Has hunger control turned off ?

[1mindy]

My oh has always had a 32" waist, he's 5'10" and this has never altered in the 32 years I have known him . He may be going into the later stages of dementia,but I'm not sure. Anyway he is always hungry ,he just eats and eats and is putting weight on at a considerable rate. I always thought that at this stage he would forget to eat. Any ideas or experience of it ?

 

[Canadian Joanne]

Sometimes it can be due to various drugs and sometimes it's just the disease. My mother would insist 10 minutes after a meal that she hadn't been given anything to eat. The home had to stop putting those little cream containers on the tables as my mother was walking around the dining room drinking them all.

I would think it's the disease, myself.

 

[nae sporran]

OH does the same thing, Joanne. The arguing and insisting she has not eaten all day about half an hour after lunch, not the cream. Though she does raid the fridge if i leave her for more than an hour in the afternoon. A fridge lock seems to have cured that one so far.

 

[balloo]

OH does the same thing, Joanne. The arguing and insisting she has not eaten all day about half an hour after lunch, not the cream. Though she does raid the fridge if i leave her for more than an hour in the afternoon. A fridge lock seems to have cured that one so far.

my MIl had had this problem after being put on some sleeping tablets we took her off them after 4 days , also some days she could eat 5 mins after a meal sometimes would not eat much at all part of illness now I feel

 

[Lilac Blossom]

My hubby has always had a good appetite but (before dementia) would never over eat. However now he doesn't know when to stop eating. this morning he had breakfast then about an hour later I made toast for him along with coffee. Having just finished that, he asked when are we having breakfast, I'm starving. He was convinced that he hadn't eaten anything today. He has been known to scoff my dinner as well as his own (postie came to the door and by the time I got back my dinner was gone)

 

[pussygalore]

My oh has always had a 32" waist, he's 5'10" and this has never altered in the 32 years I have known him . He may be going into the later stages of dementia,but I'm not sure. Anyway he is always hungry ,he just eats and eats and is putting weight on at a considerable rate. I always thought that at this stage he would forget to eat. Any ideas or experience of it ?

Hi 1mindy. Now I have the complete opposite my OH seems to have forgotten how to eat, he has trouble knowing how to use a knife and always seems to feel that he must leave most of his food. I have to gently bully him into finishing as much as he can but I am sure that he would be quite happy not ever to eat again which worries me. Although he says he is hungry at mealtimes he obviously is not. We even changed the colour of the plates to red to help him identify pale food. There does not seem to be an answer to anything does there. My OH is losing weight and has gone down two trouser sizes over the last year. Very worrying. I hope you get your problem sorted out and I will continue to battle with mine.

 

[1mindy]

[
Thanks all. No there does not seem to be any answers. It could be the tablets,but be is more stable with them.

 

[Jinx]

Hi 1mindy. Now I have the complete opposite my OH seems to have forgotten how to eat, he has trouble knowing how to use a knife and always seems to feel that he must leave most of his food. I have to gently bully him into finishing as much as he can but I am sure that he would be quite happy not ever to eat again which worries me. Although he says he is hungry at mealtimes he obviously is not. We even changed the colour of the plates to red to help him identify pale food. There does not seem to be an answer to anything does there. My OH is losing weight and has gone down two trouser sizes over the last year. Very worrying. I hope you get your problem sorted out and I will continue to battle with mine.

My husband has little appetite for savoury food now but will eat pudding, chocolate and sweets. Not a very healthy diet but he has still lost about two stone in the last few months.


Sent from my iPad using Talking Point

 

[Redpoppy]

Hunger

My husband forgets that he's eaten after just 10minutes,and if I tell him he's had a meal and what it was made up of he says "you're dreaming".fortunately the family know he has good,regular meals,but if he is not sitting in his chair in the living room he can usually be found looking for something to eat or drink in the kitchen. He get's confused with the bottles and brings them to me to check what they are as he doesn't seem to be able to read the labels.I've hidden the alcohol we bought over Christmas--best to be safe than sorry!! His waist measurement has risen from 34 to 36/38 ins.--not too bad as his mobility has deteriorated recently.

 

[Ann Mac]

Hi Mindy,

I also have issues with my Mil forgetting that she has recently eaten and claiming to be starving. She has a dreadfully sweet tooth too, and never remembers that she has diabetes, and I've actually had to deal with some really angry tantrums when I've had to refuse her the cakes/biscuits/sweets she frequently demands. Christmas was really hard, as obviously, there are more 'treats' at that time of year and I felt awful having to say 'No' to her - especially as all 3 of my kids were home and regularly tucking into things that she can't have too much of. Its not just the diabetes, either - she has arthritis in her knees and the pain gets worse with weight gain - and she also has COPD with excess weight also affecting her breathing and causing her distress. She, of course, is unable to link the cause and effect and continues to want to eat excessively

At one stage, she did gain a lot of weight and I found out that she was having a second breakfast at day care, plus being given cakes/buiscuits on demand. During her first weeks respite at the sister home to where she goes for DC, she put on 4.5lbs, because of this sort of attitude. I've raised the isuue in reviews, spoken to managers and senior staff - and yet I still know this is happening. One day, a week or so ago, I dropped her off after an appointment, rather than her getting the mini bus in and as we walked through the door she was offered 'tea and toast' - its clearly a regular thing. Its also a regular thing for me to find biscuits and sweets stuffed in her pockets, because they are left lying around for people to help themselves at DC or because sweets are often given as raffle or bingo prizes there - and also because she isn't above helping herself from residents bedrooms, I'm afraid! In response to this, I have stopped doing any sort of pudding for her at home, I've cut her breakfast portions of porridge and toast in half, she gets only a small eveing meal and she is never, ever given any biscuits or cake. I feel mean, but because I know she is getting so much extra in DC, I don't think -for the sake of her health - that I have much choice. I hate that this - in her eyes - often makes me the 'bad guy' too I've managed to keep her at a fairly stable size 16 for several months now - but getting her any lighter, when I know that DC (brilliant in most other respects) are not helping, feels like an impossible task Its a really hard one to deal with!

 

[pamann]

Hello 1 mindy, my OH has put on 2 stone since he has been in CH he is always wanting food they give him crisps inbetween meals, he always tells me he hasn't had any dinner, as ten minutes later he has forgotten, some people just don't want to eat and get very frail, its all part of the disease everyone is different.

 

[1mindy]

Hi Mindy,

I also have issues with my Mil forgetting that she has recently eaten and claiming to be starving. She has a dreadfully sweet tooth too, and never remembers that she has diabetes, and I've actually had to deal with some really angry tantrums when I've had to refuse her the cakes/biscuits/sweets she frequently demands. Christmas was really hard, as obviously, there are more 'treats' at that time of year and I felt awful having to say 'No' to her - especially as all 3 of my kids were home and regularly tucking into things that she can't have too much of. Its not just the diabetes, either - she has arthritis in her knees and the pain gets worse with weight gain - and she also has COPD with excess weight also affecting her breathing and causing her distress. She, of course, is unable to link the cause and effect and continues to want to eat excessively

At one stage, she did gain a lot of weight and I found out that she was having a second breakfast at day care, plus being given cakes/buiscuits on demand. During her first weeks respite at the sister home to where she goes for DC, she put on 4.5lbs, because of this sort of attitude. I've raised the isuue in reviews, spoken to managers and senior staff - and yet I still know this is happening. One day, a week or so ago, I dropped her off after an appointment, rather than her getting the mini bus in and as we walked through the door she was offered 'tea and toast' - its clearly a regular thing. Its also a regular thing for me to find biscuits and sweets stuffed in her pockets, because they are left lying around for people to help themselves at DC or because sweets are often given as raffle or bingo prizes there - and also because she isn't above helping herself from residents bedrooms, I'm afraid! In response to this, I have stopped doing any sort of pudding for her at home, I've cut her breakfast portions of porridge and toast in half, she gets only a small eveing meal and she is never, ever given any biscuits or cake. I feel mean, but because I know she is getting so much extra in DC, I don't think -for the sake of her health - that I have much choice. I hate that this - in her eyes - often makes me the 'bad guy' too I've managed to keep her at a fairly stable size 16 for several months now - but getting her any lighter, when I know that DC (brilliant in most other respects) are not helping, feels like an impossible task Its a really hard one to deal with!

This is enlightening. We are looking at day care today at lunch time( they suggested so we could see the dining bit). So feeding is a good questioned snacks etc

 

[Jean1234]

Sweet tooth

My oh has always had a 32" waist, he's 5'10" and this has never altered in the 32 years I have known him . He may be going into the later stages of dementia,but I'm not sure. Anyway he is always hungry ,he just eats and eats and is putting weight on at a considerable rate. I always thought that at this stage he would forget to eat. Any ideas or experience of it ?

My OH seems to have got his appetite back since going on the donepezil tablets. He had really lost interest in food before. But the odd thing is that he has lost weight which I believe is due to his giving up alcohol. He was a big drinker before. But he eats so much sweet things on top of his meals. I buy him packs of chocolate mousse which he loves which come in a pack of four, supposedly for his puds for four days but find he had raided the fridge and usually polishes off three in one day! I don't like to nag as he has been so good keeping off the alcohol because of his night time tablets. I did read somewhere that the sense of taste for sweet things was the last to go with people with Dementia so maybe they have a heightened craving for them before?