Changes(1)

nancyj194

Today my DH slept quite a bit in his chair, which is unusual.  He did okay this morning, heating up his blueberry muffin in the microwave and making a sandwich for lunch. 

Tonight he was using the microwave and I said to set the time  for 45 seconds. I checked and he had set it on 4 minutes and 50 seconds. Oh dear!

Also, he was winding the grandfather clock and I said, the time was an hour off, as the clock had stopped. He started moving the hands, when I said it was 4:50. He stopped at 4:15. He really had no clue how to change the time to 4:50. This is new.  

He didn't eat much tonight for dinner, though he hasn't eaten much the last few years. He typically watches what I eat, but since my knee replacement in April, I've not sat at the breakfast bar to eat, but we eat in the living room, as my knee/leg still feels better elevated.

I felt he did okay the last month, since my surgery, with meals, until today. 

Is this just a sudden progression forward?

Thanks!

Nancy

SweetiePie

Perhaps a UTI?

Cynbar

I think all of us have had distinct moments when we suddenly realized our LO could no longer do something they have always handled. Of course, something medical like a UTI sometimes contributes, but this is also part of the disease progression. The strain of a change in routine around your knee surgery could have had some effect on him, also. I'm sorry you are facing this while still working on your recovery, I had my hip done awhile back and it took much longer than a month for me to be back on my feet (no pun intended!).

Rescue mom

It *could* be a UTI, but seems like UTI symptoms are usually more dramatic, bigger incidents. This sounds more like what happens—regular progression—of the disease. My DH with Alzheimer’s did that with the microwave, set wrong/crazy times, before he could no longer operate it at all. And although he’d worn a watch all his life, he could no longer set it, either.

harshedbuzz

nancy-

To my ear it sounds more like progression of the disease. IME, UTIs tend to produce more dramatic changes in terms of behavior as well as baseline skills.

Clocks are "tricky"; it's why the classic screening tools often include the clock drawing test. It sounds as if he may not be reliably safe using the microwave any longer.

How are you faring with your recovery from TKR?

HB

zauberflote

UTI maybe....

re clock, if there's a next time, maybe try "ten minutes to five"? "4:50" is digital notation, and he might not remember that any more. And/or, I can't tell you how often I or someones listening to me has mistaken "fifty" for "fifteen" or vice versa! Like our former president and "bigly", really "big leaGUE"!

nancyj194

Thanks everyone for your quick replies! 

This morning, he got up and said to call the doctor as he had dislocated his shoulder when he fell last Friday going up onto the deck outside. 

I was thinking, what??

I gave him one Aleve and put the heating pad around his shoulder. This was the first time in five days that he mentioned hurting his shoulder. He had banged his knee when it hit the edge of the deck and that has healed nicely.

My physical therapist came and she immediately went over to check his shoulder.  Around ten years ago, he had a total reverse shoulder replacement. That is the shoulder he is complaining about.  We have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor on Monday. 

Is it a UTI? He's never had one before. Other than the confusion over the clock and the microwave, he has no other symptoms, except for sleeping a lot the last two days. 

Perhaps the stress of his shoulder being painful is causing this and his confusion.  

I'll definitely watch him when he uses the microwave, which typically only happens for breakfast, as I usually use it for dinner.  

Cynbar, my hip recover is coming along okay.  I feel like it is slow, but each day I see improvements.  Thanks for asking. I am glad you are back on your feet ,so to speak, after your hip surgery. It's a rough road to be on.  

The grandfather clock doesn't stop often, so this isn't a weekly problem, I'll just go re-set the time and restart the pendulum now that I know this is something he can no longer do.

It may just be the progression of the disease. We've been on mid stage since his diagnosis approximately five years ago, so I knew it was coming. 

zauberflote, good point about not hearing correctly.

Nancy

Ed1937

nancyj194 wrote:

Tonight he was using the microwave and I said to set the time  for 45 seconds. I checked and he had set it on 4 minutes and 50 seconds. Oh dear!

Also, he was winding the grandfather clock and I said, the time was an hour off, as the clock had stopped. He started moving the hands, when I said it was 4:50. He stopped at 4:15. He really had no clue how to change the time to 4:50. This is new.  

It's possible that you might be taking that too seriously. I actually did the same thing he did with the microwave, a couple days ago. I caught it when it was obvious it was running too long.

4:50 and 4:15 sound very much alike. It could be that he mistook 4:50 for 4:15.

nancyj194

Thanks Ed, for your take on what happened. 

I have watched him since then when he heats his blueberry muffin for 101 seconds. I have no idea why he chose that time, but that's the time he warms up his frozen muffin and is perfect for him. 

Nancy