Alcohol.

[Grommit]

I thought this was worth a mention.

Jean is in the latter stages of AD, language gone, spatial awareness gone, in fact you name it, its gone.

Normally I keep the door to the drinks cupbaord firmly closed, only because Jean has tidying up sessions and turfs everything out down the garden. She has been unable to open bottles for some time now.

However, I must have left it open one night whilst i was upstairs doing something else and when i got down, there was about a quarter bottle of De Kuypers Cherry brandy missing.

The bottle had disappeared and, when I found it, it had no top on and the contents had gone.

Jean was sat in her chair giggling and then she started speaking lucidly for about five minutes about how she was looking forward to her holidays and how she would like to do something horrendous to the springer spaniel we have had staying with us.

And all this from someone who normally is monsyllabic at best and just grunts at worst.

Of course, this may not be alcohol related and just be a flash in the pan, and no, I am not advocating that we get our loved ones drunk in some sort of bizarre experiment to see if alcohol has some effect on AD.

I just thought that it was worth posting to see if anyone else had similar or more detrimental experiences with the demon drink.

 

[jenniferpa]

Yes! Actually the last lucid conversation I had with my mother was when she'd had a tipple (or possibly two). On thinking about it, I think the alcohol served to loosen her inhibitions: she had had several strokes and was somewhat aware of her deficeits but when she'd had a drink she was more willing to do something more than nod or smile.

Edited to add: I had another thought on this - when she had had something to drink it may have seemed more familiar. She always did like a drink, and possible having alcohol in her system made her "muzziness" more understandable to her. There may have been a physiological reason as well: doesn't alcohol increase vascular dilation (or is it the other way around)?

 

[Grannie G]

I`ve found with Dhiren that Alcohol relaxes the anxiety. The only trouble is, it`s hard to gauge the appropriate `dose`.

When he has a drink, he is far more mellow, the agitation goes and he`s so much easier to be with.

Sadly, because he`s diabetic, it can only be a very occasional tipple, otherwise I`d give him drink every day.

 

[connie]

Ah, good red wine was Lionel favourite drink.

Alas although wine (and sherry) is served at his care home, and indeed I even used to keep a bottle of Sloe Gin in his room, he has lost the ability to sip and enjoy. Does not even like the taste.

Yes, he too was more mellow after a glass or two. Oh for those days back again.

 

[DeborahBlythe]

I don't know the answer. My mum used to love a sip or two of sherry, but on Sunday the home produced a glass of it for her and she pulled one of her ' Why- are- you- trying- to- poison- me?- That's- disgusting!' faces.
She has had a couple of really lucid exchanges recently, unconnected with alcohol.
It does make you wonder what on earth produces these sudden connections. My mother's conversations now are a stream of pretty much incomprehensible strings of thoughts and feelings. I try hard to guess what she means but usually have to simply act comprehension and make responses based on the tone or emotion behind the words rather than the content. However, she does still have sensible thoughts, just can't find the right words to express them, bless her.

 

[Sandy]

Alcohol and diabetes

Sylvia,

You might want to take a look at the latest guidance on alcohol from the British Diabetic Assn: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Food_and_recipes/Alcohol_and_diabetes/

My husband has been an insulin-dependent diabetic for about 16 years now and usually has a glass of wine with dinner and manages to keep his blood sugar well controlled. In fact, a glass of dry wine can actually lower blood sugar.

Take care,

Sandy

 

[Grannie G]

Thank you Sandy, that was very interesting. He likes beer and I do get some bottles in, but ration them. Maybe I won`t need to ration them as much.

 

[jenniferpa]

I know what you all mean about tastes changing: my mother's drink of choice was gin and American Dry Ginger, but shortly after her strokes she went right off that. At the end, the thing she liked most was Bailey's Irish Cream, which as far as I'm concerned is tooth acheingly sweet.