Sugar in her coffee

Bikerbeth

Registered User
Feb 11, 2019
2,119
0
Bedford
Since Mum was formally diagnosed at the end of January I have kept a notebook with significant changes in her behaviour. In a weird way and despite reading about Alzheimer’s and a desire for sweet things this one just became poignant. I have never known Mum in 55+ years to put sugar in coffee or tea but in the cafe today she picked up a sugar packet and emptied into the mug, afterwards saying how nice the coffee was there.
 

Ohso

Registered User
Jan 4, 2018
167
0
It was only today l was chatting to a friend of mums and looking back there were lots of indicators that things were amiss as long ago as 2010, not least was mum at 73 suddenly starting to smoke...then about 5 years later forgot she had....maybe we should compile a list of all the small things that begin to form years before diagnosis but are definite red flags.
 

Bikerbeth

Registered User
Feb 11, 2019
2,119
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Bedford
I love being a 100 miles away. Left yesterday and the rotary drier was in the garden. This morning on our daily phone call she asked if I had moved it or knew who had as it is no longer there. So will be getting my detective hat on for Tuesday when I go to visit
 

Duggies-girl

Registered User
Sep 6, 2017
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@Bikerbeth Dad spent 3 weeks in hospital and started taking sugar in his coffee when he came home. He has not taken sugar for about 40 years.

He has at least 6 caps hanging in his kitchen, all of them bearing the names of places that he has visited over the years on holidays but they are not his because he has never worn a cap in his life. I'm baffled.
 

Bikerbeth

Registered User
Feb 11, 2019
2,119
0
Bedford
@Bikerbeth Dad spent 3 weeks in hospital and started taking sugar in his coffee when he came home. He has not taken sugar for about 40 years.

He has at least 6 caps hanging in his kitchen, all of them bearing the names of places that he has visited over the years on holidays but they are not his because he has never worn a cap in his life. I'm baffled.
Definitely a case of NOT showing him a photo of him wearing one of the caps then
 

northumbrian_k

Volunteer Host
Mar 2, 2017
4,363
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Newcastle
Looking back, an early indicator of my wife's dementia was when she started asking me whether I took milk and sugar in my coffee, as if we were casual acquaintances rather than partners for 40 years. It is often the small things that seem to mean the most.
 

RosettaT

Registered User
Sep 9, 2018
866
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Mid Lincs
One of the first indicaters something was wrong with hubby, other than a bit of forgetfulness, was when he started making hot drinks with half hot and half cold water. I initially thought he had forgotten to boil the kettle but no, he was actively putting cold water in the mugs.
 

Ohso

Registered User
Jan 4, 2018
167
0
My mum has so many, that its only being on here that I have realised
  • Walking behind me, I slowed, she slowed, I stopped, she stopped ( possibly unaware where we were going)
  • Eating sweet stuff ( 6 cream eggs in 2 days - I had never seem mum eat chocolate at all at this time)
  • Started drinking coffee after never drinking tea or coffee for about 30 years.
  • Going to the bank and withdrawing large sums of money every week but still using card for all purchases
  • Getting obsessed with money, checking bank statements over and over
  • Stashing money around the house
  • Started smoking !!!
  • Hiding things, purse, hearing aid, glasses, bank statements then believing they had been stolen (often by me)
  • Forgetting appointments/Restaurant plans, then accuse me of not telling her
  • Declining or cancelling going out ( too tired/headache/just eaten etc etc)
  • Complaining about ailments, feeling dizzy/lightheaded ( I think to divert conversation if it got difficult)
  • Began obsessing about neighbours, exaggerating minor details into dramas
  • Saying things in exactly the same way, same words, when telling a story, or recounting a memory ( almost like a script) so much so I could almost tell it along side her.
  • Inappropriate comments, made loudly in quiet rooms ( doctors surgery 'they dont even look sick, why are they wasting time here' restaurant ' those children should learn how to behave, its the parents fault' ) very out of character.
  • changing history....and being adamant she wasnt wrong...this was a hard one to 'let go' for me, till I realised what the problem was and caused so many disagreements between us
  • Eating the same food over and over again, while still buying the same varied things she always did but then throwing it away or pushing it to the back of the cupboard.
 

lis66

Registered User
Aug 7, 2015
277
0
My mum started taking sugar in her tea after not taking it for thirty years,she can also eat two or three buns one after another !!
 

Bikerbeth

Registered User
Feb 11, 2019
2,119
0
Bedford
Good visit with Mum today. Managed to track down the rotary washing line that had gone AWOL and she has now agreed to having hot meals delivered 5 days a week. We had a nice meal in her favourite cafe and no sugar in her coffee today!
 

Bikerbeth

Registered User
Feb 11, 2019
2,119
0
Bedford
My Dad died 18 years ago and after that if I visited Mum she would use every excuse to get me to stay longer. Now when it gets to 4.30pm she is consistently saying I should leave and go home because ..... my partner will miss me, the traffic will be bad etc etc. I guess she is just tired nowadays
 

Janelle

New member
Feb 2, 2019
2
0
My Mum also started to have a sweet tooth. After a lifetime of no sugar in tea she started taking artificial sweetener. Also, after a lifetime of having to be frugal with electricity, she would leave a room and leave the lights on so the whole house was lit up.
 

Rach1985

Registered User
Jun 9, 2019
412
0
My Mum also started to have a sweet tooth. After a lifetime of no sugar in tea she started taking artificial sweetener. Also, after a lifetime of having to be frugal with electricity, she would leave a room and leave the lights on so the whole house was lit up.

My dad stuck to a diet after having to take statins for high blood pressure. Looking back now his sweet tooth was definitely a sign. He ate 3 twirl bars in about 3 hours Sunday morning.
The thing that made us smile though was when I had to buy normal muesli and not no added sugar (there wasn’t any) and he said ooh I’m not sure on that it’s a bit sweet. Made me smile, can eat 3 twirls happily but muesli with sugar was a bit much
 

Helly68

Registered User
Mar 12, 2018
1,685
0
Yes, Mummy developed a passion for carrot (or indeed any) cake, and would announce loudly "they are so FAT" at random people. I wonder how we never got arrested sometimes...
 

Cocoloco

Registered User
Dec 29, 2018
16
0
This is really interesting,all my mums tastes have changed. She now takes sugar in her tea, eats cake biscuits cream buns chocolate etc as if they are going out of fashion. She will not eat any vegetables or drink plain water, it's as though its poison. If it's not sweet she doesn't want to know. She also makes wholly inappropriate comments about people in the loudest voice ever. After all her life being smart in her appearance of which she was very proud she now spends her time in the care home going around other people's room taking their clothes shoes etc and wearing them if they fit or not . When I try to remove them from her room or try to get her to change into her own things she has a complete meltdown.
 

Rach1985

Registered User
Jun 9, 2019
412
0
This is really interesting,all my mums tastes have changed. She now takes sugar in her tea, eats cake biscuits cream buns chocolate etc as if they are going out of fashion. She will not eat any vegetables or drink plain water, it's as though its poison. If it's not sweet she doesn't want to know. She also makes wholly inappropriate comments about people in the loudest voice ever. After all her life being smart in her appearance of which she was very proud she now spends her time in the care home going around other people's room taking their clothes shoes etc and wearing them if they fit or not . When I try to remove them from her room or try to get her to change into her own things she has a complete meltdown.

My dad and vegetables have become a real issue. I made a ratatouille, which my dad ate completely. 3 days later I roasted the left overs of the vegetables and he threw all of them in the bin. The exact same vegetables he ate earlier he now doesn’t like?! The following day I then put peppers in a dish, he ate them all!!
My dad is only earlier stages but I’m really starting to realise how hard this is going to be
 

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