Suddenly sleeping all the time.

[SherwoodSue]

Hello all

We are four years into our vascular dementia journey, mum lives alone. Mobilises on a zimmer , no issues with incontinence, mum can put herself to bed and get up and dressed.
All meals taken care of and LOTS of telephone prompting from me though.
Yes mum has had a chest infection (bronchiectasis with at least one antibiotic resistant bug present)
Mum has been on antibiotics for two weeks.
But she normally picks up by now.

So what’s new? Deeply sleeping in the morning, afternoon and evening and having an undisturbed sleep at night. Mum has even fallen fast asleep on a dining chair at the table knife and fork in hand.

I have seen bed bound folks, doubly incontinent who sleep all day with end stage dementia. As mum can do some things for herself she isn’t there at that stage. But the sleeping!!! What’s going on ?
Anyone gone through this ?

 

[canary]

Has anyone checked to make sure that they have got rid of all the infection and it hasnt returned?

 

[My Mum's Daughter]

Mum was similar and on one occasion, she fell asleep on the toilet. She was just falling asleep and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wake her up.
After a few days in hospital, she was diagnosed as having hypoactive delirium.

 

[SherwoodSue]

Mum was similar and on one occasion, she fell asleep on the toilet. She was just falling asleep and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wake her up.
After a few days in hospital, she was diagnosed as having hypoactive delirium.

Ahhhh that might make sense

 

[SherwoodSue]

Has anyone checked to make sure that they have got rid of all the infection and it hasnt returned?

Thank you for replying
Here is my dilemma. Mum is on a palliative care pathway for her severe respiratory illness. The bug in her lungs is pseudomonas. Many antibiotics don’t work against this strain and those that do mum can’t tolerate.
Lovely GP , mum (when she was more with it) and me had the grown up chat.
No more hospital admissions, unlikely to achieve much , and oh! The awful hospital delirium of the past admissions. Lions tigers. And counterfeit doctors 😱😱😱😱😱

GP also laughed and said I will leave the anticipatory medicine and The MASC form, but don’t be surprised if the expiration date is reached before we need them

Honestly I thought that’s how it would be as we managed to ford the last TWO flare ups and go out the other end back to levels of ability prior to the flare up.

I honestly think I will cope when mum is actively dying and I will move in when the morphine pump starts , I have been surprised by this not well, not 999 type illness

To cap it all our son gets married Thursday and then we go abroad for ten days. Put it off for ages but as mum was so stable …..

My brothers say I should go but they trust I have put in place sufficient carer visits to cover mums needs!!!
I want a crystal ball. Is mum going to pick up again like she has before ?
She is cross if the level of support infringes her need for independence, if she is having an off day she is glad when I turn up unplanned to put her to bed. So I know all is not well but have things bottomed out and it’s the slow recovery or is this the beginning of further decline
Three carer visits a day minimum as it stands plus lots of me.

Sorry for the length

 

[sdmhred]

Oh Sue 😢

No-one can tell how this will pan out - that’s such the demon of dementia isn’t it!

You must clearly have your son’s wedding on Thursday - but as to going abroad only you can make that decision.

Do you know in your heart of hearts what you think right for yourself?

How far away will you be? Can you easily get back if you want?

 

[SherwoodSue]

The doctor wants me to go away. The family including my brother who lives nearby want me to go away. I have been full on caring since 2016.
I feel to use a sporting analogy , I have left it all on the field. There is
no time, love or effort that could have been put in and wasn’t freely given.

My worry is have I booked enough carer visits ? (My brother has the agency number)

So hard If mum bucks up she will hate new faces appearing

I don’t want to feel judged if I called it wrong. Mum’s hospital delirium lifted. Will this episode of delirium lift too ? Even as I type I know it’s a silly question

Mum was similar and on one occasion, she fell asleep on the toilet. She was just falling asleep and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't wake her up.
After a few days in hospital, she was diagnosed as having hypoactive delirium.

@mymumsdaughter. Did the hypoactive delirium lift? How long did it take ? Please do let me know even if the outcome wasn’t good xx

 

[My Mum's Daughter]

@SherwoodSue We had about 10 days of these long periods of sleep and then Mum slowly started to improve. After 3-4 weeks, sleep pattern returned to normal but Mum's dementia had taken a dip. A year later, Mum is still with us.

Enjoy the wedding x

 

[SherwoodSue]

@SherwoodSue We had about 10 days of these long periods of sleep and then Mum slowly started to improve. After 3-4 weeks, sleep pattern returned to normal but Mum's dementia had taken a dip. A year later, Mum is still with us.

Enjoy the wedding x

Bless you for your reply x

 

[Banjomansmate]

Different scenario but I attended a friend’s funeral last week. She had heart failure and actually opted to go into hospital where she passed away peacefully in her sleep, having been talking logically to her grandson not long before.
Talking to her daughter after the funeral she said “I was away on holiday, Mum told me to go and enjoy myself”. I suspect that is what most Mums would tell their children and, to perfectly honest, I don’t think her being around would have made much difference as her Mum died around midnight.

 

[sdmhred]

The doctor wants me to go away. The family including my brother who lives nearby want me to go away. I have been full on caring since 2016.
I feel to use a sporting analogy , I have left it all on the field. There is
no time, love or effort that could have been put in and wasn’t freely given.

I felt the same Sue when mum was dying. I had done it all. She knew that and I knew that. If I hadn’t been there when she actually died it didn’t matter as I had been there when it did!

As we prepare the funeral I feel the same. I will be doing what I can but i am leaving siblings to step up.

in terms of the care agency can you have a plan B conversation with them and your brother this week…so input can be increased if needed And has been already discussed….

And if you wanted to come home no- where is more than 24 hours away ….unless you’re going on a v remote cruise.

It sounds like to me in ur heart of hearts you want to go and enjoy your holiday …in which case you should go!

 

[SherwoodSue]

Thank you all