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‘I am sorry about that. Some people don’t know when to stop talking,’ she said. ‘And there is a lot of ignorance around dementia, as we know. Now Alex,’ she said, turning to look at him. ‘The doctor will be through shortly to have a chat with you about the test results.’
‘Okay.’
Kirsty saw his eyes were bright and knew he was trying to put a brave face on things.
Nicola reached and patted his arm. ‘This is scary, I know, and all the information can be overwhelming, Alex. But Kirsty and Amy are here with you, and we are all here to help. I know it’s easy for me to say but try not to worry too much.’
The GP arrived with his folder. ‘Hi, Alex, how are you doing? It’s nice to see you.’
‘Hello there, doctor,’ said Dad.
‘Well, we have the results back from your tests,’ he said still talking directly to Dad, ‘and your blood and urine are all clear. Which is good as we needed to rule anything else out. But it would seem that our suspicions are correct.’
Kirsty felt her heart plummet as she watched her dad begin to cry. She hadn’t seen him cry since her mum died.
‘I understand it can be hard to get your head around. But the good news is that it is at its very early stages.’
‘What does that mean?’ interjected Amy.
‘It means that your dad, Alex,’ he said looking back and addressing him, ‘has a mild impairment and is in the early stages. The symptoms you told me about are very common in the early stage of dementia. So the forgetfulness and the shifts in mood you’ve been experiencing. I know you said you’d been feeling more down than usual. You also spoke of struggling to keep track of conversations? And feeling very tired at times?’
Dad nodded, dabbing at his eyes.
‘The good news is that at this stage, unless you want it to, life shouldn’t change too much. Lots of people actually don’t get diagnosed with dementia until much later. Now you know though, that will hopefully help you realize what is changing and what is happening. I hope you will feel less worried.’
Kirsty was stunned, letting the news sink in. It wasn’t exactly a shock, the signs had been there for a while but still it felt like they’d been dealt a blow which didn’t seem fair, especially after the loss of their mother.
‘This is a lot to take in,’ said the doctor looking at them all. ‘Give yourself some time to process it but the main thing to do is to focus on the things that youcando. I’ve got these leaflets here with more information and some really useful coping strategies. From what Nicola said it sounds like you’ve all been doing some of these anyway with the sticky notes in the kitchen and reminding Dad to pace himself. And in the meantime, we’ll refer Alex for some post-diagnostic support.’
Kirsty nodded. ‘Thank you, Doctor. Amy is here and staying with Dad too which is a help at the moment until we all get our heads around this.’
‘Thank you, Doctor,’ said Dad standing up and shaking his hand. ‘I appreciate you doing all of this.’
They walked outside, Dad flanked by Amy and Kirsty on either side. Nobody spoke and Kirsty racked her brain trying to think of something appropriate to say that would lighten the mood. However, it was their dad who spoke first.
‘Well,’ he said. ‘At least we know what’s going on and we’ll just have to deal with it. I couldn’t do this without your help, girls. Thank you so much.’
Kirsty put her arm around her dad, pulling him close. She glanced over his head at Amy who gave a small smile.
‘Anyway,’ he said, ‘remember what your mum always said? It’s not the end of the world . . .’
‘Until it’s the end of the world,’ they chorused together.
Epilogue
Two months after the wedding
The summer was nearing an end and Kirsty could barely believe that Emma’s wedding had been two months ago. Emma and Max were happily settling into married life in Edinburgh and Kirsty and Steve had promised to visit them in September once the twins were both settled and starting their new adventures . . .
Kirsty gulped as she pushed the thought away. Life had been an emotional rollercoaster of late and she could only deal with one day at a time. Fortunately, Dad was settled, and everyone felt less stressed now he had a diagnosis of dementia. There was no doubt that having Amy here was a huge help and it was definitely making a difference to all their lives.
Kirsty knew that Amy living with their dad wasn’t a long-term solution. However, before her mind spiralled into a whirl of anxious thoughts, she reminded herself that they all had to take things a day at a time.
Dad seemed the most happy and calm that he’d been since Mum’s death, which was such a relief.
Amy and James seemed to be taking things slowly, but Kirsty knew that she was besotted with him. She had noticed all the glances they exchanged when they thought nobody else was watching. Seeing her relaxed and happy was wonderful, especially as James seemed equally as smitten and had also been great with their dad too.
Things seemed to have changed for the better.
