We've entered stage 7

Lindsay22

My mom is in stage 7 now. She isn't talking at all anymore and hasn't been out of bed in about 2 weeks.  They did transfer her to a chair this morning and wheel her down to the dining room but she didn't eat anything and seems like it's hard to hold her head up.  I don't think she knows me anymore but she isn't talking so who can really say.  There isn't any recognition there.  Like everything with this terrible journey I just wish I knew how much longer. Weeks? Months? Years? I can't imagine her having to go on like this for 1.5-2 years but that's what the "stages of dementia" chart says is possible.  I just want this suffering to end for her.

Deanna_M

I'm so sorry, Lindsay. I know how hard it is. When my mother entered stage 7, I also read the stats about how long it could last and I just prayed that it would be over for her sooner than what the stats told me. I couldn't even begin to imagine her (and me) suffering for the years that it potentially could have. I felt guilty for wishing it to be over, but it was just devastating to see her like that and to know that she would have never wanted to live like that. 

My mom ended up passing away within 6 months of entering stage 7. She had a ruptured bowel and sepsis. In the end, there was absolutely no question about treatment: we declined medical intervention and just made her comfortable. She passed peacefully.

I wish you all the best and I am so sorry for all of us who have to go through this. It's awful.

Oregano

You have my sincerest sympathy. To see your own mother suffer in such a state is a fate I wouldn't wish upon my greatest enemy. We are up against such a morbid and evil disease...but I believe I know the source of it. I want to give you some information to research for yourself and see if it can help your mother.

The enemy I'm talking about is fungus. Particularly mold which resides within the brain, which has been discovered in autopsied Alzheimer sufferers. Please inspect your mother for signs of candida overgrowth, and look into the NAC protocol I go into more detail about on this thread:

https://www.alzconnected.org/discussion.aspx?g=posts&t=2147562120

The only cure for despair is to be proactive. God bless you and your family.

mwortham

Deanna_M...my MIL is in stage 6.2 per the hospice nurse. You mentioned in your post about sepsis and ruptured bowel. My MIL has her 4th UTI in 2 months and refuses to take medications, drink fluids or use the toilet. She also suffers from constipation and often becomes impacted due the same reasons I mentioned she gets UTI's. Were any of the conditions I have mentioned the cause of sepsis and ruptured bowel for your LO? I feel this is path my MIL will follow and no matter what my husband and I do, we can't make her better. My husband which is her POA has been advised by her PCP to stop treating the UTI aggressive, but Hospice won't accept her because bacterial infections must be treated per their intake RN. Can you let me know your thoughts. I am truly sorry for your loss...this disease if horrible.

Michelle

Deanna_M

Michelle, I am sorry you must watch this happen to your MIL. 

My mother had gotten several UTIs for the last year of her life. When she was younger, she was diagnosed with diverticulitis. I understand that the diverticulitis was well-managed for much of her life and was not an issue. When she was hospitalized for the last time, her stomach was profoundly distended and it was very painful (that was the one thing she could verbalize, "painful" and "ouch," when the nurses turned her or palpated her stomach). They suspected that her diverticulitis had flared up, resulting in the ruptures and infection. There really was no choice: she was gravely ill and even if she did not have Alzheimer's, this likely would have killed her. So, long story short: her ultimate passing was likely due to something preexisting. In an odd way, I feel like it was a blessing. She was only sick for a few days and during all of that time, they were giving her strong medicines to keep her comfortable.

Hang in there.