Hi, Barbie, my name is Amy. My brother-in-law was diagnosed in April, but has symptoms for about 18-20 months before he was diagnosed. Your question about plateau is a good one. I have been wondering that myself. Tom has gone precipitously downhill in the last 10 months. I hope he can even out for a while. This is a horrible thing to go through and there seems to be something new every day. My thoughts are with you!