I could use a little help figuring things out

trottingalong

I haven’t been on for a long while. My DH has been doing well overall for a few years. Gradually things have changed and I do more and I have gotten used to those changes. His memory isn’t as good as it used to be but sometimes he will surprise me. He is 77, I am 64. We had not seen our daughter in 18 months and took a trip to see her. She was shocked by the changes in him and pointed out all that she saw. Staying a week with her was different then brief FaceTime calls. Last week he told me he feels more confused consistently. He has a hard time following conversations, can’t figure out his phone or remote at times and his short term memory loss really seems more noticeable in the last 4-6 weeks. My question is, can transitioning into the next stage all of a sudden become more noticeable? I often would think things weren’t right, but then I would question myself. He would do the same. Good weeks and bad weeks. But now it feels as though he’s steadily in a bad week. It’s just confusing. Thank you.

June45

Hi trottingalong,

Like your husband, my husband was on a plateau in mid stage Alzheimer's with very little changes for a long time. Then last August 2020, he had a sharp decline over a period of a week and has continued to steadily decline since then.  I did get him checked for a UTI last August which was negative.

We haven't seen our daughter in person in over 2 years.  We do video chat every week and she is seeing changes when chatting but she will also be shocked when she sees him in person.

Ed1937

If these changes came on suddenly, it could be due to a UTI. Or it could have been from the trip. Or it could be progression. If it is due to a UTI, it's easy to have him tested, and you should ask for a culture from the specimen. If an infection is found, when it clears up, he will probably regain what he lost, or at least part of it. If it is from the trip, he could return to baseline, with time. And it could be a sharp decline in progression, as noted by June. Best of luck to you.

trottingalong

Thank you June45 for your response. We had him checked for a UTI recently which he does not have. He used to have foggy days and clear days. He says now all days seem to be foggy. His circumstances for now at least, sound similar to yours.

trottingalong

Thank you Ed1937. We did have him checked for a UTI and he was clear. I thought it could also be he was stressed over the trip prior to going, but he said that didn’t bother him at all. It does stress him out and scare him feeling the way he does. We see a new doctor next week, so we can let her know what’s going on.