Hi All.
I need some advice or even just some kind words because the reality of Dementia has hit me recently.
The night before New Years Eve my wonderful, kind, caring mum was hospitalised with a kidney stone and severe infection. She was diagnosed many years ago with Mixed Dementia, a mixture of Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia. But we have been coping well, and handling it as best as we could, and in fact I think I went into a kind of denial about her thinking that things couldn’t or wouldn’t get any worse.
She was discharged on the 2nd of January. She was exhausted, but okay. The hospital prescribed some new medication to help prevent kidney stones and some antibiotics and they told me to let her rest but make sure she was hydrated. So that’s what I did. She had no appetite at all, but I assumed it was because of the infection and didn’t think anything of it.
The new medication for kidney stones shouldn’t have been prescribed. It dangerously lowered her blood pressure and hallucinations then began, along with lack of sleep, passing out when we got her out of bed, and her being even more confused than we had ever seen her.
She slept more than ever, and didn’t even want the TV on in her room.
I called the GP out, one because I was just so worried, and two because I had no way of getting her to our GP surgery. He was brilliant and stopped the medication, gave her some more antibiotics but again didn’t seem worried about the lack of appetite.
We are now on day 24 of her not eating. I have tried cup a soup, mousse, trifle, all of her favourites, with no luck.
She sips her drinks, and for some reason is convinced she has a hair in her mouth even though there is nothing there.
When it comes to taking her medication she just seems to have forgotten how to swallow tablets. She stores them in her mouth without swallowing Then when she finally does it then makes her gag and then she’s sick.
I get so annoyed with her for not eating and drinking, I keep thinking she wants to die and leave me. (I know how wrong that sounds and I swear I don’t mean it. But it’s breaking my heart.)
I know deep in my heart this is the dementia, I know this is part of the course. Do any of you kind people have any suggestions to help me on how to deal with this, or things to try and tempt her with I would be so grateful.
Thank you, in advance.
With love and support to everyone who are in the same position as I am, who have gone through this, and who are living with this awful disease.
I need some advice or even just some kind words because the reality of Dementia has hit me recently.
The night before New Years Eve my wonderful, kind, caring mum was hospitalised with a kidney stone and severe infection. She was diagnosed many years ago with Mixed Dementia, a mixture of Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia. But we have been coping well, and handling it as best as we could, and in fact I think I went into a kind of denial about her thinking that things couldn’t or wouldn’t get any worse.
She was discharged on the 2nd of January. She was exhausted, but okay. The hospital prescribed some new medication to help prevent kidney stones and some antibiotics and they told me to let her rest but make sure she was hydrated. So that’s what I did. She had no appetite at all, but I assumed it was because of the infection and didn’t think anything of it.
The new medication for kidney stones shouldn’t have been prescribed. It dangerously lowered her blood pressure and hallucinations then began, along with lack of sleep, passing out when we got her out of bed, and her being even more confused than we had ever seen her.
She slept more than ever, and didn’t even want the TV on in her room.
I called the GP out, one because I was just so worried, and two because I had no way of getting her to our GP surgery. He was brilliant and stopped the medication, gave her some more antibiotics but again didn’t seem worried about the lack of appetite.
We are now on day 24 of her not eating. I have tried cup a soup, mousse, trifle, all of her favourites, with no luck.
She sips her drinks, and for some reason is convinced she has a hair in her mouth even though there is nothing there.
When it comes to taking her medication she just seems to have forgotten how to swallow tablets. She stores them in her mouth without swallowing Then when she finally does it then makes her gag and then she’s sick.
I get so annoyed with her for not eating and drinking, I keep thinking she wants to die and leave me. (I know how wrong that sounds and I swear I don’t mean it. But it’s breaking my heart.)
I know deep in my heart this is the dementia, I know this is part of the course. Do any of you kind people have any suggestions to help me on how to deal with this, or things to try and tempt her with I would be so grateful.
Thank you, in advance.
With love and support to everyone who are in the same position as I am, who have gone through this, and who are living with this awful disease.
