Is this normal??

kfet

My mother was diagnosed from a neuropsychological test about 4 years ago.  We had suspected this because of her declining ability to do some basic complex functions more than memory.  Two months after that test, she had a stroke that destroyed her short term memory...that was pretty much the only long term effect the stroke had.

I moved in with her about 6 months later full time and have been taking care of her.

She is pretty normal, except that she can't complete complex tasks such as organizing or following through with things.  However, approx. every 5 weeks, her speech slows and she starts having trouble finding words, then she'll have a night that she stays up all night.  The next day, she is completely gone.  It's like she's in stage 6 of Alzheimer's...according to the 7 steps.  She can't function, doesn't know anything, can't communicate, doesn't understand anything and I have to dress her.  

After one day of this, she's back to her normal again.

Is this really alzheimers?  If so, is this normal for someone with Alz?  She seems to be in one stage most of the time, but for a day or two she declines so severely?

I appreciate any thoughts or experiences anyone can give me.  I'm just trying to figure out how to proceed and what to be prepared for next.

Michael Ellenbogen

I believe it can be but I would also seek medical doctors to insure nothing else is going on. We do have good and bad days and they can come and go.

M1

Hi kfet, look up lewy body dementia, it can cause fluctuations like you're describing. But it could be multifactorial too and hard to sort out

kfet

Thank  you for your insight!!

Iris L.

Since she has had a stroke, you know she has cardiovascular pathology.  She could be having transient ischemic attacks, or mini-strokes.  Consultation with her doctors is a good idea.  

Iris L.

May flowers

My FIL has vascular dementia and had several periods where he slurred, and was more confused than other times and then went back to normal. It was always around a stressful event or when he was tired.

But because he could have silent strokes, When he slurs, we check other things - when he smiled was it lopsided, could he see out of both eyes equally, could he lift both arms above his head, did he favor one foot when walking. 

One time my FIL had a bad spell, but his UTI test was clear but the doc put him on antibiotics anyway and he did better. I have no idea why other than maybe they get mild infections that don’t show up on tests (?)