Sudden onset of symptoms

[mb89]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum. I am writing about my dad who turns 80 this year. He has had no health problems until now. He was borderline diabetic however it can be controlled with diet. He does suffer from arthritis and has had hip and knee replacements. He takes blood pressure medication


Suddenly, one evening in January, he became delirious. He was fine one moment and the next, he didn’t recognise my mam and Believed there were people in the house. Nothing led up to this delirious event however they had eaten birthday cake with ice cream about half an hour before and his blood sugars were quite high. his sugars were quite unstable for a while but we’ve managed to control them with diet and the doctor doesn’t seem alarmed by them at all.

Since then, he has had numerous episodes of delirium. Roughly around one a week. They are now becoming more frequent and we’ve noticed that sometimes they can last a few days. During this time, we’ve also noticed he forgets conversations and who he has had them with. He mixes up with who I am and who my mam is He believes there is two of her and doesn’t know details about me (I am an only child). He believes there are other people in the house but due to lockdown it is only him and her. Strangely, he knows my fiancé and other people. I lived at home with my Parents along with my fiancé until before Christmas so it’s quite a change for them.

this is obviously dementia setting in. The doctor is sending him for a cat scan. Blood tests and urine tests are clear. It is just very sudden. We had no inclination of anything amiss until January. He was not forgetful and was himself. It seems quite sudden and severe.

I was wondering if anyone else had ever experienced dementia setting in so quick?

 

[Grannie G]

Hello @mb89. Welcome to Dementia Talking Point.

Diabetes and dementia often go hand in hand and poorly controlled glucose levels can lead to severe confusion.

My husband had a serious episode of aggression which caused by poorly controlled glucose levels so it`s possible the delirium could be caused by the same.

I hope your husband`s doctor can source the cause of this delirium. It is both worrying and frightening.

This information might be helpful.

Delirium - symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Delirium is a common, serious but often treatable condition that starts suddenly in someone who is unwell. It’s much more common in older people, especially those with dementia.

alzheimers.org.uk

 

[Penelope Pitstop]

Hello, it is so distressing that is similar to what happened to my mother. If you search on here there are very few references to dementia occurring so quickly. But I can assure you it can.

Like your father my mother had zero dementia symptoms. She suffered dangerously low sodium and was rushed into hospital. She was hallucinating and paranoid. After two weeks she returned home. She was slightly better but her personality had changed considerably. To cut a very long story short.

My mothers change happened over a matter of weeks. This was three years ago. From only needing a bit of help, she had to go in a care home. She just was not safe to leave in her own. It was assumed it was Vascular. Since she went into the home research has moved on. I read an article saying a bad illness can make symptoms upto eight times worse.

Recently I have been told they think hers is Lewy Bodies. She is going for a brain scan in a few days.

So in summary if dementia is in its very early stages and no noticeable symptoms, then the person becomes seriously ill it can massively accelerate the progress. My mother went from being able to use an iPad and a Kindle to not being able to make hot drink and switching things off by yanking a plug out by the wire. I could go on with other examples but you get the picture.

It seems rare that this happens. But clearly it does happen. It so upsetting as suddenly you have a parent with dementia. While others around you seem slower to deteriorate. My mother was stable for ages after than, although now she is getting worse, hence the scan.

Good luck and hope your dad stabilises.

 

[mb89]

Hello @mb89. Welcome to Dementia Talking Point.

Diabetes and dementia often go hand in hand and poorly controlled glucose levels can lead to severe confusion.

My husband had a serious episode of aggression which caused by poorly controlled glucose levels so it`s possible the delirium could be caused by the same.

I hope your husband`s doctor can source the cause of this delirium. It is both worrying and frightening.

Thank you so much. I appreciate your reply. The nurse who visited seems to link both his Pre- diabetes and this delerium. I feel it is lasting too long though. I feel we’re looking at a diagnosis however with covid/lack of services in my area, we’ve been told we could be waiting 9 months for an initial consultation with a geriatrician. It’s very upsetting, I feel he is slipping further away from us each time he gets delirious. When he recovers, he is himself again but ‘remembers’ the delirium and sometimes thinks it’s true.

 

[mb89]

Hello, it is so distressing that is similar to what happened to my mother. If you search on here there are very few references to dementia occurring so quickly. But I can assure you it can.

Like your father my mother had zero dementia symptoms. She suffered dangerously low sodium and was rushed into hospital. She was hallucinating and paranoid. After two weeks she returned home. She was slightly better but her personality had changed considerably. To cut a very long story short.

My mothers change happened over a matter of weeks. This was three years ago. From only needing a bit of help, she had to go in a care home. She just was not safe to leave in her own. It was assumed it was Vascular. Since she went into the home research has moved on. I read an article saying a bad illness can make symptoms upto eight times worse.

Recently I have been told they think hers is Lewy Bodies. She is going for a brain scan in a few days.

So in summary if dementia is in its very early stages and no noticeable symptoms, then the person becomes seriously ill it can massively accelerate the progress. My mother went from being able to use an iPad and a Kindle to not being able to make hot drink and switching things off by yanking a plug out by the wire. I could go on with other examples but you get the picture.

It seems rare that this happens. But clearly it does happen. It so upsetting as suddenly you have a parent with dementia. While others around you seem slower to deteriorate. My mother was stable for ages after than, although now she is getting worse, hence the scan.

Good luck and hope your dad stabilises.

Thank you for replying. I really appreciate. We hope to get a scan done soon but the services in my area are quite limited. Our nearest memory clinic is 2 hours away and the waiting list is 9 months.
It is just very upsetting. When I think back to Christmas and the weeks prior to the onset of symptoms, we had no idea this would happen. He was very with it and enjoyed social activities (prior to lockdown). It seems so sudden and is progressing fast. I also think the lack of social interaction since lockdown has really impacted him as he doesn’t bother with smartphones and therefore didn’t keep in touch with people. When he is lucid , he seems himself and then we think perhaps everything is ok again. Then , out of nowhere, this delirium starts again and he doesn’t recognising my mam nor I. Anything stressful brings on delirium such as the appointment tk get his covid vaccine.

 

[Penelope Pitstop]

That does sound very similar to my mum. I don't tell her about appointments for that reason she gets worked up. I just turn up and say come on you have an appointment, no time for her to get stressed. Hopefully he will stabilise a bit and become calmer if the delerium goes. My mum can still appear lucid for a short time. Then she comes out with something totally ridiculous.

What I would say is don't worry too much about diagnosis. It doesn't change things. There is only Altzimers I believe that can be treated and potentially slow it down. A scan only gives a diagnosis and even then it isn't always conclusive. My mum has done the memory test four times, all I ever get is "yes she has dementia". The care home is now pushing for a diagnosis. I think because treatment for some of her symptoms can do more harm depending which type of Dementia she has.

It is heartbreaking anyway. But suddenly to have a parent with dementia launched into your life is dreadful. I felt quite upset that people were saying well it doesn't come on quickly there MUST have been some signs. No there weren't.
But I have lost other family members without any warning at all so at least its better than that.

Like me you probably searched for someone with a similar experience but couldn't find any. Not many people responded to your post which again shows it is rare.

 

[ling]

Hello, it is so distressing that is similar to what happened to my mother. If you search on here there are very few references to dementia occurring so quickly. But I can assure you it can.

Like your father my mother had zero dementia symptoms. She suffered dangerously low sodium and was rushed into hospital. She was hallucinating and paranoid. After two weeks she returned home. She was slightly better but her personality had changed considerably. To cut a very long story short.

My mothers change happened over a matter of weeks. This was three years ago. From only needing a bit of help, she had to go in a care home. She just was not safe to leave in her own. It was assumed it was Vascular. Since she went into the home research has moved on. I read an article saying a bad illness can make symptoms upto eight times worse.

Recently I have been told they think hers is Lewy Bodies. She is going for a brain scan in a few days.

So in summary if dementia is in its very early stages and no noticeable symptoms, then the person becomes seriously ill it can massively accelerate the progress. My mother went from being able to use an iPad and a Kindle to not being able to make hot drink and switching things off by yanking a plug out by the wire. I could go on with other examples but you get the picture.

It seems rare that this happens. But clearly it does happen. It so upsetting as suddenly you have a parent with dementia. While others around you seem slower to deteriorate. My mother was stable for ages after than, although now she is getting worse, hence the 9scan.

Good luck and hope your dad stabilises.

What was the cause of your mom's low sodium?

Thank you

 

[lollyc]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum. I am writing about my dad who turns 80 this year. He has had no health problems until now. He was borderline diabetic however it can be controlled with diet. He does suffer from arthritis and has had hip and knee replacements. He takes blood pressure medication


Suddenly, one evening in January, he became delirious. He was fine one moment and the next, he didn’t recognise my mam and Believed there were people in the house. Nothing led up to this delirious event however they had eaten birthday cake with ice cream about half an hour before and his blood sugars were quite high. his sugars were quite unstable for a while but we’ve managed to control them with diet and the doctor doesn’t seem alarmed by them at all.

Since then, he has had numerous episodes of delirium. Roughly around one a week. They are now becoming more frequent and we’ve noticed that sometimes they can last a few days. During this time, we’ve also noticed he forgets conversations and who he has had them with. He mixes up with who I am and who my mam is He believes there is two of her and doesn’t know details about me (I am an only child). He believes there are other people in the house but due to lockdown it is only him and her. Strangely, he knows my fiancé and other people. I lived at home with my Parents along with my fiancé until before Christmas so it’s quite a change for them.

this is obviously dementia setting in. The doctor is sending him for a cat scan. Blood tests and urine tests are clear. It is just very sudden. We had no inclination of anything amiss until January. He was not forgetful and was himself. It seems quite sudden and severe.

I was wondering if anyone else had ever experienced dementia setting in so quick?

Simple answer is , yes - and I had no idea that it was possible for dementia to present like this.
Previously sane, sensible, competent Mum broke her hip in a fall. Repaired and sent home. Dementia assessment in hospital (for what it is worth) scored 10/10. 4 weeks later she was admitted to hospital with what we now know to be delirium, but wasn't diagnosed at that point. Sent home next day and over the next 3 weeks had 2 more admissions, all the time having episodes of seeing / hearing things. Finally sectioned and diagnosed with delirium when she attacked staff (completely out of character). Sectioned for 14weeks, then discharged with "resolving delirium". It didn't resolve.