Need your input

[PsyOps]

B12 deficiency will cause these symptoms also.

That was one of the first things they looked for.

 

[belvak]

That was one of the first things they looked for.

PsyOps, I don't have anything to add to what the others have offered, except for a BIG . Keep asking questions of every doctor and try to keep a record of all the tests/diagnoses. You may be able to "trip" across something that doesn't "compute" and may narrow things down. Good Luck, and God Bless!!! And give your Mom a hug for me! Hugs have been known to help heal!

 

[RoseRed]

None taken. So far she has been tested in two different hospitals. I am adding this to my list of things to ask the dr. Thanks.

You're welcome. I hope it isn't the case. Best of wishes for you and your family.

 

[PsyOps]

I actually think they could be separate issues. I volunteer at a senior center and see the vast majority have the need for a walker/stroller. The reasons are varied, a build up of fluid in the legs, diabetes, osteoarthritis, bursitis and more.

The second part sounds like it could very easily be an anxiety disorder and depression, just because of her general situation. I even think some of the forgetfulness, repeating etc, is normal and age related. But it also could point to her thyroid being out of whack or low blood sugar or as others have mentioned her current medication. I actually don't see alzheimer's in the symptoms, though I can understand your concern. Prior to my grandmother being diagnosed with alzheimer's, she set her kitchen on fire, because she didn't know she couldn't cook. On the other end of the spectrum, my semi-normal grandmother totally remodeled her kitchen, updated her appliances and so on after my grandfather died and then she refused to cook another meal.

I think you are doing a wonderful job of being vigilant about her care. Don't give up. You'll get the answers.

It seems much of her walking problems is mental since she tends to reach for objects to stabilize herself, but she starts reaching when that object is still way out of reach. For the record, she just of her eyes examined and has a new prescription. I think that needs to be rechecked.

She takes Synthroid for hypothyroidism. I’m sure this has been checked but I certain should ask about it. I am certain much of what she is going through is depression. She is taking a low dose of Zoloft once a day. Depression is far more complicated than I thought. Even though someone doesn’t have the classic signs of depression (general unhappiness) they could still have it. My mom doesn’t seem unhappy, isn’t crawling in a corner crying, she isn’t obsessively talking about my dad in terms of missing him and wishing he was back (although she does bring it up from time to time; which I think is normal). She will be having her first session with a psychiatrist Thursday and I’m hoping this could reveal some things.

Thanks for your encouragement.

 

[Roberta]

She's not having problems with eating; although we worry she isn't drinking enough water. She did have a mild UTI a little while ago. She eats well. She seems to get hit hard with the diarrhea right after a meal. I should also point out that the diarrhea has been going on for several years. But now, not a single bowel movement is without diarrhea.

If you don't mind sharing, any idea why this happened to you?

Keep a eye on that. A UTI in the elderly can cause confusion, dementia and often go undiagnosed due the symptoms are different for them.
Have her checked for Pancreatic Cancer.

 

[Bann]

I don't have anything to offer other than I'm thinking of you and your family. I hope you are able to get some answers soon. I know how frustrating this must be to want to help, but to feel helpless at times.

 

[PsyOps]

Keep a eye on that. A UTI in the elderly can cause confusion, dementia and often go undiagnosed due the symptoms are different for them.
Have her checked for Pancreatic Cancer.

Subsequent tests show the UTI is gone. As far as I know there have been no purposeful tests for any cancer. As with many cancers they are caught when looking for something else. Pancreatic cancer is one of those that don't show symptoms until it's too late. She is suffering from none of them at this point.

 

[PsyOps]

I don't have anything to offer other than I'm thinking of you and your family. I hope you are able to get some answers soon. I know how frustrating this must be to want to help, but to feel helpless at times.

Thanks.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

What kind of cancer did your grandmother have?

She had lung cancer for about a year or two and never told family. By the time we knew something was wrong, the cancer had spread to her brain. She passed away two weeks after diagnosis.

 

[PsyOps]

She had lung cancer for about a year or two and never told family. By the time we knew something was wrong, the cancer had spread to her brain. She passed away two weeks after diagnosis.

That's really sad. My dad's best friend's wife got cancer and he took care of her. About half way through her battle he found out he had cancer but told no one so he can continue helping his wife. She died and about a year later he died. An amazing story but very sad.

 

[twinoaks207]

It seems much of her walking problems is mental since she tends to reach for objects to stabilize herself, but she starts reaching when that object is still way out of reach. For the record, she just of her eyes examined and has a new prescription. I think that needs to be rechecked.

She takes Synthroid for hypothyroidism. I’m sure this has been checked but I certain should ask about it. I am certain much of what she is going through is depression. She is taking a low dose of Zoloft once a day. Depression is far more complicated than I thought. Even though someone doesn’t have the classic signs of depression (general unhappiness) they could still have it. My mom doesn’t seem unhappy, isn’t crawling in a corner crying, she isn’t obsessively talking about my dad in terms of missing him and wishing he was back (although she does bring it up from time to time; which I think is normal). She will be having her first session with a psychiatrist Thursday and I’m hoping this could reveal some things.

Thanks for your encouragement.

Have them check the fit and angle of the lenses. A similar thing happened to me years ago with a new pair of glasses that were mis-adjusted. The faulty adjustment caused things to appear angled so my depth perception was way off. It took me a couple of hours to figure out that it was not just the usual "get used to the new prescription". Our older parents tend to not complain about this kind of thing for a while for many & varied reasons. She may be thinking that it is just her not being used to the new prescription. Good on you for catching that it might be related!

 

[Aerogal]

My mom also went through this. Caregiver to an ailing husband and depression - and STRESS. She had many health problems including diabetes, but it turned out that the reason she was losing her memory, balance and such is that her HEART was not functioning properly. She wasn't getting enough blood and oxygen to her brain, which was subsequently causing 'mini' strokes.
It's so easy to point to the obvious choices for older people, but remember that women do not exhibit the same heart attack symptoms as men. Along with everything else - have your mom go through a complete cardio workup including a sonogram of the artery in her neck.

I hope the best for you and your Mom.

 

[twinoaks207]

I was talking to my Mom this morning about an Aunt of mine who was having some health issues that seemed like they were stroke-related. One of the problems was memory issues. Turns out (after getting her to a different doctor for a second opinion), the diuretic that she was taking for something (Mom thinks blood pressure), had depleted the salt in her body. This lack of salt threw her body chemistry out of whack which resulted in a minor heart attack, memory issues, etc.

Don't know if this might be the case for your Mom but I'm throwing it out there for you, just in case.

 

[PsyOps]

Have them check the fit and angle of the lenses. A similar thing happened to me years ago with a new pair of glasses that were mis-adjusted. The faulty adjustment caused things to appear angled so my depth perception was way off. It took me a couple of hours to figure out that it was not just the usual "get used to the new prescription". Our older parents tend to not complain about this kind of thing for a while for many & varied reasons. She may be thinking that it is just her not being used to the new prescription. Good on you for catching that it might be related!

I don't recall if I told this story but this past Friday my mom was headed to her bathroom. She has been in the assisted living place for about a month and never seemed to have a problem getting to her bathroom. When she went this past Friday, for some reason she went out of her room into the hallway and into the room across the hall and ended up in his bathroom. When the guy in that room asked her why she was in his bathroom she got startled, turned too quickly fell and hit her head on the door jam. She required 3 staples. So there's more to this walking problem than her glasses; although it may be contributing. She has a wide range of cognitive issues going on that I believe are affecting her ability to walk.

 

[PsyOps]

My mom also went through this. Caregiver to an ailing husband and depression - and STRESS. She had many health problems including diabetes, but it turned out that the reason she was losing her memory, balance and such is that her HEART was not functioning properly. She wasn't getting enough blood and oxygen to her brain, which was subsequently causing 'mini' strokes.
It's so easy to point to the obvious choices for older people, but remember that women do not exhibit the same heart attack symptoms as men. Along with everything else - have your mom go through a complete cardio workup including a sonogram of the artery in her neck.

I hope the best for you and your Mom.

I have added to the list to have a echogram done on her heart. She did have a sonogram of her neck arteries and they looked fine.

Can you tell me specifically what heart condition your mom had?

 

[PsyOps]

I was talking to my Mom this morning about an Aunt of mine who was having some health issues that seemed like they were stroke-related. One of the problems was memory issues. Turns out (after getting her to a different doctor for a second opinion), the diuretic that she was taking for something (Mom thinks blood pressure), had depleted the salt in her body. This lack of salt threw her body chemistry out of whack which resulted in a minor heart attack, memory issues, etc.

Don't know if this might be the case for your Mom but I'm throwing it out there for you, just in case.

She does take HBP medication but it's not a diuretic. The second CT scan she had seems to reveal a couple of very minor strokes that could be causing some of these issues but the doctor said they were so small that she couldn't tell if they were actually strokes; and she said it's very normal for someone my mom's age to have such strokes.

 

[belvak]

She does take HBP medication but it's not a diuretic. The second CT scan she had seems to reveal a couple of very minor strokes that could be causing some of these issues but the doctor said they were so small that she couldn't tell if they were actually strokes; and she said it's very normal for someone my mom's age to have such strokes.

Just an FYI, most people on blood pressure meds either take a companion diuretic, or it is built into the BP pill itself. Double check that with her doc and her prescription.

 

[PsyOps]

Just an FYI, most people on blood pressure meds either take a companion diuretic, or it is built into the BP pill itself. Double check that with her doc and her prescription.

What do I raise as the concern? Her BP is normal while taking the medication. Is it salt?

 

[PsyOps]

Thanks everyone for your input and well-wishes. Your suggestions are all going to be used. I've written up an extensive list of things to ask the doctor.

I am so thankful for somd.com. There are really some great folks on here.

 

[belvak]

What do I raise as the concern? Her BP is normal while taking the medication. Is it salt?

Not sure exactly what you should be asking, but if she's losing too much fluid, her electrolytes and other mineral levels could be off. So, yes, it could have something to do with the level of salt and other things even if the BP is good. I just wanted to make sure that you knew that the BP and diruetics are usually a package deal.

You have gotten so many good suggestions here that it may seem daunting. The main thing is to make sure her doctor is looking for the "non-obvious" as well. Good luck, and please keep us updated!