Within the past year, I took Jeff to the dermatologist to get some spots checked, especially one on his thigh that kept not healing. Well, you know the warning signs they give you for skin cancer--one being things that don't heal. The dermatologist told me there was nothing wrong there, that he must be just bothering it. I had not observed this, but it did eventually heal.
He started with one on his arm last month. I covered it with a band-aid every day until it looked fairly dry and crusted over. Wrong. I should have kept it covered until the scab was entirely gone. Today he pointed it out to me, this spot that was bothering him. All fresh and red and exposed. This time, I will leave a band-aid on for as long as is necessary.
I still don't get what exactly is going on. He must just fiddle with these sore spots when he has one and keep them from healing properly. Very weird.
emily - I remember in the past other talking about their spouses scratching in one spot. I think they said their spouse felt like something was under the skin. You hb could be getting a wrong message from his brain that there is an itch. In fact, when my neck or spine is out I can get an itch in a particular spot - the most annoying is the arch of my foot, but it can be the palm of my hand, or any place where a nerve is being affected.
My husband has the same problem. Just last week he finished a course of antibiotics (oral and drops) for an eye infection. He had (or thought he had) something near the corner of his eye and he would not stop picking at it. And there was nothing I could say or do to persuade him stiop; I told him it would end up infected.
This week he is picking at a spot where he burned himself on his car engine. I’ve repeatedly told him he has to stop, and he keeps doing it. I’ve told him it will get infected like his eye. It got so bad I even yelled at him – which was really silly of me, because while the scream did get his attention that moment, he was back to picking at it later. And I was feeling guilty for yelling at him.
Several days ago he started back on his eye. I told him if he gets it infected again, I guess he can go back to the doctor and they can prescribe hand cuffs to keep his hands behind his back. That seemed to get his attention.
I think it’s also related to the tic type behavior. He’s had several hand motion tics that have developed over the last few years. He folds his hands and then his individual fingers will pop up and down, this can go on for an entire 45 minute drive. He will also hug himself and repetitively squeeze his upper arms. He did this last week during an entire movie with my teenage son, and it nearly drove my son crazy. Had to explain to my son that as long as he is not hurting himself or anyone else, this should be the least of our worries.
I guess it’s like anything else – they can’t help it. If you find a way to make him stop, PLEASE let me know :)
LOL! I googled "dementia managing picking skin." Clicked on one of the links: http://alzheimers.boomja.com/Alzheimer's-and-Scratching-Picking-Skin-27698.html
It's a page that says "Many dementia patients scratch themselves bloody, or constantly pick at their skin or hair. Why do they do this, and how can the caregiver stop it?"
It is followed by a blank white page - very helpful!
Oh wait! if you click on the "Read More" link in the blue box at the top it does expand to a lengthy discussion....:)
Arrgh....right. Well, around here he's in good company. I have an obsessive-compulsive cat who kicks her neck to shreds. So the two of them can be the house zombies.
OMG! My DH has been doing this for almost a year. He has a place on his nose that he is constantly picking at. It actually became infected once. I try to put antibiotic ointment on it every day. He rubs it less when the ointment is on it. Now he has a place on his elbow. I put a band aid on it but after an hour he wanted to take it off & (silly me) tried to tell him why he should leave it on. SO then I told him to just take it off. He got really angry at me & went over to the neighbors to complain about me. I called our neighbor to warn her that he was on his way over. When he didn’t come back after 10 minutes I decided to go & rescue her. He came out of the house & he thanked her for her help. Know what she did? You guessed it – she put a band aid on his elbow. 3 hours later he still has it on. Go figure!
Earlier on ,my DH kept picking at every little thing on him.Would pick until he bled.Went on for about a year.I think it stopped about the time he went on Aricept and Namenda,not that I think they put an end to it,just ran the course of every other weird thing. One thing afer another seems to be the way this disease goes. Have to wonder what is next.
My dh hasn't started picking at anything on his body, but he has started biting his finger nails. He has never been a nail biter. He tries to hide it from me, but he is failing at keeping it a secret. I told him I was going to get some of that nail stuff that taste terrible and put on his nails when he is sleeping.
Just had a phone call from the Alz facility in Ohio. They have put SIL on a new cream because she is scratching and making herself bleed! Another sign of the Alz disease, I hope they know that is probably it and maybe the cream won't help. She is 86 and has been in this facility since last year.