Losing the ability to walk suddenly

June45

My husband was walking fairly well, although slowly, without any assistance until the last couple of days. Today he has been struggling to get up from a sitting position and is having a very hard time walking even with a walker. After lunch, his legs gave out from under him and he dropped to the floor. Please share your experiences if you have had this happen suddenly. It is rather unnerving.

Stuck in the middle

That sounds worrisome.

Something similar happened to a friend's husband several months ago.  Apparently, his AD spread to the motor control portion of the left side of his brain, and he could not use his right leg or right hand.  He couldn't get out of bed one Friday morning, spent the weekend in hospital, and has been in a NH with hospice care since then.  

I'm not saying this is happening to your husband.  Especially if both legs are weak, he may have something else going on.  Have you told his doctor?

June45

Thanks Stuck,

My husband was recently accepted by hospice.  I plan to talk to the nurse assigned to him tomorrow morning.  I know that there is no way I can physically care for him as he is now without assistance.

Stuck in the middle

I'm glad you have the help you need.  Hospice was a blessing for my mother.  They even had a chaplain who visited weekly.

McCott

June 45 -- My husband lost the ability to walk alone in the last 3-4 weeks of his life. By the second to last week he was "planking" -- couldn't bend or walk.  Hospice took him to their physical place to get him "used to the catheter" so he could come home.  This was not a success.  His last act of self-assertion was ttying to pull the thing out so they tied his hands.  A kind nurse, who was reprimanded for her kind deed, pulled it out for him.  I thanked her profusely and wrote a note in her support, but lost track of her name as things deteriorated.
A catheter on an ALZ person is like torture -- they don't know what it's for and it hurts.
Otherwise the Hospice was fine.  I''m digressing here but inability to walk was in our case a sign that the end was near.

June45

Thanks McCott for sharing your experience with the walking and with hospice.  I am also a fellow back pain sufferer and I can empathize with you and your back problems.  I have been told I need back surgery but I am getting shots in the spine for now.  As you know, bad backs and caregiving don't go well together.

star26

I’ve had this happen several times when my LO was in Stage 5/6 and elderly. He could suddenly no longer stand up and walk on his own. Each time it was due to a relatively minor illness or an infection, including an infection we knew nothing about and he wasn’t complaining. After he recovered, he was able to walk again, every time. Like you, there was no way I could care for him on my own if he couldn't walk so this was a huge relief. It's scary. Fingers crossed it's temporary in your husband's case as well. 

shardy

I think I posted before about mom losing her ability to walk instantly. we had came to pick her up to go to lunch and it was as though her body just didn't know what to do.. She then stunned us all a day later when she was with her CNA and a nurse stuck her years in and said when she was finished she needed her help. Mom thought she was talking to her (she was a doctor) and got up and walked across the room to help.. turned, looked at us and that was all.. She never walked again and sadly passed on a week or so later..

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Ed1937

 Victoria2020 wrote:

Urinary tract infection. Have them culture for that .

I second that possibility. It's easy to check for, and the benefits are great if that's what it is. Certainly worth having it checked for. Like Victoria said, have a culture done.

Ed1937

McCott wrote:

A catheter on an ALZ person is like torture -- they don't know what it's for and it hurts.

My brother had prostate cancer, and underwent surgery. This was before alz. got him. He complained a lot about the catheter. But I had a hip replacement, and also had a catheter. It was not uncomfortable at all for me.

June45

star26 and Victoria, I have also been wondering if this was the result of an infection or a UTI.  I took his temp throughout the day yesterday and it was always in normal range. But I will be talking to his hospice nurse today about the possibility of an infection.  Thanks for the reminder.

shardy, wow, I bet you were stunned when your mom got up and walked just for that brief moment after not being able to walk at all. AD never ceases to surprise me everyday. Thanks for sharing.

June45

Thanks Ed for your comments.  If this downturn is the result of an untreated UTI or other infection, sepsis can be painful and I wouldn't want that for my husband.