NHS Tayside is refusing to be drawn into a row over an alleged diagnosis blunder at Perth Royal infirmary.
Glynis McRobie claims she was told she had Alzheimer’s four years ago.
However, medics have recently confirmed that the 74-year-old is not suffering from the disease.
Glynis first went to her GP when husband Tony, 68, noticed she was becoming forgetful and was referred to a specialist at PRI for tests.
She was quizzed on names, dates and addresses and could only answer 71 out of 100 questions. Following a brain scan, medics diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s
She said: “When the doctor told me, I felt as though someone had thrown ice-cold water over me.
“I was rooted to the chair. I was in a total state of shock for months — I was suicidal.
“I was terrified my husband Tony would die before me and that I’d end up in a care home with no memories of my family or my life. I wasn’t willing to let that happen.”
Following the devastating diagnosis, Glynis and Tony sold their Crieff coffee shop and moved to Berwickshire to be near family.
Glynis was prescribed Exelon patches and underwent routine memory tests, but her scores started showing a dramatic increase.
She was eventually referred to a psychiatry specialist at Kelso Hospital in Roxburghshire, where she was told she did not have Alzheimer’s after all, she was actually suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment, which affects the memory but is not as serious as dementia and can improve over time.
She went on: “The nurse thinks that I was suffering from ‘pseudo-dementia’, as stress and worry can aggravate the symptoms of MCI.
“I was overjoyed at first but then became angry — I’d gone from thinking my life was over and needed an explanation.”
Glynis lodged an official complaint with NHS Tayside and an independent review by a private doctor ruled that her original diagnosis was “appropriate”.
She added: “This has had such a devastating effect on not only me but Tony and the rest of the family.
“I don’t know how to get back to being the person I was before I got that diagnosis. Those four years are a blur.
“I’m so glad we moved because if I’d never been tested in another health board area I might still believe I had Alzheimer’s.
“NHS Borders has really been my saviour.”
Glynis said she wants to sue NHS Tayside over her ordeal but can’t afford a lawsuit.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said, “As this is a legal matter, it would be inappropriate for us to comment.”
