I'm very new to all of this and appreciate all your help and comments. At night my husband wakes up 3 to 4 times every night. He starts by saying "hello, hello, hello". I wake up and say what's wrong and he tells me he has to go to the bathroom. I tell him ok and he goes. Then he is fine for a while and he then wakes again and tells me he is scared and he can't do things - this happens a couple of times through the night. I tell him it's going to be ok and tell him to try to concentrate on sitting on the beach (he loves the beach). He says he will try and then falls to sleep for a while.
Has anyone had this experience - it scares me a little. The doctor has just upped his medication this past Friday from 4 mg to 8 mg (Galantamine Hydrobromide)and I notice this sort of hallucination happening that hasn't been there before. I wonder if the meds are causing this. I will call the doctor on Monday also but wondering if anyone else ran into this?
My wife M had nighttime hallucinations 6 years ago. She saw prowlers and people that weren't there and would wake me. Her doctor prescribed 25mg of Seroquel at bedtime and it shut off the hallucinations like a switch. She was also taking Aricept, which is similar to your Reminyl.
Nowdays, she takes 10 mg Aricept, 10 mg Namenda, 25 mg Seroquel and 10 mg Paxil daily. The Paxil suppressed violent mood swings she was having two years ago. She is peaceful now and in stage 6. I am her caregiver 24/7 and it is a severe responsibility.
C - my heart goes out to you - I wish I could make it easier for you. 24/7 is just too much. I often think wouldn't it be nice if we all lived around the corner - we can have get-togethers and help each other. Are some days in daycare out of the question for you? Here in PA they all differ in price - I believe Medicare/Medicaid pays. You may be able to make a deal if you don't have insurance. Some places charge $66.per day but again they all vary. It sure would give you a much needed break.
The day care center where I took my DH had all sorts of charges for different clients, some paid nothing, depending on the family income. $66 seems like a lot, but then it all depends on what is offered. Some offer hot lunches, a variety of activities, etc, etc, but they are all beneficial for the caregiver to get respite and it usually helps the LO as well.
My husband had some difficult dreams, this was well before today's meds, but I always told him I was here and always would be. It's like you tell a child, "mommy will always be here, don't be frightened, I'll keep you safe." You can't be sure that's true, but you go with the statistics.
my husband has these night terrors in spurts. It is very frightening for him. He said some times he cant wake up and he is screamimng for help in his dreams. Sometimes he gets up sits in his chair for I dont know 15-25 minutes goes back to bed they start all over again..I have a question has any of you taken classes on how the decease affects them? I did and it helped bunches...My husband is 54 this is going into our 4th year...
My husband is up, wandering constantly. How does a person deal with the sleep deprivation? He sleeps in late and naps,while I am up early, getting the kids off to school and trying to take care of EVERYTHING all day long. I know that my patience and tolerance of my husband would improve tremendously if I could just get some quality sleep. Any suggestions?
I found this article on wandering and tips to help prevent it. For now, copy and paste it into your browser. I will be putting the link up on the front page later on today. Also, talk to his neurologist about medications to help him sleep.
My neurologist was incredibly unhelpful. While he is an excellent doctor, he knows nothing of treating the whole person. Months ago, I asked for sleep meds for DW. I got a prescription for Ambien Cr, and it didn't work. So I asked for something else. Basically, I got told that this is part of Alz, and it is just the way it is. I tried to explain that I am useless as a caregiver if I don't get some shut eye. Fell on deaf ears. He kept saying, "Medically unecessary." What CRAP! If I am wiped out, I am no good to her and dangerous to myself and my family.
Alz patients forget to eat. So do you let them starve? NO! If they forget to sleep, though, it seems to be fine to the medical community that they don't. DW could go FIVE days without sleep! Not to mention that when the Alz patient doesn't get sleep they are more prone to falling and agressiveness.
So to make a long story short, FIND another doctor. I found one that agreed to help me, and I am convinced they care about the situation, not just the textbook data. Find a doctor who agrees that it is in the best interest of the patient to have a sane caregiver!!
Another helpful hint: when you get your sleep meds, if the LO won't take it, you can have the prescription turned into a liquid (very helpful if they love decaff tea or kool aid like mine) or even into a cream. It's called compounding it. You use it like a lotion, and it seeps into the skin. Her sleep meds were a lot more effective when I rubbed some on starting early in the evening. Keep giving a little more every hour or so, and by the time beddy bye is there, out like a light! For all night! Yay!
I have noticed that several of you have mentioned that your spouse's doctor is a neurologist. While neurologists are good for diagnosing nervous system disorders, as trisinger stated, they do not consider the whole patient or situation. My suggestion is that you find a good Internist who either has a special interest in Alzheimer's or is certified in Geriatrics. One of the best doctors in my area for treating the patient with AD as well as the caregiver is a Family Physician.
I read about lavendar essential oil calming and bought a little bottle. A couple of drops on the pillow is all it takes. I have no idea if it really works - but the article was in a magazine at the Alzheimer's and Aging Institute for treating this disease. Anyone else try this?
I have an internist for all the 'other' body issues and a urologist since we suffer from UTI infections and bladder issues with hubby. the new neuro is young and a PHD and I was happy with his attitude toward helping and understanding the caregivers situation with looking after AD persons. he seemed much more knowledgable then the previous older neuro i had. i like the idea of a geriatric specializing in AD but i also like having specialists in each field. this new dr took hubby off the namenda 2mos ago as it was making him seizure like episodes and he hasnt had one since TG. also for bedtime 1mg of benadryl (helps with sinus too) is working well for him to fall asleep. but he does at times get up to go to potty -i also get up and walk him to bathroom as i dont want him to fall.