The speed of deterioration

slippednfell

My DH was diagnosed in Feb of this year.  Today, for the first time, he thinks I was out last night without him and that there are two people here that aren't including him (it's just me and the two dogs)...  He thought he was in line for flyers and that I grabbed them all so he couldn't get one.

I'm floored at the speed of deterioration.  I know everyone is different but I really didn't expect to be at this point so soon.

Anyone else experiencing symptoms coming on so fast?

Ed1937

Is it possible that he has a UTI? UTIs can cause all sorts of symptoms, some of which can seem like progression. They do not always show the typical symptoms at all. If you have him checked for UTI, please ask for a culture. That will give them the needed information on how best to treat the infection. After an infection is cleared up, he should return to baseline before long.

slippednfell

I suppose anything is possible.  Thank you for the info and pointing me in that direction.

I should've mentioned that when he was diagnosed it was "early stage".  

Laurie1282

My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's (early stages too) this past January.  The only time he got suddenly confused, seeing things and acting very strange was when he got a bad cold and was running a slight fever. Doc said this was illness induced delirium and he got better within a day or two.  Definitely check for UTI or something else physical.

DJnAZ

My wife was diagnosed this March with Mild Cognitive Impairment. Her symptoms actually started about a year earlier in 2020 but we had to wait until she finally had results of MRI and CT scans before doctors would commit to the MCI diagnosis. 

Over the last 18+ months I have noticed some definite changes in her cognitive functions with days that are no longer just "mild" impairment to other days when she seems more normal. Our primary care doctor noticed the same thing at an appointment early this year and suggested, as Ed noted, that her periodic cognitive declines could be related to a UTI. The doctor said the UTI can greatly exacerbate her cognition due to the infection.

A simple urinalysis showed she definitely had a UTI and the culture came back showing a bad infection. After a 5-day course of antibiotics the UTI cleared up and her cognitive abilities improved a bit as well. Her mood and behavior definitely improved after the infection was cured.

She is prone to UTI's and has had several each year for many years. I never correlated the infection to her mood and diminished cognitive abilities, but I am now a believer. Definitely get your husband checked.

Ed1937

DJnAZ wrote:

She is prone to UTI's and has had several each year for many years. 

My wife also had recurring UTIs, and like yours, several times a year. I started her on TheraCran One last fall, and she hasn't had one since.

DrinaJGB

Folks with dementia and the elderly in general do not drink enough. It is important to be well hydrated in order to prevent UTIs.

Doityourselfer

I recommend keeping a journal about your husband's behaviors, activities, diet, progression.  It can help you  compare where he is in the disease from one month to another.  In six months, things can certainly take a down turn.

DrinaJGB

One of my DHs little daily chores is to fix himself a pitcher of organic lemon ginger tea to place in the fridge and drink throughout the day. The lemon adds acidity and the ginger is a wonderful anti-inflammatory as well as immune booster.

  In addition I buy a loose organic herbal tea from an organic farm in Oregon with horsetail in it which is an astringent for the bladder wall.He likes to make it himself in the afternoon as a hot tea with a little honey.

  This combination has kept him from getting any further UTIs and has also helped him control his urine progressively better over the years.He is now wearing cotton underwear during the day with a pad, and a nighttime disposable at night which he rarely soils.He says he can now feel when he has to go as opposed to years of no feeling at all and accidents constantly. My laundry days are so different now.

  He enjoys both herbals and likes to make them himself which he does very well with.

slippednfell

Wow!  Thank you all for your input!  We will be going tomorrow and will have them test for UTI.  I had no idea that UTIs could cause such intense side effects!

Ed1937

Yes, a UTI can cause symptoms like that. It would be silly not to check for it. The stakes are too high not to do that. It might not be a UTI, and there are other things that could cause it, but UTIs are pretty common. Good luck with it. Be sure to ask for a culture.

HLG

Thank you for this great tip! I will try this and see if my DH likes it. So far we are not experiencing any issues in this area thank goodness!

Iris L.

D-mannose may help prevent utis.

Iris

slippednfell

Thank you all for your comments.

Unfortunately, he doesn't have a UTI.  I say unfortunately because that means that he is deteriorating faster than I expected.  At least with a UTI, he could be treated and return to baseline.

... and I forge ahead

GA-Mom

Hi slidnfell,

My DH was slowly progressing, and then this summer he started having scary delusions, agitation, irritability, more wandering at night. I was getting very little sleep at night. He was talking to someone invisible, somewhat angrily. I think it was the loss of control over his environment, like not being able to drive, fear of getting lost if he took a walk on his own - so he didn't.

Then one day I tried to get him to the neurologist to get meds to calm him down. It was very hard to get him in the car and to see the doctor. He was rude to the doctor. I got him a prescription for seroquel, but before I even got it filled, the next day I knew I needed more help. I was setting up things so I could respite care at a memory care place, and they offered to pick him up in their van since I could not get him in the car. He refused. He was belligerent.

He wouldn't get into the memory care van, so we ended up calling EMS to transport him to the hospital. It was obvious he needed to go there first to a geri/psych ward. To make a long story short, after a few days in the hospital to stabilize him on meds, he went directly to the memory care home. Permanently. He has settled in there and doing fine. It's a relief. The doctors asked me how I had handled him so long, and I told them I just did it. It's been almost 2 months and I still feel like I'm catching up on sleep. I'm trying to learn to live alone. 

I dearly miss the man I married and raised children with, but not the man he is now. This disease is insidious. 

Best of luck. Do not feel guilty when you place your loved one. It will be better for both of you. Definitely not easy, but hopefully less stressful for you.

Arrowhead

 My wife was diagnosed five years ago. During 2020, her symptoms got worse and worse as the year progressed. So far this year her symptoms have stayed about the same. Some of them have actually improved. I know that they will begin to start getting worse again. I just don’t know when or how fast it will happen.

Memphisdee

Is he on namenda and aricept. An antidepressant help my husband a LOT!

Auntie Lu

Hi ! I'm new to the site and to this.  You ask if anyone else has these experiences...I can only answer for me.  My DH was diagnosed in August of 2019.  I know the disease has progressed since then.  Now, he can be lucid in the morning, telling me he loves me and what a good wife I am, and how lucky he is to have me.  Upon his getting up, he's usually pretty good.  But after a few hours he begins to ask who I am and how I got here.  He doesn't believe me when I tell him I'm his wife and that we have been married for 43 years, those are my clothes in the closet - not someone else's, as well as the other people he refers to... etc., etc.  So far, I've been able to keep repeating who I am, we are married, there aren't others here, those are my clothes and he has been somewhat accepting.  I know this will not last, and I don't know if I'm doing the right things.

Stella Luna

Auntie Lu,

Welcome to this board you are going to find it very helpful. I think your DH may be suffering from delusions, please get in touch with his doctor and/ or neurologist. There are medications like Seroquel  that will help him.