Hasanyone experienced tilting backwards??

hawaii50

Registered User
Just wondering if anyone has experience this with their loved ones. My husband and I took my mum out for an hour yesterday to a local garden centre - she still seems to enjoy doing this (my dad was a very keen gardener). Anyway after about 20 minutes walking around I noticed she was tilted back almost at a 45 degree angle. We couldn't get her to straighten up and had to take an arm each to get her back to the car. She wasn't sure where to put her feet all of a sudden and also lost her balance. Within half an hour she was ok and seemed fine for the rest of the evening. She always has low blood pressure but the systolic reading was elevated yesterday and also tonight to 165 over 89.
She was very very confused today (even more than normal) and isn't making any sense at all. She has eaten all her meals ok. Any thoughts that it might be a TIA?? She had a couple of TIA's about 6 years ago. The last TIA's she had showed up on a CAT scan but none of the family knew she had had them.
When my dad had a full blown stroke and the doctor came he wasn't taken into hospital for 10 hours so I am not sure at what point you are supposed to alert the medical profession - any thoughts?
 

connie

Registered User
Mar 7, 2004
9,519
0
Frinton-on-Sea
Not sure about the TIA's, but dear Lionel started to do the 'lean backwards' a couple of years ago.

As a lot of his problems stemmed from mobility, and lack of spatial awareness, I just accepted it as par for the course. Do hope you get some answers to your question soon, and get things sorted out for mum.
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
please take a look at http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/talkingpoint/discuss/showthread.php?t=3923&highlight=listing

My Jan has mixed dementia - Alzheimer's and vascular. She has TIAs.

Whether it is the TIAs or medication, or the Alzheimer's, or just the progression into dementia and subsequent loss of spatial awareness, she did at one time tilt - always to one side or the other.

A fellow resident at her care home would tilt backwards very alarmingly, though, to my knowledge he never actually tipped over.
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
hawaii50 said:
She always has low blood pressure but the systolic reading was elevated yesterday and also tonight to 165 over 89.

No first hand experience of the tilting, as my mum was always more of a 'shuffler'. However, she does have Parkinson's disease as well as dementia, which could account for that.

I would think it might be worth mentioning the blood pressure to her GP as 165/89 is rather high, especially if her blood pressure is normally low.

Brenda
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
Can't help with the tilting, I'm afraid, but my mother is always more out of it, sometimes sleeping for 23 out of 24 hours after a TIA or a seizure.

Jennifer
 

hawaii50

Registered User
thanks

Thanks everyone - at least I now know it's something that seems to happen as part of AD. I checked out your link Brucie and it helped to read all the responses. Mum is not on any medication so it's not that - she neither tilted to the left or right just straight back - and like the links I read about those who have seen this - it is very alarming!!
I'll keep a close eye on her over the next couple of days and take her for a check up to the GP after the easter break.
 

erik

Registered User
Apr 7, 2007
25
0
Norway
www.pbase.com
Hi,

I have been reading this forum a couple of years now, but this is my first time posting.

My mother was diagnosed with AD about 3,5 years ago. She shuffles when she walks and has problems with dizziness. A couple of months ago she started listing to one side. The day after it was even more pronounced and she also had problems "putting one foot in front of the other". As we sat down to eat, she could not grip her fork. She tried to use one arm to pull the other arm forward and although she could reach the fork she could not manage to pick it up.

She also seemed more confused than usual.

After a lot of searching on the internet I found the reason. She was dehydrated. I gave her orange juice mixed with mineral water (containing salt) throughout the evening and in a couple of hours the list was gone and she seemed more "together".

I'm not saying dehydration is the only reason for listing to one side, but it may be worth checking.

Erik
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,445
0
Kent
Hi erik,

Welcome to Talking Point.

Your connection between listing and dehydration is very interesting. I suppose Alzheimer sufferers get to a stage when they are unable to help themselves to drink and depend on it being provided by carers.
There are also those who consciously drink less for fear of incontinence.
It`s certainly worth bearing in mind.

I hope you continue to post.
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
Hi Erik and welcome to TP

I think you're right: it's easy for our loved ones to become dehydrated. Let's face it, it's easy enough for anyone to become dehydrated (I believe that by the time you're thirsty, you're already there). The other thing to consider, though, particularly with one-sided weakness is a stroke.

Jennifer
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,445
0
Kent
Thanks erik,

With the best will in the world we can, unintentionally, neglect the most basic of needs.
The more information we have the more able we are to be aware of what constitutes good care.
 

Helena

Registered User
May 24, 2006
715
0
TIAs =vascular dementia

The effects of which vary from day to day and hour to hour

My Mother was 90 when she died but for 5 years had had increasing funny turns / accidents/incidents the dementia from it kicked in 18 months before she died although its clear she lost / hid many many problems long before this
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
0
SW Scotland
My mother had TIAs for 20 years, before dying of a stroke aged 92. She had absolutely no signs of dementia, her memory was better than mine.
 

Helena

Registered User
May 24, 2006
715
0
Well I guess it depends which part of the brain is affected then because thats what hospital told me was the end result
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
Helena said:
Well I guess it depends which part of the brain is affected then because thats what hospital told me was the end result

Hi Helena

some people who have TIAs will have vascular dementia - whether the TIAs are a symptom or a cause, I'm not sure. It may well depend on which part of the brain is affected.

I witnessed my dad having one but think it was probably a one off. I got the impression from the GP that the evidence as to whether he had had one or not would be purely anecdotal - so if there were no 'witnesses' then no one would probably ever know.

Brenda
 

jenniferpa

Registered User
Jun 27, 2006
39,442
0
Since a tia is a transient ischemic attack, and transient, by definition, means temporary, a TIA will not directly lead to vascular dementia. However, of course, having a TIA is not a normal occurance: something is stopping the blood flow, and at some point that something is going to cause more long-term damage. So I would say a TIA is a symptom rather than a cause.
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
I think also that the evidence suggests that if someone has a TIA - sometimes called a mini-stroke - then it is also more likely that they will have a 'major' stroke. However, just because it is more likely does not mean it is a foregone conclusion.

Brenda
 

noelphobic

Registered User
Feb 24, 2006
3,452
0
Liverpool
jenniferpa said:
Since a tia is a transient ischemic attack, and transient, by definition, means temporary, a TIA will not directly lead to vascular dementia. However, of course, having a TIA is not a normal occurance: something is stopping the blood flow, and at some point that something is going to cause more long-term damage. So I would say a TIA is a symptom rather than a cause.

I think it could possibly be both - the TIA is a symptom of something being wrong, then its occurrence also leads to further damage, if that makes any sense.

However, this is pure conjecture on my part, not being medically qualified of course!

Brenda
 

Margarita

Registered User
Feb 17, 2006
10,824
0
london
in the middle stages of my mother AZ she started to lose her balance if she walk she would always have to hold on to my arm , then it progressed that when she was sitting down and got up she would fall backward, back on the chair . When I tell her to stand up she very unsteady, so the Zimmer frame give her the balance.

some days she has more
confidence
and does not get scared that she going to fall if I stand near her , I make sure I have Zimmer frame around in case she fall on to me , chair or bed to fall back on , but then she ok and holds on to things, the wall , door.

She can’t walk in the stress alone with out me as the noise traffic, people confuses her a lot I find , that why when at home with me around in a calm atmosphere , she more likely not to fall.


she seem ok at night time going to toilet alone her bed next to a door so she hold on to the door handle to get up even thought she does have something on her bed to help her get up when laying down , that help her life her body up when laying down, Door handles to grip if she fall back down on to bed .
I have real wood flooring , door need sanding at bottom to help it move , but am leavening it like that as it help her
 
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