The past couple of days Dad has been sleeping in his chair alot, he also is having a harder time finding words. Also doesn't seem to think anyone else shoud pick a TV show. today my husband watched the 49er's then told Dad we can watch the Raider next, he came upstairs to pee and Dad of course had changed the TV to something else. the selfishness is not too new but the sleeping worries me.

My feeling is whenever there is a change in behavior it is a good idea to mention it the your Dad'd Dr. or his nurse. I remember the first time Mom has a small stroke. I had no idea what was happening. It scared me to death. When she "came to" she asked me why I called her Mother. Because changes can happen quickly it's best to seek advise and go from there.

Vicki

Sugarlips

Mikey , it is not easy to see our loved ons slipping away from us , little by little.We are left to appreciate the small glimpse of reallity from them.So difficult to see this all come to this point.You are to be commended for the job you are doing.I know you experience so much emotional pain with the changes in yur wife.

...Hi Pattymac

You have described my wife!!!! I get her up and we have breakfast and then her head goes down and she is sleeping again. Then I take her from the wheelchair to the recliner and she naps again.

Even if she is watching TV she will nap for short periods. She is having mini-strokes and TIAs. They don't last long. Just a few minutes. By the time I notice and get ready to call someone, it is over. Our Dr. tells me this is a normal progression for what she has. I have taken her to the ER a couple of times and they do a CTscan and nothing shows up. Our Dr. believes me because she had one in his office during her monthly checkup. It lasted 4 minutes.

I live in a county that has no industry. Everybody drives to somewhere else to work. So the young people move away and just old folks are left. Our Dr. has a lot of old patients and has seen most everything that happens to them. He has been telling me what is going to happen next with my wife and he has been right 90% of the time. At first I was really in denial. I didn't think this could happen to us. Alzheimer's and dementia happened to other people. Now all I have to do is look at her some evenings with her hands and arms immobile in weird positions and a "stare into somewhere" on her face. Then later she softens up and maybe talks to me. There is a lot happening (or not happening) in her brain.

I've kind of rambled on here. But what you said about your Dad and what SemperFi said about her Mom just sounded so much like what my wife is going through right now. Our Dr. has warned me that she could have a fatal stroke at any time.

Do tell your Dr. about these things that you notice. If he (or she) is worth his salt he will understand.

^^^ mikey ^^^

Hi pattymac,
Glad you contacted your Dad's nurse coordinator who is familiar with his case. Better safe than sorry--sounds like she gave you good advise.
Hey, maybe it is just the winter doldrums as you say...it does get pretty dreary this time of year. Thank goodness the daylight hours are increasing slowly but surely! There's light at the end of the tunnel
SemperFi

Every day a holiday,
Every meal a picnic!

I talked to Dads nurse cordinator today she told me to take his blood pressure over the next few days at different times. only told meto bring him in if he has gross symtoms of stroke, droopping ,drooling etc.it is difficult to tell how much of his behavour is stroke, dementia, or just winter boredom.thanks again

One I never said not to have him re evaluated. For a LO with symptoms of a progressive cognitive disease disorder it is not unusual for them to be more comfortable sleeping in a chair with their head elevated due to the progression of the disease and symptoms of the progression. Any time a LO shows sudden changes in behaviors and habits it is worth having the Dr. look at them. In Patty's case she discribes symptoms that can indicate something more than just strokes or at least a progression that maybe caused by additional strokes.

You have to remember that I have lived with and cared for those with alz. for a very long time. When some discribe behaviors that would be considered "not normal" for the rest of the world to me within the world or alz. and related diseases/conditions they are not unusual. They do indicatre the increasing decline due to the disease or can indicate decline due to outside causes.

Edyth Ann aka Bubblehead aka Queen Bubble
AOL IM EdythAnn12
edythann@netzero.net

Edyth Ann,
I have to ask you this...do you mean these behaviors are not uncommon because they INDEED occur with disease processes that we all have mentioned, ie, strokes, Pick's, AZ, seizures, ect.? I'm a bit confused by what you said.

If they are indeed not UNCOMMON in all those aforementioned diseases then wouldn't it be prudent for pattymac's Dad to be reevaluated? I would think that because these behaviors are new to pattymac's Dad then something else is going on --the progression of the disease or a completely different medical problem. What is the harm in contacting a doctor with these concerns?

I haven't only dealt with strokes in my Dad (along with AD/dementia and everything else he has) I dealt with it with my Mom. She eventually passed away from a massive stroke in 2001. She had multiple TIAs, then "mild strokes", then finally the one that took her life. Her strokes affected the right brain; Dad's the left. Some behaviors/symptoms are the same, some unique to location of damage caused by stroke.

Each time she had another stroke a different set of behaviors or symptoms would occur. VERY SUBTLE at first and hardly noticeable. In the beginning, the doctors were the ones to just dismiss these symptoms as being NOTHING only to find out a few days to a week later that indeed something else had occured.

Maybe they are common but shouldn't be ignored.
SemperFi

Every day a holiday,
Every meal a picnic!

Actually the sleeping in a chair is common. It maybe due to later stage Alz. and the beginning of having swallowing difficulty. Haveing the head elevated can make it easier to breath while sleeping and prevent aspirating on her own fluids while asleep. If your LO sleeps well in the chair then don't fret it and let sleeping LOs be.

Edyth Ann aka Bubblehead aka Queen Bubble
AOL IM EdythAnn12
edythann@netzero.net

My mother suffered from petit mal seizures for a period of time in the very late stages of her AD. It can be rather like interrupting a power source for a moment -for a short time there is no activity whatsoever, just a blank stare and they are frozen in whatever position they were in when it hit-then the power source kicks back in and they go right back to where they were before the petit mal seizure as if nothing happened. Sometimes there are repetitive motions-one hand twitching the same way over and over for example. Usually petit mals are short-lived-maybe a few seconds or so, but generally don't last long.

"Whatever tomorrow brings, I"ll be there-with open arms and open eyes"

This is something that perplexes me. Mom will sleep in her chair and wake up when put to bed. I cannot understand this. She also is having trouble finding right words. I too am concerned she may be having Mini Strokes. I am not sure what the symptoms would be, since the Alz makes her confused anyway. Could this sleeping be due to a seizure situation? I understand it is not unsual for Alz pt to suffer from seizures. Unless it is a grand mal how would one know? Gabgan

Actually thjese behaviors are not uncommon. I know you have said your dad has had 3 strokes, however is it possible that he does have either EOAD or most likely signs of Pick's. Pick's effects the speech with more mood swings in the beginning and effects memory later. Either that or he maybe having more stroke activity. Another possibility is, does your dad drink or did he drink? This can also effect the cognitive being in a similar way to alz.

Edyth Ann aka Bubblehead aka Queen Bubble
AOL IM EdythAnn12
edythann@netzero.net

Hi pattymac,
Just my humble opinion (but based on experience with my Dad and his strokes)...I hope you can get your Dad to his doctor SOON.

What seems all too familiar to me is your Dad's having a problem finding the right words. Also, he may not have the short-term memory to remember what he agreed to with your husband, thus the channel changing when your hubby went upstairs.

As they say, hindsight is 20/20. If I had only realized years ago what was going on with my Dad maybe things would have been different now. Sometimes the signs are SO SUBTLE that even the doctor's dismiss them. Be persistant.

Follow your instincts.

Godspeed,
SemperFi

Every day a holiday,
Every meal a picnic!