PsyOps
Pixelated
I don’t like posting stuff like this on a forum since folks tend to rely on answers to diagnose their problem. I’m not trying to do that. I am just looking for folks that have had similar circumstances that could provide some insight so I can put these in front of my mom’s doctor.
Background: My dad passed away about three months ago. He and my mom were married for 53 years and were soul mates. My dad had bypass surgery back in Nov ’04 and struggled with his health ever since until he passed. Helpless to do anything about it, this was taking an obvious toll on my mom’s health. Sometime during the last 5 years of my dad’s life my mom (who is 74) started showing signs of short-term memory loss. She was a very organized person, always cooked for every party and event they had at their house (which was many). Then she became less organized to the point others had to starting doing all the cooking and such. Then we noticed her walk was more of a shuffle. She blamed on a gimpy hip.
After my dad’s death my mom refused to leave her house and lived there for about a month. I think this was a big turning point as her walking became more struggled and her short term memory was getting significantly worse. She got to the point where she couldn’t even leave the house, and was falling often. She finally realized she couldn’t stay in the house. She came to live with me and my family until we could get her into assisted living.
While she stayed with me I could observe her.
- When walking she would reach for things (like walls, doorknobs, tabletops, etc…) to help her keep her balance, but would reach out before she was actually close enough to reach it. She had problems figuring out how to negotiate around certain objects: like getting around the end table to get to the couch and getting herself positioned properly in front of the couch before sitting down (she would often sit on the arm of the couch and slide into position).
- Having conversations with her were, for the most part, normal except she would repeat things; but seem to have no problem recalling older information.
- Performing mental skills: She seems to have lost the concept of doing crossword puzzles She loved reading but shows no interest in that anymore. She loved to cook but I believe she does not know how to anymore. Even using the TV remote control is a challenge for her.
We (my brothers and I) took my mom to several doctors and she’s had several cognitive tests done, CT Scans and an MRI on her head, and lots of blood work. All tests have ruled out dementia or Alzheimer’s at this point.
So her symptoms are:
- Short term memory loss that has been noticeable for about 3 years
- Sudden loss of motor skills like walking and negotiating around objects
- Sudden loss of ability to handle mental challenges like crosswords, reading and cooking
- Chronic diarrhea
Although dementia or Alzheimer’s has been ruled out, it’s still possible she could have this and future tests will reveal this; but her symptoms are quickly getting worse that is not indicative of dementia or Alzheimer’s. She is now at a point where she requires 24 hour surveillance for fear that she might fall.
This seems to have baffled everyone at this point, so I am posting on here for anyone that has had similar circumstances that might shed some helpful light on what we can have her doctor look for.
Thanks for reading my long post.
Background: My dad passed away about three months ago. He and my mom were married for 53 years and were soul mates. My dad had bypass surgery back in Nov ’04 and struggled with his health ever since until he passed. Helpless to do anything about it, this was taking an obvious toll on my mom’s health. Sometime during the last 5 years of my dad’s life my mom (who is 74) started showing signs of short-term memory loss. She was a very organized person, always cooked for every party and event they had at their house (which was many). Then she became less organized to the point others had to starting doing all the cooking and such. Then we noticed her walk was more of a shuffle. She blamed on a gimpy hip.
After my dad’s death my mom refused to leave her house and lived there for about a month. I think this was a big turning point as her walking became more struggled and her short term memory was getting significantly worse. She got to the point where she couldn’t even leave the house, and was falling often. She finally realized she couldn’t stay in the house. She came to live with me and my family until we could get her into assisted living.
While she stayed with me I could observe her.
- When walking she would reach for things (like walls, doorknobs, tabletops, etc…) to help her keep her balance, but would reach out before she was actually close enough to reach it. She had problems figuring out how to negotiate around certain objects: like getting around the end table to get to the couch and getting herself positioned properly in front of the couch before sitting down (she would often sit on the arm of the couch and slide into position).
- Having conversations with her were, for the most part, normal except she would repeat things; but seem to have no problem recalling older information.
- Performing mental skills: She seems to have lost the concept of doing crossword puzzles She loved reading but shows no interest in that anymore. She loved to cook but I believe she does not know how to anymore. Even using the TV remote control is a challenge for her.
We (my brothers and I) took my mom to several doctors and she’s had several cognitive tests done, CT Scans and an MRI on her head, and lots of blood work. All tests have ruled out dementia or Alzheimer’s at this point.
So her symptoms are:
- Short term memory loss that has been noticeable for about 3 years
- Sudden loss of motor skills like walking and negotiating around objects
- Sudden loss of ability to handle mental challenges like crosswords, reading and cooking
- Chronic diarrhea
Although dementia or Alzheimer’s has been ruled out, it’s still possible she could have this and future tests will reveal this; but her symptoms are quickly getting worse that is not indicative of dementia or Alzheimer’s. She is now at a point where she requires 24 hour surveillance for fear that she might fall.
This seems to have baffled everyone at this point, so I am posting on here for anyone that has had similar circumstances that might shed some helpful light on what we can have her doctor look for.
Thanks for reading my long post.
