Thanks
@Starting on a journey @Sarasa xx
MC rang this afternoon and we talked about memantine again and are going to try mum on it. I just need to weigh mum tomorrow and let them know her current weight, then they'll get it signed by DR and sent to chemist.
I asked if it was just for the aggression and she said they use it to help with memory and it helps agitation and aggression. Mum hasn't really been getting aggressive lately but she is still agitated so hopefully it will help her feel less so.
I told MC mum is still confused and rang on night quite a lot since last spoke to her and she still got upset but not really aggressive for last couple of weeks, just odd bit like on saturday when mum wanted walk to her mums and didn't want us to take her cos thought I'd lied to her about who I was. I told MC it seemed like sertraline working better now as mum had been calmer aggression wise since just after SW weekend. She asked if we wanted to wait a few more week to see if that continued or start them now. I said if asked me that first week I might have said I'd wait few week as was much less aggressive, but I felt it could be creeping in a bit again. She was more worried and scared and upset and very confused rather than aggressive now, but there had been a couple bits of that, and she was anxious so if they thought it might help with that then it's worth trying the memantine now.
She was asking how things had been, I told her things had been better lately, my sister had been weekend before last and mum was ok with her while she was here. It did unsettle her a bit and she'd rung on the friday and sunday night upset but I expected that as it was a big change for mum and it was normal type of worries, just a bit more. I also told her carers had been last two weekends to do mums morning tablets which she'd been fine with and liked both carers who did it. It had worked well so far as by time we got there at lunchtime she was calmer and happier with seeing us than has been lately as weekends have been a bit of a flash point and she'd not always wanted us there but she'd been okay last couple of weekends. Mum had come to our house sat and sun this week, though she had got angry on saturday, but it was first time she'd been for a while and although she hadn't know who I was and wanted to go home when started sundowning in afternoon it was good she had wanted to come. She said we had to celebrate the little victories and I sounded a bit brighter.
I was trying to be brighter instead of crying on her like usual, I think it's the first call we've had for quite a while where I haven't cried on her. I told her I'm trying to be a bit more positive as mum has seemed less aggressive it meant it was easier for me to look after her as she wasn't angry and trying to send me away like before. Its hard to see mum so upset and angry and hard to be on receiving end of it and hard to persuade her to let me stay and look after her when she's like that. So because she's not been aggressive like that lately I'm trying to be positive about it, although she is still really confused and still gets upset and her memory is really bad now. It makes it hard to reassure and comfort her as she can't retain what you tell her so you tell her something to reassure her or calm her down and then a minute later she's forgot that and asks a similar thing again so it takes longer to settle her down when she's upset which is sad. I told her mum had rung me this morning confused and sounding like she did when she rang on a night and she's scared which is new.
I thought she was ringing to ask if I was going over today as we were late setting off cos of hubbys conference call over running, but she was ringing to ask me if I knew where she slept. She was worried she had slept in wrong place and shouldn't be there, and worried and confused a bout few other things. Mum doesn't usually ring on a morning and when she's asking questions and confused in the day her voice usually sounds quite normal but on a night when she's really confused and upset and scared she sounds like a scared little girl and this morning on phone she sounded the same. We're hoping the memantine will help with that. We're hoping to start mum on them this weekend and then MC will ring a week on Monday to see how doing and I've to ring before if any problems or worries or questions.
I'm wondering what time of day to give mum it as MC says it can be taken any time of day but should be same time everyday, they often suggest taking it before bed as it can make some people drowsy especially when first start. Bedtime would be hard for us as I'm not with mum on a night and if I give it her it after dinner before I leave and it does make her drowsy then she's on her own and I'm not there to monitor her and see if she's ok on it. So we're thinking of giving mum it in morning or in day so I'm with her to see how she is and if it does make her too sleepy in day, then to talk to them and maybe move it later on,. MC clinic says it can be whatever's best time for us if mum is ok with it as long as same time everyday.
I'm not sure if to add it to her morning sertraline tablets, or lunchtime galantamine, or in between those two, or after lunch I can't figure out what is best idea. If I add it in morning with sertraline that means I'll need to inform care agency as they'd have to give it on weekends. If I add it at lunchtime I usually do that unless mums at DC which currently she's not going to anyway and may not go back to. I've noticed if she has sertraline too close to her galantamine (less than an hour apart) she can feel a bit sick in afternoon. So I don't know if she takes memantine with one of others that would make her feel sick afterwards too. I'm a bit stuck and will need to work it out before weekend along with thinking what to tell mum for reason she has another tablet to take. ?