Sunday morning at 2 am DH fell and the Hospice nurse told me to take him to the ER. The ER doctor glued him back together, cut under his eye from hitting the night stand. And he seemed ok. Well last night DH fell again. This time in slow motion over the coffee table. I was in the hall and running towards him as it was happening. The strangest thing happened. As I got to him and turned him over, his eyes looked empty. I thought he was gone. Then all of the sudden he blinked and was moving himself, trying to get up. DD had come to help me and as we got him up he started to pitch forward to fall again. We had a good hold on him and was able to sit him down. And after a few minutes he seemed better. And then all night he was up and down back and forth to the bathroom. Did not sleep much. Most of the conversation from him now is incoherent. We have had six falls in the last ten days. Our regular nurse in on leave this last week, she will be back this Thursday. I know no one can really help me, just needed to talk to someone. It just is hard some days. And this morning DH is back to how he was on Saturday. More active and busy coloring.
Blue, I had times that Lloyd would fall six times in one morning. I did away with anything that sedated him. I cut out his sleeping pills. I figured out that his sleeping pills caused him to wake up groggy in the morning and then he would fall. 99% of his falls were in the mornings right after he got up...same thing with his seizures. When he slept, I slept. Then when it got to be too much, I gave him a 4th of a sleeping pill. When he died, he was only taking a half. Also our bed was up against a wall and I would sleep on the outside so he couldn't get up without crawling over me.
The imbalance problem is part of AD I think. My mom got so she would sort of drift from side to side a little bit more than the walking on the balls of the feet where one would be leaning forward. We could not let her walk without someone with her holding her arm. In my husband's case, he also had balance problems. Some was related to diabetes I think, but with tighter control he had far less issues with neruopathy. Nevertheless, his walking did become much slower and as he walked along in the house, he would hold on to everything along the way. It is troubling, no doubt about it.
The falling is so random. I just never know when it is going to happen. He fell again last night at 2:30am, this time on the bed as he was coming around to go to the bathroom. I could not get him upright. He just kept crumpling up. I was able to get his arm around my neck and walk him to the bath room and by the time we got there he was steady again. This morning he got up and put his socks and pants on and would not come out of the bedroom. When I tried to walk him out he just would turn in circles. So I put him back to bed and he has been there for the last hour.
Last night his skin looked very ashen and his energy level seemed to decline. I not sure what is next......
blue, I wonder if his blood pressure is really low? I noticed that Dado is doing that now, I cannot even stand him up to get to the bed like we could do only a week ago. He is crumply like you say. And when they take his blood pressure it is 108 over 75, that sounds pretty low to me. Oh dear blue please do not hurt yourself lifting him. Let us know how it is going please!
DH's BP runs around 108/69. No one seems to think that is too low. But, his walking is awful, I have to help him out of bed or chair, help him sit on the commode and get up - he's just weak and he does get dizzy - probably some of the meds too. Just can't win.
Yes, blue, please don't hurt yourself - I know, singing to the choir! Hope all goes well,Coco.
Vickie, Blue, Coco, it seems like you have been dealing with this for so long. I signed up within months of Joan's starting this website and it seems to me you were all here then too. You must be getting just plain, worn out.
Some of us have really been here for the duration. I accidentally met Joan during an alz. event in front of our local supermarket. Site was just getting started and so was my journey. Would have never made it without this group.