My DH had a episode this am kinda like a hotflash. He did get dizzy, weak in legs and broke out in a dripping sweat. This has happeneed several times in the past few weeks, lasting a short time. He is usually cold. He is on namenda and aricept. Hae any of you experienced this!!
I agree with Imohr. My DH did that several weeks before he had an actual heart attack. He would say "I'm having some kind of spell' and he would have to sit down. It would eventually pass but he had 3 blocked arteries that had to be opened and stents put in. Don't want to scare you Ky caregiver, but he really does need be checked out.
That was 3 out of about 4 positive signs of a heart attack if you 'google' it. The sweating and weakness especially. Please have him checked by a cardiologist.
He had a good checkup last Wed by a very competent physician. I mentioned it to him and he said it was a side effect of the meds he is on. I am a RN so I know signs of heart attack. He has none in his family hx,he had just eaten so i know it wasnt blood sugar related. I thought surely some of you had seen it in your spouse. My DH doesnt even have high blood pressure. I checked his BP after the incident and it was fine. I thought it mmight have been low.
My experience with hot flashes and sweating is when DW gets 'panic attacks'. Extremely fearful, cries uncontroably shaking & tremors in her hands and YES drips in sweat. I dont know if she 'feels hot' as she generally refuses to remove any sweater/jacket that she has on anyway. She does not get weak in the legs, but she walks with a stoop normally. . . . .
I try to calm her down (not always successful) in most cases it resolves in its own time. I have tried to find the triggers (and resolutions) but like everything the ball is always in her court and I am just an observer on the sideline. . . .
m-mman, have you read up on PBA? Pseudobulbar Affect---i saw a commercial the other day about this which is the inability to control voluntary emotions. sounds like maybe this could be a part of your wifes constant crying jags?. its known to be associated with forms of dementias and or brain injury as well. out of the ordinary bursts of crying or laughing. just a thought.
Divvi, Yeah I have seen that, but since it has been going on for about 9 months now and MD evals have not been able to do anything (but lots of meds have made it tolerable)
There is a difference between crying and 'crying'. While she is crying, sniffling and whimpering I will ask her if she is 'crying' and sometimes she clearly tells me that 'No' she is not crying. Sometimes I ask and she says 'Yes' it is a crying time.
Not that I could tell from her behaviors, but there is something going on inside her head.
The crying is a nusiance, BUT I AM THANKFUL THAT AT LEAST SHE IS NOT RAGEFULL AND VIOLENT!!! :-)
ok m-mman at least the drs have approached it for you. at any rate, emotional crying is a dilemma and i am so sorry you have to deal with this so often. it wears on us and you i am sure! but yes no raging and violence is at least a tradeoff. best of luck.
My wife, who is always cold (very low BP, but she has always been that way) also occasionally gets those 'hot flashes" now. She's also on Aricept and Namenda, although she will be off both meds by the end of next month (See the discussion thread I started about weaning her off these meds.) She actually does have serious heart issues and is on a lot of heart meds, but the cardiologist has never been able to associate those hot flashes with her condition. In fact, yesterday was her regular 4 month check-up with the cardiologist and her echo cardiogram, and all other test results, were fine. So, KY Caregiver, I see what you see and have no idea why!
As normal women get hot flashes due to hormone changes, why not men too? Even more so with their brains not working right things could misfire triggering them. When I am nervous I will break out in a sweat, so I am sure panic attacks can cause it too.
My oldest sister would have the sweats and weakness when she had a TIA. Doctors checked her many times and never found anything. Finally had the stroke where they found the carotid artery 90% blocked. Insane they never found it in all their test.