A Tattoo on my Brain A Neurologist's Personal Battle against Alzheimer's Disease

Dr Daniel Gibbs is one of 50 million people worldwide with an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. Unlike most patients with Alzheimer's, however, Dr Gibbs worked as a neurologist for twenty-five years, caring for patients with the very disease now affecting him. Also unusual is that Dr Gibbs had begun to suspect he had Alzheimer's several years before any official diagnosis could be made. Forewarned by genetic testing showing he carried alleles that increased the risk of developing the disease, he noticed symptoms of mild cognitive impairment long before any tests would have alerted him. In this highly personal account, Dr Gibbs documents the effect his diagnosis has had on his life and explains his advocacy for improving early recognition of Alzheimer's. Weaving clinical knowledge from decades caring for dementia patients with his personal experience of the disease, this is an optimistic tale of one man's journey with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Prologue; 1. Beacon Rock; 2. Forewarned and Forearmed; 3. The Smell of Baking Bread; 4. Sneak Preview; 5. A Stubborn Puzzle; 6. The Locked Box and the Family Tree; 7. The Measure of Memory; 8. Orcas, Nonetheless; 9. My Brain, My Self; 10. The Reveal; 11. Cognitive Reserve: Brain Cells in the Bank; 12. My Experimental Life; 13. When ARIA is More Than an Operatic Solo; 14. My Experiential Life: Living with Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease; 15. Madeleines, Music and African Doves; 16. It's Only Scary if You Look Down; 17. Beyond DNA: Family History Reconsidered; 18. NEWS AT 5: Retired Neurologist Battles Alzheimer's; 19. The Forest, the Trees and the Ground Beneath My Feet; 20. What's in a Name? Alzheimer's Reimagined; 21. A Meaningful Outcome; Epilogue: The Writing Life; Appendix: The MIND Diet Basics; Resources; Index.

Daniel Gibbs is a retired neurologist in Portland, Oregon with early-stage Alzheimer's disease. Having spent twenty-five years caring for patients, many with dementia themselves, he is now an active advocate for the early recognition and management of Alzheimer's.
Teresa H. Barker is journalist and nonfiction book cowriter whose collaborations include strong narrative treatments of subjects including medical science, creative aging, child and adult development, parenting and life in the digital age.