My wife is 25 years old and has been tested and has the HD gene. Over the past year she seems to get very irritable. She has chased off much of her family and mine with outrageous accusations. We are lucky to go one day with out a fight. I try to be reasonable, but it feels like many of her feelings and thoughts are very unreasonable. I also see her talking to herself most of the time when she is alone. She seems to have trouble with her short term memory and has even acknowledged this too me and has asked me to help her with it.

A lot of these seem like symptoms of HD that I am reading about. But is it too early?

Is there any place that might have better treatment centers in the US? For instance is Oregon any better than Minnesota or Kansas?

No, it's not too early. And yes, those were early symptoms for my wife.

I suggest you go look back on the older threads here and look for this very same topic many times.

HD can happen from 2 to 72 depending on the CAG count.

And no, treatment is spotty and superfical everywhere. There is really no treatment other than antidepressant medications.

I hear ya worried.....My gf is 26 with a CAG of 56 ..but when I met her in 2000 I had no idea she had HD...I just thought she was very unreasonable,selfish at times.Even when she was tested in 2003 the results were negative or so I was told.In June of this year I accompanied her to her Dr. where she broke the news I had prayed wasn't true,she was positive HD.Like Fred said, onset can begin at any age, even though it usually begins in middle age.As strange as it may sound,I find myself wishing she had the later age onset so we could do a few more things while she is still able to ambulate.But it is not in the cards I guess.As a young married couple, you will find many social obstacles to overcome if you remain together.You will have to learn to interpret for her as well as cover for any gaffes(I know I sure did) At some point when you accept that you cannot change or wish away the diagnosis it gets easier to live with.I found myself more patient to Lisa's petulance and better able to deal with what is surely coming in the not-so-distant future.In short,it sucks be with someone displaying symptoms so young.When I get very frustrated though,I TRY to imagine what it's like to be in her shoes.That usually sets me straight again.If you are not already,get her on some fish oil & creatine as they have suggested some benefit to early stage HD.Other than that you just have to learn to accept what her HD status will mean to your future(s) It is going to be easier to make changes and set routines now,than it will be later.Good Luck!!!

Worried,

While yor wife is asking for help you need to jump on that. While as Fred says treatment is superficial as far as slowing progression, there are lots of drugs that can relieve some of the mental and behavioral symptoms. If you live in a state with a center of excellence make an appt. there. If not my first suggestion is try any med school in your state and make an appt. in their dept. of neurology. These drugs while not cures, can make daily life much more manageable. As she progresses the medications will need adjustment. But as for now those daily fights and und unreasonable behaviors can be relieved or lessened. The reason I say jump on this now, is that she is willing to go to a doctor now. That can change and then you will be in a world of hurt...and so will she. If you will post your location I or someone may be able to help you find a suitable place for treatment. Best of luck.

For what it is worth, I would be unable to have my wife at our home without the help of a psychiatrist. She has been emotionally stable for a couple of years. Emotional issues are extremely difficult to manage. If you can find a psychiatrist, who understands HD, it's worth it.

Hello/I am 46 years and /am an H.D carrier /I take Zoloft to help with depression it seems to help/the memorary loss I have too sometimes/but i thought it had to do with the way I treated myself growin up. thanks Jane/ good luck

Thank you all for your comments. They have been very helpful.

I am 33 years old.I was tested pos. for the gene a few months ago. I have all the same problems that he has listed. Some of them for years...I had a MRI done at the same time of the gene test. My MRI came out neg. My PCP and husband thinks it is just stress and anxatiy and dapression. My dotor put me on 10mg. of Lexapro. Now he has up it to 20 mg. So are these really the early signs?????