My DH has such an appetite! We've noticed it over the past year. He eats everything in the house. I work Monday through Friday and grocery shop on the weekend to stock up for the week. I try and make it home for lunch three days a week. He eats a hearty breakfast and lunch. By the time I get home in the late afternoon he's pacing because he's hungry. I fix something and then within an hour he's hungry again. I feed him again and then usually before we go to bed he'll get up and want something more. He spends a lot of time in the bathroom. It's like food is all he things about. He also eats so rapidly that I'm sometimes concerned that he's going to choke. My family has noticed this also. It's like he can't get enough to eat. He's a large man over 6 feet and he weighs 245 lbs. He lost a great deal of weight when he went on Exelon patches two years ago. The neurologist is going to change meds when we see him in June because I don't think the patches are helping anymore. I'm just wondering if anyone else has seen this type of appetite and fixation on food with AD.
A lot of us have noticed our spouses eating with great gusto - and gaining weight! Mine's gone from a 32 waist to a 36 waist!! He will eat a whole loaf of bread if I leave it in front of him (so I don't anymore) but I think it IS something they can think about when other things have gone, and they aren't as picky either. Several of us have noticed that they no longer object to things they used to hate!
My husband is the same way. He will eat until it almost makes me sick watching him. He did quit smoking a year ago and rapidly gained 30 pounds, but I don't think this kind of eating is still from quitting smoking a year ago. He has now gained 45 pounds in a year. He is 5'7 and weighs 205. I think it is the AD for sure. And he has admitted to me that sometimes an hour after dinner he can't remember that he has eaten and is sitting in the living room wondering when I am going to start making dinner.
My husband starts eating again within a hour of our evening meal. He looks for snacks and will eat 2 or three times before we go to bed. I no longer buy ice cream because he would eat the whole container, not matter what flavor. I only buy pretzels or triscuits, no cookies or chips, no dips. If I want to keep something for my self, I have to hide it. He is now at a size 44 pants. When his clothes get tight, he cannot figure our why. We have a closet full of clothes that do not fit him. His doctors never, ever comment on his weight. And yes, he will eat anything.
My wife generally eats everything on her plate, even if she is feeling full. Last night she had finished about half of the meal when she complained of being full. I told her not to eat the rest, but she continued eating until I had the waitress (in our retirement home) take her plate away. She must have been full because she did not eat her dessert - chocolate ice cream!!!!
Funny, my DH eats very little. He lost weight from 212 last summer and is now down to about 185. He eats all meals, but smaller amounts. Fixes his cereal for breakfast, usually eats fruit and maybe a sandwich at lunch; then I cook dinner - but much smaller amounts now. He is still pretty active and takes our dog for walks 3 times a day, but says he just doesn't get hungry.
Because my wife eats so much and doesn't exercise at all, she has gained a lot of weight, so none of her clothes fit her. The problem is that she made most of them, so I have no clue as to sizes.
My DH hasn't changed the amount he eats, but he will eat anything I give him. Recently, I have noticed he goes to the fridge and stands looking in. His weight has remained about the same so far. He will eat part of his meal and say he is done, get up and walk through the house, then return and finish his meal. Strange, but he will eat nearly everything on the right side of his plate, then I have to turn the plate so the remaining food is on the right side. If I don't watch he will often reach over and eat some of my food or more often pick up my beverage and drink it.
At a support group meeting several years ago, one of the ladies brought in a box of things that her husband had tried to eat, which included record albums, a leather belt, a light bulb, a Frisbee, candles, ….. You get the idea. It was hard to believe that somebody would try to eat those things, but we could all see the marks from his teeth. Just wanted to mention this, because sometimes if people with dementia have a really ravenous appetite, they will try to eat things besides food. They feel the desire to eat, but can’t always recognize what is food, and what is not. This can be very, very dangerous.
my DH is also an eater now. he walks in the pm around and if there is fruit or candy out he takes handfuls which is ok with me. he is on no diet restrictions nowdays. but i do try to ration how many handfuls he takes:) he will alos eat most anything and even stuff he hated pre ad. he has gone from 34 to 38 in waist in about year/half. i had him skelatal in earlier phases when he'd eat nothing. so i am elated hes eating well for now. he gets such pleasure out of food, why not! esp desserts=:)divvi
Marsh, there are mumus at Vermont Country Store, but the cheaper ones are at National. I stay in mine as long as possible in the morning, and when I shower in the late afternoon go back into it! It may be a little cool there yet, but you're inside, so I imagine it's warm. Look at these:
My dh appetite is way down from what it used to be. He eats more breakfast than anythings. He has lost 20# over the last year and is not diet restricted so he eats what he wants and that general included dessert as always. I would like him to not gain more. He weighs 169 and that is just a little more than when he was in his 20's. He does not have the pot-belly most of the men his age has but he is greatly stooped with his spinal stenosis.
About eating on one side of the plate - I mentioned in a earlier thread while I was researching AD there was an article about some people with AD being able to see only "a right side or left side" example when making a drawing of the clock they will draw one half and not the other and the same with a house or whatever and that sounds the same as eating only one side of food on his plate. I can no longer find the article but it was when my dh was taking his first "testing".
Lois, if you'll Google "left side neglect" you'll probably find information that will help explain what's going on. My DW suffers from this and also can't perceive food on the left side of her plate, and would tend to bump into things on her left if she were still able to walk on her own. Getting her into her wheelchair (we use it as a transport chair) is a hassle, as her tendency is to sit on the left armrest rather than squarely in the chair as she slides into the chair.
Interesting - my husband eats also eats almost constantly but is very thin and never gains. He is 6'7" and has weighed around 300 lbs. but about 5 years ago he began to lose weight and now weighs about 225. Did I not read something about a connection between abrupt and unexplained weight loss and AD?
It is interesting....my husband also eats whatever is presented to him...5 dinner rolls tonight, steak & 2 baked potatoes, however, he never gains weight. Before dementia, he would have weighed a ton if he had ate like that. The neighbor lady gave him cookies to share with me, however, he ate them all standing in their garage. lol Strange, he never looks for anything to eat, I don't think he would eat if it was not presented to him.
When John was here at home he would eat everything he could get his hands on. 12 sweetrolls 5 bananas 3 bowls of cereal in less than 2 hours. I started to hide things after that. He easts so fast he chokes. Now in the nh he is on a pureed diet. Yuck, but he dosen't mind. They now put his food in small bowls and give them to him one at a time. They also give him a smaller spoon. Yesterday I had to sign a waiver stating if he choked on any food brought from home they would not be responsible. I can no longer bring him his beloved rigatoni and meatballs. Truth is these things bother me but seem to have no effect on him. He's not losing weight and has no complaints so I guess I should cinsider us lucky. He always had too much pride for his own good. I sure wish just a little had been spared by dementia. cs
My dh went through phases where he would not eat much but now, he eats everything on his tray at the nh. Yesterday as I was feeding him, I did not notice the patient next to me had taked his peaches and ate them along with hers. Infact, she ate everything in site. A caregiver across from us gave her a few small cookies and realized that she needed more milk. She ate all the cookies and a full container of milk. When I looked at her dish, it was totally clean-like it just came from the dishwasher!! I don't know what kind of appetite she has but I think she would have continued eating if more were placed in front of her. I've noticed nearly everyone there eats very well. Even my dh who was eating very little-even his beloved McD's double cheeseburgers. Now, they say he eats breakfast (which he rarely if ever ate before) and full meals for lunch and dinner. They came around about 1 hr after lunch and offered him icecream and he ate it! Who knows what is going on with this feeding?
My husband will eat everything put on his plate, and will eat slowly (very slowly) until EVERY crumb is gone. It takes his twice as long as the rest of us to eat, but he doesn't spill anything! Like Marsh's wife, he gets very little exercise (only walking) and has gained weight. I bought him three pair of those elastic waist pants from JC Penneys online when someone here told us about them, and those are all he wears unless we are going out somewhere, and I've bought him two pair of Dockers (I brought them home and tried them on him and luckily I guessed the right size!) for when we go out anywhere.
He will go to the counter in the kitchen (where we have a large wooden bowl that contains the chips bags) and he will get a bag and start nibbling when he is hungry. We try to make sure that we don't keep any candy bars or ice cream in the house except for special treats, or he would eat them all like some of you have said.
The thing is, he doesn't feel the food being hot or cold! He'll put something in his mouth that is too hot and not show any reaction and eat it as if it were the proper temperature! AND, his taste buds have to be gone, because he'll eat what is on his plate, even chicken which he has hated for 47 years!
Marsh, briegull's suggestion of the muumuus is a great one! I love mine, and they are easy to get on and off. I wear them until it is time to dress for work, and change back into one when I get home from work.
My husband will eat pretty much anything you make for him. He wouldn't eat chicken until recently and now he loves it. Everything to him is "delicioso". My daughter said the other day you could give him cat food and he'd say it was good. Also, I have to make his plate otherwise he would fill it up and not leave anything for anyone else to eat. Have to tell him others have to eat too.
He is addicted to m&ms. He'll ask for them first thing in the morning or tell me he'll have them for lunch. I have to hide the bag and dole them out in small portions. One day he ate a 2lb bag--couldn't believe he had no stomach issues from it.
Lynn use to eat all the time as well. However, he still lost weight. His doctor explained several things.. one, the reason he ate so often was that he did not know he had already eaten.. nor did he know he was full. Two, the reason he was still losing weight was because the part of his brain that controlled his metabolism had been destroyed by AD.
I was told it was normal to go through this stage of always wanting to eat. I was also warned there would come a day when he wouldn't want to eat at all. I never believed that day could happen!!! But, sadly.. it has. He takes 2 bites and swears he is over full. It takes a lot of coaxing to get him to eat enough. :(. The over eating was far better than this......sigh
Nikki i know how that is, Bob used to eat everything put in front of him now we can`t get him to eat hardly anything, drinks alot and they give him alot of protein drinks in the nh, he won`t even eat for me anymore, he asked for a cheese burger and fries from mcdonalds so bring him one tomorrow probley won`t eat it but have to try, ya the over eating was much better than this, so ladies and genteman leave them eat all they want
My DH will eat everythng and anything you put on his plate, everything is always delicious, then 1 hrl. later says he hasn't eaten for two days, and is looking for something, so he gets crackers and cheese and juice in between. with no exercise, he has gone from a 36 waist to a 40. He is happy when he is eating and having his glass of wine.
My DH's doctor told me not to worry about my DH gaining weight because there will come a day that he will need that weight to carry him through. Right now he is eating me out of house and home. :-)
I was looking to see if anyone had experience of this over-eating. My DH forgets he has eaten and says "well, I guess you are not going to feed me" about an hour after eating. Before this current phase he had lost about 30 pounds over two years. Suddenly, he is hungry all the time. He ate 6 times yesterday. There have been many new behaviors in the last month. He no longer sleeps during the day. He wants to go somewhere everyday. Each morning he wants to know what the plan is. He sticks to me like glue. He stands outside the bathroom, waiting for me. This has all happened in the last month. He wants me not to watch tv, read, use the computer. I ask what he wants. He says he wants to be with me. I try to have a conversation. It is hard. He has no idea what is going on in the world. Christmas was disruptive to any schedule. The daycare closed for several days. He says I won't let him go anywhere. My coping skills are wearing out. He has had AD symptoms for over 10 years, was diagnosed in 2006 .
maryd, I'm about where you are with this. He forgets he has eaten too. Not sure if he is hungry or not, don't think so, but just 'something to do'??? He never has slept during the day; but wants to go somewhere everyday! First thing in the morning he wants to kow what the plan is also! I always tell him we're going to work - and he will usually go to DCl, for 3 hours, has lunch and I pick him up. Christmas was very disruptive and he was totally confused - didn't even know what Christmas or New Years was. We're in this for almost 9 years. I know it doesn't get any better and will only get worse. I'm just happy he is agreeable - most of the time. Good luck - I have no answers either.
I't not so much overeating with my DH, but eating all the wrong stuff between meals. Yeah, I enable him but what's the difference. Even his pcp doesn't worry about his sugar levels any more. He is prediabetic and has been for years but dr also said what's the difference. He eats several donuts a day, goes in the kitchen and spreads peanut butter on bread, has a yougurt in mid-afternoon and ice cream after supper (that one has his seroquel in it). I keep waiting for him to start loosing weight. Isn't that a sign they are going into decline?
Lloyd has dropped from 155 in 2010 to about 117 now. He will eat anything - even things he professed to hate before the AD. He cannot gain weight because he never sits down if he is awake. He paces and paces and paces! I have even tried Ensure 3 times a day. Nothing works. Marinol worked, but we can no longer afford that since our insurance didn't cover it and our monthly cost went from $250 to over $500. Can't understand why the bureaucrats, politicians, and FDA won't let someone who is doomed have anything and everything that will make the rest of their lives better!
DH never had much of an appetite...weight 160 and has gained over 20+ pounds in a last year. He particularly is a sweet addict....cookies, ice cream, pudding. It's no big deal to me because I figure he will need this xtra weight down the road. Just my opinion....don't know if it's the right opinion, but he's happy with his goodies so let him be.
Maryd,my DH sounds just like yours.Acted the same way until a monthe or two ago.Now doesn't want to go anywhere and hardly wants to eat.HEUSED TO EAT THE WHOLE CONTAINER OF ICE CREAM IN ONE SITTING,NOW A FEW SPOONS AND HE IS DONE.hE HAS SPIRALED DOWNWARD REALLY FAST SINCE HIS APPETITE slowed down.Doctor said it is time for a NH,he is belligerent about anything I want him to do.
I have the opposite problem. Since my DH has moved to ASL last week he is not eating - he was a very picky eater before being placed. They have tried everything, shakes, sandwiches, etc. - the facility has delicious food - I would love their food - but he's just not eating. They have suggested asking the physician to prescribe a medication to increase his appetite.
I had it happen with my husband, and he lost a lot of weight. The doctor stopped his Aricept, hoping that would help, but he still wasn't hungry. Look up Nikki's posts and the word Marinol. She had her husband on Marinol (marijuana) and he did very well on it. He ate and regained his lost weight. You could ask you doctor about its use. Others here have used it, too, with good results.
Last spring,my DH lost 40lbs. after his episode with a bleeding ulcer.He went from hospital to NH.Appetite was poor. After they weaned him off the Aricept,Namenda and Seroquel his appetite is tremendous.Usually has second helpings .He has regained only 7 or 8 lbs.They said he uses up all his calories jiggling in his wheelchair,which he constantly does.He is hardly ever still, not even when he is sleeping.So I am thankful for the big appetite. If when and it gets bad,I hope PA. will have okayed Marinol,to give him to perk it up.
DH has been in ASL a week now and is still not eating. The neurologist has prescribed Megace for him for two weeks. From what I read it is prescribed as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients who have lost a lot of weight from chemo. Has anyone had any experience with this? Thanks.
DH has been on Megace now for one week and his appetite has started increasing as of yesterday. So thankful it's working. His cognition is definitely less than it was before he was hospitalized. He has been in ASL now for two weeks and is adjusting better. Today he didn't ask to come home - and that is a blessing for me.
My husband is always hungry too and this is one of his 'anger triggers'. He is also diabetic and it was WAY worse before he was diagnosed and treated with medication. So food jags and overeating is a sign of diabetes. But food still matters to him and I know he forgets that he has eaten. I just moniter what kind of food he eats now and he has stopped raiding the cupboards. But I hide the bananas or he would eat everyone in the bowl.
George's caregiver, I can certainly sympathize! Please PLEASE know I say this just because I care and that I am NOT trying to frighten you or question your doctor's decision to put your DH on Megace. Lynn DID have good results with Megace as far as an appetite stimulant. But, he did "bloat" on it, like it wasn't a healthy weight gain. I wish I could explain it better.... he just looked swollen. AND, when he got the pulmonary embolism the specialist he saw said that several of his patients developed these while on Megace...and took him off it that day.
I only share this because I care and I wish someone had told me that was a risk before I put him on it. (though those studies weren't out then) There are some studies out there on the internet now, it is a "fairly new" finding.
If I might also suggest, perhaps it would be beneficial to your husband if they were to give him an antidepressant? I can not speak for your DH, but Lynn was suffering from depression due to placement. Just a thought....