Feeling lost

[Elenisarah]

Hi, I’ve never posted anything before. My OH was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in August. He’s been prescribed Rivastigmine which initially calmed him, but still left him a bit confused. However, last week he suffered from overflow constipation, which was traumatic for both of us. He has now recovered from that, but the confusion has increased significantly. I am finding it hard to come to terms with how his comprehension has deteriorated in the last year. I’ve been reading some of the other posts and realise I still have much worse to come, but it feels such a lonely place to be.

 

[sapphire turner]

Hi Elenisarah that must have been awful coping with his bowel problems you have certainly gone in at the deep end! I wonder if it’s a side effect of his meds? Might be worth a review by the prescriber. My husband started on donepezil and it made him very angry but then they changed him to memantine and he has been much better.
I got very overwhelmed by the thought of bad things to come to start with but in some ways the beginning is the worst bit in coming to terms with how life might pan out.
The main thing is to remember to look after yourself so you can be there for him. Whatever that takes. Sending love ❤️ xxx

 

[northumbrian_k]

Hi @Elenisarah and welcome to posting on our supportive and friendly site. I know that sometimes reading posts here can give an impression of nothing but gloom. I am not going to pretend that looking after someone with dementia is not hard work or emotionally challenging. It is, but if you look around here you'll find plenty of examples of pleasure and joy that is still possible despite dementia. It doesn't seem that way when you are dealing with difficult situations but, sometimes, for a few fleeting moments things do happen to lighten the mood. And when you are feeling down you can always come here to share your burden with people who truly understand. I do hope that this helps in some way.