Last night at dinner everything was great, he ate his enchiladas with gusto, etc. Stuck around afterward and then didn't want to get up from the table. I noticed his hand was shaking but didn't REALLY notice it. Persuaded him to use his walker and get to the stair and onto the stair glide, though he kept saying, my leg is too heavy. Which he says fairly frequently in the evenings; his support stocking can only do so much. Got up the stairs and onto the upstairs walker, headed for the bathroom all as usual. Once there he seemed more confused than usual but pants came down.. and then he really started shaking - and peeing. I pushed him (gently) down onto the toilet and he started REALLY shaking and slumping his arm down and his head down. I just held him to comfort him, not holding him down, for about 10 minutes. He wasn't unconscious but he wasn't really alert either. Then our daughter and I managed to get him up, into the transport chair, and into the bed. He was becoming more like himself. With some trouble I managed to get him undressed and into bed; he took his pills as usual.
This morning he'd forgotten the whole thing. He was up and sitting on the side of the bed when I went in; under the covers were his pads, neatly folded up so there was a big lump, but all was dry (except his depends of course). He's been normal all day: eatiing all morning - snacking - and watching PBS Kids - he says he wants to see what the National Science Foundation is sponsoring (I think one of the programs IS "Science Kids" but that doesn't really explain Curious George or Clifford the Big Red Dog.) THis afternoon he took a long nap on the couch and again, is acting at least normal.
So this is what he's had before but I haven't before looked at with eyes quite as educated as they are now. I've thought these were "fainting" spells. I do NOT call 911. I now think they may be TIAs, which might mean that he's more in the line of Vascular Dementia than straight Alzheimer's. Anyone else have this?
Briegull, my husband got a glazed look and starting weaving in the hall like a drunk (15 minutes after we woke up at 6 a.m.) and I had to support him. I got him to his recliner and sat him down. Then, while sitting still, he opened his mouth and vomited. Over and over again. It was like he was in a daze, not knowing what he was doing. After cleaning everything up and showering him, and dressing him, we got him to the ER. They took him right back. They said it could have been a TIA, or something similar (after running thousands of dollars on tests). Then the next day his neurologist did a brain scan and it showed that he had lost a little more on his left side. She didn't think he had had a TIA. A visit to his opthamologist, after testing his eyes, said that he had had another stroke.
It really doesn't matter to me what they call it. I won't be heading back to the ER if he does it again! They didn't give him anything and after several hours he recovered with no memory of the event. It scared me when it happened the first time. He's had two events now, and the second wasn't as strong as the first.
Sometimes he seems better than others; sometimes you know he is not "at home;" other times he will even laugh at jokes we tell each other! Whether we are able to reach him changes several times during the day too!
I just wish he would stop thinking the sugar bowl is his coffee cup and stop trying to pour hot coffee into it! <grin>
My wife had a lod of AD sylmptoms but she also had episodes of nauseau, vomiting, shaing, and actually passing out. She too CAT scans, MRI, blood tests, etc. They kept thinking she had some TIA', but could not figure out what brought them on. Finally,they hooked her up with wires all over her head and chest and connected to a black box on her belt and sent her home for 24 hrs. Nothing happened and they tried it again later. The episodes happened every month or two. Tje episode would last 6 hrs or more. Twice I called 911 and they took her to emergency. It was very scary and disconcerting to me and our kids. After about 9 of these episodes. finally, they checked her in to the hospital and hooked her up with lots of wires, and had 2 cameras focused on her in bed. They said they would play little tricks on her in hopes of causing another episode. The first night they kept us up until 12 and woke us at 5. They wanted to tire her out. It worked!!! At 11:00am. she started shaking and feeling nasua. I punched the nurse button and the technician looking at all of her devices said he was seeing it too. It happened again about 12. Her neuro came in about 4:00pm and said he was having trouble figuring it our until he looked at the bottom of the scree that was monitering her heart beat and noticed that it had simply paused for an extended time. He said he would show it to a cardiac dr who would probably implant a pacemakker. heart Dr agreed and did the procedure the next morning and we went home that afternoon. Weve never had another episode again. When neuro said it looked like her heart, I said I had never considered her heart. He said he had not either until he saw the missing zigs on the monitor.
I suggest you consider that it could be his heart and it is difficult for them to see the problem unless he has an episode while hooked up. It is called --------- somkething like EKG but I can not remember. Good Luck
Mary, my husband has had countless TIA's (which is why he has multi-caused Alz./Dementia)..I did the 911 call, frantic, rushed him to the hospitals, and by the time we'd be there, it would be over. We'd spend 6-8 hours there every time and finally I decided that I would try to trust my 'gut', and if -in the future - it appeared to be another TIA, we'd take care of it at home. He has had the dizziness, nausea, confusion, small seizure (the one time he was unconscious and was taken to ER).. In each and every case, it was over before we got to a doctor. He's been checked out head to toe at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, and they can tell he has had multiple TIA's, but there's nothing they can do to prevent them. They did say that little ones are warning signs that the big one is immenent. But they also said there really is no guaranteed way to prevent them. He has had 3 intestinal bleeds so he cannot take aspirin. It's just "our kind of normal". I do agree, why keep running to the hospital every time, even if our insurance does pay the bill. They dismiss us with no meds, no instructions, other than to just "watch him".
a seeminly loss of faculties or a TIA seems to be common in AD. i think if our spouses live long enough almost all the brain areas that control our crucial body functions will be affected or shut down. the TIA is just one more symptom of whats happening within and nothing we can do will stop the deterioration. i am so sorry you are having to deal with this frightening fact. it could be too my DH experienced one as well yesterday when he kept falling over asleep. i had no clue what was wrong. things are back to normal like you say its done and gone..so wierd. heaven help us whats in store..divvi
My husband had what we think was a TIA. He likes to joke and cut up. I was trying to get him to pay attention to me while I was showing him that there was water coming down from the ceiling. He started flapping his arms, mouth open, eyes funny. Good caregiver that I am :-) I told him "please stop doing that - you are scaring me". Then I realized he couldn't respond and I backed him up a few steps to the couch. After a couple of minutes, we was fine. We didn't go to the ER but had an appointment with the Neurologist the next day. She did ultrasound of his heart and carotid artieries - and he saw his heart doctor. They all said what most you have said - that it was probably a TIA - the pattern that could lead to a stroke. Nothing to do for it. I guess it goes with the territory of AD.
I guess they are all different (TIA's) Foster's symptoms include sudden pale pasty skin color, confusion, thick tongue, sweating, nausea, all over weakness, most of the time he falls, twice he passed out cold and had a seizure with posturing (raring back, stiff, lifting spine off of floor) and inability to know where he was. This being said, within 30 minutes he is as normal as ever! It's horrible to watch. He never remembers anything. When EMS came, and asked him mini mental questions he'd not remember his children's names, etc. etc. This was the five years or so before he was diagnosed with A.D.,.... and we went to Duke and the Mayo Clinic trying to determine what was causing them. Since his official diagnosis in 2004,, he's not had one TIA. Go figure!
He had one last summer when my daughter was caring for him; she called me in Maine and I told her to call the next door neighbor (bless her! long suffering and wise!). She came over and they decided to call 911. Which of course occasioned a hospital stay. I raced home the next day and they had him tied down in bed, zonked on Seroquel, trying to talk me into putting him in a nursing home immediately.. he had been belligerent when they wanted to put him on a gurney (but of course that was because they were pulling on his bad leg). I asked them to stop the seroquel (after 3 doses in the first 24 hours, from nothing), and the next day I got a walker and got him walking around, perfectly normal (for him). A few months later, a few months ago, he had another one, and we had to get a neighbor to come help us get him up the stairs; this time we managed it ourselves but I'm going to get one of those lift belts because J. may not be here next time to help, and I can't do it alone.
I have no intention of taking him to the hospital with it. He's 84, stage 6. Maybe it IS his heart, but the last thing we need is a pacemaker, or dosing with all kinds of stuff. If he has a stroke, so be it. Although, in regard to his heart, the last one he had, at the dinner table (they're always in the evening), I took his pulse and it was slow and normal.
But I'm interested that several of you have experienced it too. It's scary the first time or two at least!
Nancy did they ever do the test on your LO where they put wires all over his scalp and some on his chest. The neurologist was looking for something like a TIA and was actually surprosed when the monitors showed the heart was pausing off and on during the episode. They had been thinking that her previous blackouts, nauseau, vomiting, etc were TIA or mini strokes. Since getting her pacemaker, none of those episodes have returned. It's been nearly 3 years. Bill
My Mother had blackout spells for years and I think they were TIA. She would be standing and suddenly, without warning just fall like a log and amazingly never seriously hurt herself. Once she was in a basement with indoor outdoor carpet and when her head hit the floor they could hear it outside the sliding door. I took her to the ER several times but she seemed ok and I brought her home. Her last year she occasionally would go to sleep sitting at the table and either fall off the chair or once she dropped her face onto her plate. No pain, no warning, no shaking.
Hey Bill, Yes, he had the EEG along with the EKG monitored. I don't know what it showed, it was part of the vast number of tests his neurologist had ordered prior to his diagnosis. When we went in for the great announcement (as I recalled it), the Neuro asked that his blood related children be present. They went over each test that was conducted, ...and with respect to the children, spent time discussing the DNA APoE3-4 derived from the blood tests that revealed certain markers that indicated more than likely his father/grandfather may have had AD., and that it could be (but may NOT be) passed on down. There is NO proof that AD is inherited, but the irony is that both his father and grandfather (and his grandfather's brothers) had what they referred to as "hardening of the arteries" back in those days. mmm. Makes me wonder! He's had so many tests, I cannot count them. The PET was one that I thought was going to show something, but this doctor says that the PET results are not specific enough. Actually, it's a debatable charge with Medicare. They don't agree that it's an approved test for AD. It was about $5,000 and the secondary insurance picked it up.
Imohr, with your mom that last yr are you saying that the sleeping episodes were actually strokes?where she fell asleep and fell off chair.? i am asking cause yesterday freaky similar thing happened DH could not stay awake all day until late afternoon. no matter what i did he couldnt open his eyes -even fell sideways asleep in the backseat he never does that. then out of the blue after a long nap he awakes and like nothing...but it was until late pm. i am now questioning that behaviour. can strokes happen like this? this is new to me. thanks for any info. divvi
divvi - Dr. and I think it was mini strokes. I didn't take her to the ER for these episodes. Actually the first time it happened I called 911 and the paramedics came. By then she was awake and not remembering what happened. From then on someone carried her to the bed and I would shake her and get her to wake up. It would be over with and she would be tired. I talked to the Hospice Nurse and she agreed to not call 911. There is really nothing that can be done.
After his neuropsych testing, MRIs, etc., I was asked about his "Stroke History". I asked, "What Stroke History?" They filled me in on the 2 significant Stroke Scars, one of which is in the area, probably responsible for what we had been told was his 'familial tremor' in his hands. After getting a good start on changing his meds they sent him home. His PCP added Plavix to his med list--already had been doing Lovastatin for years. Basically I was told to be watchful and bring him into ER immediately if he had symptoms, as they could try to intervene. 3 times in the next 6 mos. he had episodes where he was confused and actually fell and could not get back up. 3 times we went by ambulance to the ER. 2 times the ER checked and tested everything; couldn't find anything; administereed nothing and changed nothing--sent us home hours later. the 3rd time his symptoms included classic one side weakness. The Er staff tested and monitored everything like before, plus came in and tested responses on the affected side every 20-40 minutes. Finally admitted him. By the time he was in his room he was walking, talking like normal and playing with the cannula (air tubes). Nothing showed on the MRI (TIAs are often too small to be seen, I've been told). I've talked to his PCP and Psych Dr. and let them know I will bring him in when there is an EVENT. When he gets up with a slight garble in his speech and it goes away within an hour, more or less, we don't go. Nor do we go when he shows definite weakness on the same side affected before and has been unusually active--he's just tired. I just have to be alert and use my gut instincts, because all the mad rushing to ER for the unseeable; nonresults in trying to find treatment for the unfixable just makes him agitated and irritable. I think going in every time he has a little issue that clears up, could be the end of me. <lol>
These trips to the ER are the pits, everytime it is a 6 or 7 hour stay, after all of the blood tests and CT scans, we go home not knowing anymore than we did when we came in. It is terrible that the ER has to be the admission portal to the hospitals.
My wife has TIA's and/or Mini Strokes. She had a moderate stroke Monday, this one is the most severe event she has experienced, she had vision difficuties, arm and leg weakness an some numbness on the side of her face. She is in the hospital again and will need some PT to be regain her ability to walk. The ER doc said he didn't see any signs of a stroke on the scan, her Neurologist said she difinitely had a Mini Stroke.
What is so difficult about these situations is that the medication of choice is Coumadin, they had taken her off of Coumadin and Aricept and started her on Agreenox a week or so ago. Aricept can produce gastric iritation in some patients, many pain medications can also irritate the stomach. Coumadin is a blood thinner and can cause stomach bleeding in these irritated spots. They have adopted a "save the brain first" strategy and restarted her on Coumadin and Heparin. They are watching for signs of another stomach bleed and will take care of that as soon if one is detected.
These hospitalizations are so difficult for her, but there certainly isn't anyway I can give her the level of care she needs at home. She is in early stage 5, but I am afraid these events and removing her off of Aricept are going to accelerate her decline. She still takes Namenda.
For what it's worth, I have a friend who's in her mid 80's who says she had TIA's until she found that by wearing her glasses all the time, she not longer had them. She said she told her doctor, and he said, "That's interesting. Keep wearing them.'