Dementia or not???

[bell6]

Hi guys....

I have posted a few threads over the past..... but this time I am really confused.

Six months back dad was diagnosed with Dementia.... that was done after several physical tests, a CT scan , his sudden memory loss and aggressive behavior. This all happened so fast. The doctor could not perform and behavioral tests or cognitive test because dad was so aggressive that he would try to hit and yell at them. He was a very occupied person before this all happened the reason for this I should say that he was depressed about his eye operation which led him to not strain his eye for a few months, which made him stay away from the computer, tv etc.... this made him depressed day by day and then he withdrew from us.and one fine day he became aggressive.

So now he is sedated and well settled at home.but he sleeps all the time, does not talk to us, gets irritated when we ask questions and like to be alone.

but few weeks back, we saw a change in him. He tried to exercise , makes an effort to socialize with us ( i don't live with my parents, but visit them often) and tries to watch TV ( his eye is now almost better), and the memory loss seems to be getting better to as he has recited all his account numbers to mum last week and asked for the balances ( one month back he just wanted to die and spoke about dying only)

we are so very happy to see this but at the same time very very confused.....
so I called the doctor and asked her if dad got the correct diagnosis... and she mentioned that IT SHOULD BE, but since dad was not cooperative at that time they couldn't perform more tests.

has this happen to anyone, where people have faced temporary meomory loss and aggressive behavior.... or am I just wishful thinking?

Bell

 

[loveahug]

Hi Bell

If i were you I'd ask for a new set of tests, it sounds more like a deep depression because of the loss of his sight might have been the trigger. It's very hard for a doctor to diagnose when faced with aggression and no-one really knows what your father was thinking about his situation at the time.

I hope he continues to improve so it relieves the pressure on all those around hime.

Best wishes

 

[bell6]

Hi Bell

If i were you I'd ask for a new set of tests, it sounds more like a deep depression because of the loss of his sight might have been the trigger. It's very hard for a doctor to diagnose when faced with aggression and no-one really knows what your father was thinking about his situation at the time.

I hope he continues to improve so it relieves the pressure on all those around hime.

Best wishes

Hi loveahug,

the thing is , he still refuses to go out at all.... so its very hard to take him to the doctor... though i think he will change his mind soon.... because now he takes walks in the garden as well.... The doctor told us to monitor him and then we can continue the correct medicine and dosages.

thanks for your prompt reply .... thats what I love about this site.... all you guys are awsome...

Love
Bell

 

[stanleypj]

I don't suppose there's a definitive answer but anything's possible.

You will find on TP examples of all kinds of things that can make dementia symptoms far more pronounced, e.g. infections (particularly UTIs), severe constipation, dehydration, low sodium levels amongst many other things. So it's possible that the changes in him due to the eye problem could have produced these symptoms. They may find that he does have dementia but it could be much less severe than they thought when he was at his worst.

My own feeling is that it's O.K. to hope for the best when there are these encouraging signs even though you may get knocked back eventually.

Someone said. 'there's no such things as false hope'. Not quite true but you can see what they meant.

False hope is at least better than false fear.

If he does seem to be improving, I'd do anything I could to encourage him to believe that he might improve further.

 

[bell6]

I don't suppose there's a definitive answer but anything's possible.

You will find on TP examples of all kinds of things that can make dementia symptoms far more pronounced, e.g. infections (particularly UTIs), severe constipation, dehydration, low sodium levels amongst many other things. So it's possible that the changes in him due to the eye problem could have produced these symptoms. They may find that he does have dementia but it could be much less severe than they thought when he was at his worst.

My own feeling is that it's O.K. to hope for the best when there are these encouraging signs even though may get knocked back eventually.

Someone said. 'there's no such things as false hope'. Not quite true but you can see what they meant.

False hope is at least better than false fear.

If he does seem to be improving, I'd do anything I could to encourage him to believe that he might improve further.

hello stanleypj

thank you for your reply, he had a massive stroke few years back... which shows in his CT scans that most of his nerves in the brain are blocked. So doctors guessed that this caused dementia as well...

I am hoping so hoping that this is not the case.... here we were expecting the worse and getting ready to face the worse.... and then this happened...., but honestly its so nice to have a meal with him , laugh with him.... he now laughs at our jokes... few weeks back he was like a zombie with no reaction to whatsoever...

I am smiling a bit again ( a big confused smile)

 

[RobinH]

Hi

I think as others have said, there are many physical & mental illnesses that mimic the symptoms of dementia. Depression is certainly one of them.

While most dementia patients decline while in hospital, & some recover quickly on release, nobody here reports genuine improvements - certainly not as dramatic as this.

So lets hope this is not dementia. Its really important to get him assessed completely afresh - the medical proffession loves certainty, and turning that supertanker around will be hard. But you have more to gain, or lose, than the rest of us.

Good luck

 

[zeeeb]

Is he on any mediation (like aricept)? I know with mum, once she started medication she stabilised alot. Looked and acted alot better. Her mini mental tests improved quite a few times in a row when she had them. Mum has had her diagnosis for 2 years now, and she still has a pretty good memory. She hasn't really lost her memory. She has confusion, and she does silly things, like walking to a room to get something, and forgetting it, but she remembers most things when she tries. But she is quite obviously struggling with many other aspects of life (like using a knife and fork).