Hello, I am feeling pretty desperate and am hoping someone may be able to offer some pointers.
My mum (aged 82) at Christmas started 'seeing people' in the trees outside her house. My dad died in May and she's gone further down hill since then - so she cooks food for him still, insists he's in the house but not talking to her (and she packs a bag to leave), imagines he's having an affair, that he's in the car and won't come out, says that he's sat in a chair but with no torso or legs or head. In addition she insists her father and mother visit the house. She lives alone since Dad;s death and I can't get any help from social services who insist that as she can wash, cook and dress herself they can offer no assistance.
GP appointments have led to a referal to a memory clinic - she's now had memory tests, blood tests, urine tests, ecg tests and a brain scan and an appointment with a psychatrist. The psychatrist has offered no diagnosis (though she tells us that the brain scan indicated some frontal lobe changes) - apparently they have to see some deterioration before they can diagnoise - which seems insane to me as the symptoms she has are surely indicative of things not being right.
The community mental health team tell me they are keeping an eye - which seems to consist of a nurse visiting on an ad hoc basis to see how she is (every 3 weeks or so). She's been prescribed anti depressants and risperidone both of which my mother has (at her own volution) stopped taking as they don't appear to make any difference. She's been advised to not drive. She has a hernia that requires surgery. She has lost over two stone in weight and gags when attempting to eat and suffers from permanent indigestion. She is very weak and her hands tremble. She's suffered a number of falls too.
Is it usual for so many symptoms to be present and still not obtain a diagnosis? I live 30 miles away from her and am a single parent working part-time and I am exhausted and at my wits end trying to support her. I think she's extemely ill and vulnerable - none of the health professionals involved seem to agree with me.
My mum (aged 82) at Christmas started 'seeing people' in the trees outside her house. My dad died in May and she's gone further down hill since then - so she cooks food for him still, insists he's in the house but not talking to her (and she packs a bag to leave), imagines he's having an affair, that he's in the car and won't come out, says that he's sat in a chair but with no torso or legs or head. In addition she insists her father and mother visit the house. She lives alone since Dad;s death and I can't get any help from social services who insist that as she can wash, cook and dress herself they can offer no assistance.
GP appointments have led to a referal to a memory clinic - she's now had memory tests, blood tests, urine tests, ecg tests and a brain scan and an appointment with a psychatrist. The psychatrist has offered no diagnosis (though she tells us that the brain scan indicated some frontal lobe changes) - apparently they have to see some deterioration before they can diagnoise - which seems insane to me as the symptoms she has are surely indicative of things not being right.
The community mental health team tell me they are keeping an eye - which seems to consist of a nurse visiting on an ad hoc basis to see how she is (every 3 weeks or so). She's been prescribed anti depressants and risperidone both of which my mother has (at her own volution) stopped taking as they don't appear to make any difference. She's been advised to not drive. She has a hernia that requires surgery. She has lost over two stone in weight and gags when attempting to eat and suffers from permanent indigestion. She is very weak and her hands tremble. She's suffered a number of falls too.
Is it usual for so many symptoms to be present and still not obtain a diagnosis? I live 30 miles away from her and am a single parent working part-time and I am exhausted and at my wits end trying to support her. I think she's extemely ill and vulnerable - none of the health professionals involved seem to agree with me.
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