I have been amazed that Gord is capable of melodrama and wondered how this could be with the level of cognitive impairment. When he is agitated, he will actually appear to be fainting. The thing is, I can catch him and hold him up. He is 6 foot 4 and 165 pounds. I am 5 foot 2 and 125 pounds. If he were a dead weight as in a faint, there is no way I could do anything but go down to the floor with him. He is putting it on. Yesterday, I either stepped on the very end of his big toe with a bare foot or I maybe pushed too hard as I was swinging him around to the table. He yelled as if he had been stabbed and kept yelling. Then he slumped against me as if he had been shot. I was so annoyed with him. I asked him if he could produce blood. He sat back up and was completely fine. His newest skill is kickboxing. We were in the kitchen last week and out of nowhere, his foot, with shoe was barely an inch from my arm. Had he connected, it would have really hurt. He thought it was a joke. Tonight, we were at the table with our son and grandson and again, the foot came out and up and was inches from my face. My son went to stop him and reprimanded him. Again, it was not out of anger but a really good joke. Not so funny if he had connected. What amazes me is the speed and surprise with which it comes. He has never been athletic. Where did this come from?
I can only hope. The melodrama has been going on for several months now. The kicking as a joke is new. This morning, I was putting on his t-shirt and he kicked me twice. I asked why and he said," He was kicking me." Apparently, our hallucinations are aggressive too!
jang any physical confrontation is not a good thing, kicking punching or slapping etc. it can escalate in a heartbeat without them needing any confrontations sometimes. it would be considered a form of violent behavior, -and if they connect like you say they have alot of force and can do damage. what may be feet now can easily turn into fists at some point, i would ask his dr about this and see if he can offer any medical interventions with a possible new med to help control this behavior.
Sounds like the kicking is not a joke but a real hallucination where someone is actually trying to or kicking your dh and he is only trying to defend himself. The mind is so powerful. You can only hope his make=believe enemy decides to tickle him rather than kick him.
Divvi, we have already had the punching and pushing. One day last winter, I was helping him on with his coat and suddenly, I was being held up against the door. I had no idea what I had done. I haven't been punched for a couple of months now so I suppose the seroquel is working in that regard. The funny thing about this new kicking is that he really seems to think he is being comical. With the punching, slapping and stepping on hands, the rage was clear to see on his face and in the swearing. In 46 years, not only did we never swear at each other, he would not swear in front of me or any other woman or his children. Now, I am told f.....on a regular basis.
jang--I would discuss the kicking with his neuro. The Seroquel may need to be tweaked, i.e., different dosage, different timing, etc. Also, there are other antipsychotics out there that could be tried. Make sure the doctor knows hallucinations are involved, because that may help in determining what meds to give. From my husband's experience, some hallucinations can even be pleasant, but some can be frightening (causing paranoia) and also cause rage.
Jang, Funny you should use the term melodrama, because I believe that my DH uses drama too. It amazes me that he can have such reactions. He is on 25mg of Seroquel at night & it deoes help himfall asleep & He was aggressive & it's definitely helped with that.