The new stuff is always hard to deal with the first time isn't it!

[lizzybean]

Mils sister rang at 9.10pm to tell me that MIL was in "a hell of a state" Apparently she didn't know who she was, where she was & she thought it was morning. She said she was going to make her breakfast.
I phoned her, tried to tell her it was night time & she just kept saying that she'd just got up & dressed. She has never gone to bed other than her usual time before. She sometimes dozes in her chair. According to her she had taken jamas off & got dressed, so whether she went to bed after tea or whether she had had a vivid dream I just don't know.

She kept telling me that she didn't think she would be coming to Mass as she didn't feel well (9/10 she says she feels unwell in the morning). I couldn't convince her that it was Monday night not Sunday morning.

As this is all new I might see if I can get a sample tomorrow but she has never had a UTI before.

 

[cragmaid]

has never had a UTI before.

.....sadly, as the saying goes, there's a first time for everything!
It might be an infection,it might be dehydration, it might be simple confusion after a long sleep, it might be a downturn.... it might be because there's a Y in the day ( MondaY) ).... If she rings again and says she's not going to Mass, don't try to correct her, just say OK Mum.

...... and get that sample checked!!

 

[lizzybean]

Thanks Cragmaid, I know it could be any of those things. I don't know how these things work & I know nobody knows how my GP practice works but can you just walk in with a sample & ask them to check it or do you have to make an appointment with the GP or....?

 

[velocity]

Hi I would give her GP a ting and ask them.
I hope all goes well xx

 

[velocity]

I meant to say a ring sorry

 

[Ann Mac]

Lizzy, when Mil was getting a lot of UTI's, I spoke to her GP and arranged that if I suspected she was starting with one, I could just drop a sample off at the surgery, without asking first, and the GP put it on her notes so that the receptionsist could see that I was able to drop them off like that. It saves an awful lot of time and means that if necessary, I can get antibiotics quickly for her. Maybe if you contact the GP/surgery they would be OK about you doing something similar? Its worth a try - UTI's can produce some really 'odd' behaviour and dreadful confusion, as I've found out with Mil - the sooner you can get them treated, the better xxxxx

 

[lizzybean]

No UTI, so??? Downturn I presume or possibly something temporary.

Who knows.

 

[Ann Mac]

No UTI, so??? Downturn I presume or possibly something temporary.

Who knows.

Its as you say, Lizzie - who knows? Mil's behaviour has changed over the last couple of weeks - odd calm patches, with flashes of insight, manic talking, sundowning worse when it happens, increased difficulty in understanding her and then back to the delusions, plus bowel incontinence starting. Like you, I checked out if it could be a UTI and even took her to her GP's to check that there wasn't a tummy upset or similar causing the problems. The GP, and her CPN, both think its down to her having one of the periodic 'big steps down' - which we have seen before - and with everything else ruled out I have to accept that they are probably right. There is just no way to be sure, other than waiting and seing if things improve, I guess - one of the many horrible things about dementia, the never being able to predict or to be sure xxxx