Wellness

[donovan]

Oooh I forgot about that Gooday.

Yes, when my dad would get a UTI, it sent his dementia into overdrive.

[2cockers1cat]

Yes, that happened to FIL, too. UTI's seem to add so much unfiltered toxins to the body that dementia escalates.

[Gooday]

On 12/3/2014 2cockers1cat said:

Yes, that happened to FIL, too. UTI's seem to add so much unfiltered toxins to the body that dementia escalates.

Absolutely!

[FlyersGirl]

Hi Gardenman!

What you and others describe is pretty much what I went through for 6 years caring for my (late) father. I referred to him as my "human Energizer battery"....he would be fully "charged" (awake/lucid and "totally normal") for about 48 hours. The next 24 he would start to wind down. Then his battery "died" and he would sleep for about 48 hours. Then the cycle would start again. I actually planned his doctor visits, hair cuts and other activities around those fully charged days so that he was easier to handle. My Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's so regardless of his good days or sleepy days, he still had short term memory issues and sometimes became agitated. I also asked his PCP about this (who was AMAZING and very supportive). He has seen these cycles in other geriatric patients. He would not say it was "typical" or "normal" but he did advise that it is not "uncommon" to experience this.

I wish you and your mom the best. Cherish every minute of those "normal" days that you have with her.

Hugs (and Go Eagles!)

Cindy

[chrystaltree]

....I bet her doctor would know!

[gardenman]

She was just at her PCP a couple of weeks ago and got a clean bill of health in terms of infections and this has been ongoing for some time now. She's almost like someone who's OD'ed on energy drinks one day (hyper-caffeinated) and then super sleepy the next, then back to normal for several days. It's a pretty wild swing and I wasn't finding a lot of information online showing that to be a typical behavior with dementia patients, so I popped the question up here. It sounds like many here have experienced the same thing.

[Lilysmom]

Thinking of you with prayers gardenman. I lost my 59 year old sister to early onset Alzheimer's. It came with hallucinations, the whole works. Take care of yourself. LM

[SoX]

On 12/3/2014 donovan said:

It could be a form of dementia called Lewy Body Dementia, especially with the hallucinations.

Good Luck Gardenman.

I'm thinking the same thing ... not that they aren't all bad, but this particular form of dementia is just the worst, in my opinion.

My dear friend suffers from it ... complete with hallucinations, performing imaginary tasks by rote, thinking someone is stalking her, etc. She doesn't know her own grandchildren, or any of her old friends. This is an awful disease.

[SoX]

Sorry ... double post.

[ID2]

It sounds pretty normal from my experience. Early on in my dads dementia he would call me in the middle of the night. He'd be dressed and waiting for me to come over to take him to whatever appt. he had that next day. He had no concept of time whatsoever. He seemed to never sleep. Nap yes, sleep a full night, never. I hate to say this but get yourself ready for a bumpy ride. God bless those that have dementia and for those of us caring for them.