged 41 explained what he initially thought symptoms were
A man who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s has told how he 'put off' going to the doctor as he dismissed his symptoms.
Fraser, from Australia, has been documenting his health journey on YouTube since the beginning of this year and he's already racked up more than 10,000 subscribers.
The 41-year-old has decided to raise awareness of how prevalent the brain disorder is in the hopes that he might help others who are in the same boat as him.
Alzheimer’s disease - which is the most common cause of dementia in the UK - is a progressive condition, meaning the symptoms gradually develop over years and eventually become more severe.
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It causes sufferers to experience memory loss as well as a decline in their cognitive abilities, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
In one of his videos, Fraser recalled how his symptoms began up to two and a half years before he was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's.
The dad explained that he experienced some 'pretty big memory flaws' and once didn't remember watching an entire film with his wife, which left him feeling 'concerned'.
"At some point, though, I started having some issues with my cognition more generally, and I think that was more getting closer to the diagnosis, where I noticed that," Fraser said previously.
"It wasn't until even probably just a few months before the diagnosis I noticed that I was having issues with just thinking, being able to think deeply. I find that I have more sort of surface level thinking, more shallow thinking."
However, the father didn't think too much of these issues, as he thought there was another explanation for them.
In a clip discussing how he eventually got diagnosed, Fraser said: "I initially put off going to the doctors.
"I was assuming the issues that I was experiencing, which just sort of felt like memory problems...I just put them down to stress.
"And I kind of thought the doctors would put it down to stress as well, so I thought, 'What's the point of going?'"
Although he had put his worries to the back of his mind, Fraser's partner encouraged him to get himself checked out.
He 'didn't score so well' on a cognitive test which he completed with his doctor, and further tests later revealed that he had early onset Alzheimer’s.
Incredibly, Fraser has managed to remain positive despite his diagnosis and now, he wants to help others who might be experiencing similar symptoms.
After he found out that he has the brain condition, he was 'keen to hear' how other people had gone on - hence why he started making YouTube videos.
"I kind of figured it'd be helpful for others who have who are going through that process, or are thinking about going to the doctors," he said in the clip.
Fraser has also previously shared some advice about what people should do if they begin experiencing symptoms of early onset Alzheimer’s.
Topics: YouTube, Health, Mental Health, Australia
Olivia Burke