My DH has been VERY ambulatory up till this last week. In the morning I get up to find him standing in place like his feet are glued to the floor. He cannot move his legs, or should I say has forgotten how to move his legs? I can't figure it out?? I have no idea how long he has been standing there either. Some mornings I think it must have been hours because when I do finally do get him to lay down he will sleep for hours which is very unlike him. This has happened once in the middle of the night also. This morning was the first time he did it before getting out of bed, (in a laying down position). He acts like his legs are literally frozen stiff and then when I finally do get him up and moving he is so stiff. Again I want to say this is very unlike him, my nickname for him is the Energizer Bunny. He has all the symptoms of stage 6. Is this just the beginning of stage 7? Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? He still talks up a storm but doesn't make much sense. In stage 7 talking and walking are the last to go I guess, maybe he's closer than I think.
Denille, I have not experienced the stiff legs, just at times my husband will freeze in spot, that is what I call it, but it is only for a few minutes. As for the talking being the last to go, my husband lost all of his speech well over 2 years ago and it started going slowly before then. Sometimes these things happen, come and go, it is possible that he is developing some Parkinson.
I am glad someone ask this question. Last week we went to Kohls, went in the door I had my arm in my husband's as I always do & all of a sudden he stopped, would not move...almost like he was frozen there. I tried to get him to walk with me, but he wouldn't, finally he started to walk again. I had noticed in the past that he would stand by the side of the bed stiff as a board, while I am coaching him to lie down.
This is a classic Parkinson's symptom. A low dose of Sinemet might help a lot. Don't let them give you other Parkinson's medications like Requip--the dopamine agonists are notorious for causing behavioral problems and hallucinations. The specialists for Parkinson's are called Movement Disorder Specialists, but a neurologists deal with it too. We see a neurologist every two months but he likes us to see a MDS once or twice a year because balancing the medications is tricky.
Jane, I was wondering about Parkinson's. He has FTD, I think I will send the Neuro an e-mail and present the question. He will also lie in the bed sleeping, but he looks stiff as a board. He went to the grocery store with me today, was pushing the cart & all of a sudden stopped & wouldn't move, he then started walking again.
This sounds so much like what my Father had..He had Parkinson's....he would get stiff and not be able to walk....sometimes a little nudge from the back, and he would take off..and at a fast clip....Do Alz. patients usually go into Parkinson's??
I think that Alz. and Parkinson's are in the same area of the brain and a lot of the time both symptoms happen to Alz. patients. It doesn't work in reverse though. My husband has RLS which is linked to Parkinson's - and his hand would shake occasionally. Now, he has major shaking when asleep, but not so much when awake.
I listened to a web conference on Lewy Body Dementia and one of the scientists reported on an autopsy study. I don't remember how they selected the patients, but I do remember that while some autopsies showed just Alzheimer's tangles or just Lewy Bodies, the largest group had both. So overlap is common.
My Daddy had Parkinsons but did not have Alz. If his meds were mixed up he would have delusions. The meds that was prescribed for him had to be cut in half because of this. His Doctor had told us to decrease his dosage. When he would go into the hospital they insisted on giving him the full dosage. He had some wild, vivid hallucinations every time.
I haven't experienced the stiff legs in a standing position, only when he's lying down. It's very difficult to get him up. And when he walks, his gait is so bad ... he simply shuffles his feet. He is also no longer in an upright position ... he's bent over. He is also beginning to lose his words ... sometimes stops in mid sentence searching for the next word.
I hope I can do this well. At this point I'm so spent. I am mentally exhausted and depressed ... just am without hope.
I still work full time, and have hired a friend to come in a spend four hours with him every day. He waits until I get home and then leaves. I wonder how long I can do this. Working is such good therapy for me.
ySounds like Motor Neuron problems. Check out the Assoc for Fronto Temporal Dementia's new and improved website. They are no longer calling It FTD Parkinsonian variant, now it is FTD w/Motor Neuron Disease. Either way it's miserable. Three months ago Jim was cutting the lawn, now he is in a wheelchair, having difficulty breathing and swallowing. I hate this disease.
Bama: we are in the same age group...I will be 81 in Dec. and Dario is 87. i also take one day at a time....I also wonder for how long. Each day is a new challenge...When I can get him into the Shower, I feel like I have accompliced a lot.....what makes me weary is that DH. is always asking for his Mother..wants me to call her and have her pick him up...or..He wants to go back to Lucca (Italy) where he was born...I am so tired of saying Tomorrow....what hurts is when his eyes light up about going....of course the next day he has forgotten...what I said..and will start all over again....I Hate this Disease, and what it has done to all of us.... PatL: I am sure you don't have it easy, especially going to work, but like you said, it is good therapy for you...Bless You....
Thank you everyone for your input. PatL I am also working full time so I know exactly what you are going through. My 74 yr mother is watching him for me while I work (3) 12hr days, but we just found out she has ovarian cancer. So I will be placing my DH in a 24hr care home on the 1st of the month. It is past time and now I have to take care of my mom. Remember me next week as it will be a hard one for me, lots of tears. Denille
Oh, Denille, such sad news. I feel so badly for you, having to place your DH and care for your mother. You've got a lot on your shoulders. You'll be in my thoughts. (((hugs)))
Denille, my heart goes out to you with all of this being heaped on you! You are being torn in different directions. Will pray that the placement of your DH goes very well and your Mother will be fine. Blessings on you and your family.
Oh Denille, sweetie, it's too much, just too much. Life seems to take aim at us and just keeps throwing crap at us over and over. My heart breaks for you. I honestly don't know how I would have come this far without my Mom. She lives with us and like your Mom, she has taken care of Jim for me when needed. She is 76 and he is 62! I'm 53 and feeling older than both of them. God Bless you, your Mom and DH. Arms around, Susan
Denille, positive thoughts and prayers coming your way that you get some rest, DH gets happily settled into care and that your Mom does well with her cancer battle. Hugs to you.