Can stress worsen or hasten dementia?

[Jaffy]

Monday, hubby and I were out in God's world to take a walk and yes, discuss stressful subjects. (Are there any other kind, any more?) He mentioned a problem back at home and said, "The window in the new room...." (the room is almost 3 1/2 years old). I began straining my brain to recall this "new room". He noticed I wasn't catching it so he started at the beginning and continued again. I said "Stop. I don't remember a "new room". I'm crying because I can tell that he is the one who knows what he is talking about and I am LOST! He holds me. Then he said "You go in our front door...." I cry harder. "What's wrong?" I finally answer "I can't find our front door in my mind. In fact I can't even remember what our home looks like." He is speechless! Still holding me and I'm crying harder by the minute! Then I say "I found our home, and the front door!" (In my mind of course.) He then repeated "You go in the front door, go through the front room then turn left when you are in the hall." Thinking hard, I said, "I got it!" We dropped the subject and took our walk, after all. We had been gone no more than 2 1/2 hours when we arrived back at home. (I knew it, thank God.) I went in and turned right to the kitchen=supper time. He came and got my hand to still talk about the window in the new room. I went but in my mind, I had turned right into the spare bedroom not the new room at all! More tears and fears!

What happened? Is this the beginning of the end of reality? He asks "Could you have told someone where you live and how take you there?" I don't know- how I could when I couldn't "see" it in my mind! I have never been so scared in all my born days!

We went shopping today and my mind was fine, and I joked and laughed with others in the store. If I had told them about Monday they would have thought it too was a joke. But believe be this is no laughing matter! Do things like this come more often?

Thanks, I know this is long but if I ever needed to know that there are others out on this planet that knows something of what happened but I hope they have never and will never experience it for really. Love.

 

[Sue J]

Hi Jaffy

Good to see you online, you are not alone. I have a small flat and have not yet got lost in it but I do understand how one minute your brain is so not right that episodes such adyou describe occur. I still 'remember' my last episode but try to f forget it, it has gone and I look to each day anew and hope it doesn't reoccur, it may, I hope not but til it d does I make do with what brain functioning I have each day, not brilliant tonight.

Stress, NEVER, helps me anymore.
Love to you
Sue

 

[Jaffy]

Sue, I find it very distressing how one day I am one person capable to do something and the next day or a whole month I forget how to do it! The funeral is over today, now I just have to sell everything and pay off her bills and kick out the free loaders. I don't mind helping people and giving but I have responsibilities and they come first and hubby is worried-out of his/my own mind!!

 

[Sue J]

I know exactly Jaffy how you feel and trouble is other people only seem to see the capable you. I can't imagine the stress on you now dealing with the Executrix for someone with such changing capabilities.
love and strength to you
xxxx

 

[Vesnina]

I am quite sure that stress can worsen or hasten dementia,
but the process can be reversed,
this can be just temporary...

It is important to bring yourself in peace and calm as soon as possible,
and you will feel better and be cleverer again.

Do not stay too long in state of too high stress...
Learn how to cope with stress to minimize the influence on your condition...

Forgive me for being "clever", please... I speak from some years of careful watching...

 

[stargirl]

Your story was very moving. I don't have dementia, abut I feel like your words have offered some small but real insight.

In my experience, yes, stress and upset can make dementia symptoms worse in the moment. And of course, the more panicked and upset you get about not remembering, the harder it is to remember!

When my Dad can't quite find the words or a memory and is getting upset, I say, 'that's ok, I'll ask you about it again later'.
Later on when things are calm again, or we're sat having cup of tea, I bring it up again and he says, 'oh yes, that!' and tells me all about it

 

[Sammyjo1]

I don't have dementia myself but live with someone who does. The other day he said that he thought he'd got his mental map of the house back in place so it sounds like he has similar confusions to you about where he lives.

He also says that he finds it much harder if things are stressful and he can pick up signals of when I am stressed which makes his dementia worse so I have to try very hard and keep everything really calm around him.

I'm not sure if this helps you or not. It was really helpful for me to read what happened to you as it helps me to understand a little of what it's like

I hope you can manage to keep the stresses away as much as possible

 

[Rageddy Anne]

My husband sometimes can't imagine ' home' when we're out, or somewhere 'out' when we are in. But when he gets there he does know. He has more difficulty after dark than in daylight.

 

[shelagh]

I think similar things happen to all of us.

Monday, hubby and I were out in God's world to take a walk and yes, discuss stressful subjects. (Are there any other kind, any more?) He mentioned a problem back at home and said, "The window in the new room...." (the room is almost 3 1/2 years old). I began straining my brain to recall this "new room". He noticed I wasn't catching it so he started at the beginning and continued again. I said "Stop. I don't remember a "new room". I'm crying because I can tell that he is the one who knows what he is talking about and I am LOST! He holds me. Then he said "You go in our front door...." I cry harder. "What's wrong?" I finally answer "I can't find our front door in my mind. In fact I can't even remember what our home looks like." He is speechless! Still holding me and I'm crying harder by the minute! Then I say "I found our home, and the front door!" (In my mind of course.) He then repeated "You go in the front door, go through the front room then turn left when you are in the hall." Thinking hard, I said, "I got it!" We dropped the subject and took our walk, after all. We had been gone no more than 2 1/2 hours when we arrived back at home. (I knew it, thank God.) I went in and turned right to the kitchen=supper time. He came and got my hand to still talk about the window in the new room. I went but in my mind, I had turned right into the spare bedroom not the new room at all! More tears and fears!

What happened? Is this the beginning of the end of reality? He asks "Could you have told someone where you live and how take you there?" I don't know- how I could when I couldn't "see" it in my mind! I have never been so scared in all my born days!

We went shopping today and my mind was fine, and I joked and laughed with others in the store. If I had told them about Monday they would have thought it too was a joke. But believe be this is no laughing matter! Do things like this come more often?

Thanks, I know this is long but if I ever needed to know that there are others out on this planet that knows something of what happened but I hope they have never and will never experience it for really. Love.

I
I think being stressed when we become confused deepens the confusion and makes us feel temporarily much worse. My most frequent confusion is worrying about family members I should be visiting who are in fact now dead. I think it might also be mixed up with my own fears of being abandoned but I can get into a real state about it. Distraction works, for me, some quiet. some familiar gentle music but attempts to explain usually don't. Like you I can feel absolutely normal the next day and that is confusing in itself,. We can only make the best of the good times and set the confusions to one sided.

 

[AlsoConfused]

(Not necessarily dementia related)

Hanging on for dear life to "coping" mantras like "It'll be better tomorrow" is sometimes the only thing there to hope for. Cuddles always seem to help.

 

[creativesarah]

I got really freaked out when out on a walk in the village where I have lived for over 30 years when I suddenly thought our back garden had changed
Where had the red Rose come from? why did the fence look different?

It wasnt until I had walked on a few more steps that I discovered our garden was just as it always was with the bench by the stream

I really freaked out