Feelings in Head

Rjheld

I am not sure if I have asked here about this but my DH has a feeling in his head that he says feels full, which makes him struggle to even walk.  The research doctor says that alzheimer's is not the cause of this but I don't know what else it could be.  He has had many tests and has had this light headed feeling for probably 6 years now.  Even riding in the car causes him to feel stirred up.  We have done PT and have exercises at home but when he does them it makes things worse.  Any suggestions?  

I am feeling totally overwhelmed the last 10 days, he doesn't feel good, my 83 year old mother fell labor day weekend and fractured her hip.  Had surgery to repair and 10 days later still has not come completely out of the anesthesia.  At first it was feared she had a stroke but all tests show she did not, which is good but now she is depressed.  I feel like everyone I am around is depressed which is starting to wear on me too.

Thanks for listening.

ImMaggieMae

Rjheld, have you checked his blood pressure at home? Low blood pressure can make a person feel lightheaded. Oftentimes blood pressure is higher at the doctor’s office because he may feel stressed there.

I’ve had hyponatremia a few times. (Low blood sodium level.) and that gave me a “full” feeling in my head when it got too low. Doctors aren’t always good about checking for it.

I’m sorry you are having to go through both your DH and mother having problems. 

M1

So sorry RJ, you do indeed have a lot on your plate.  It's ragweed and goldenrod season around here--allergies and vertigo are common problems and symptomatically very disturbing, if you've never had them.  That was the first thing that came to my mind--would go along with being carsick/motion sick too.  But you have to be very careful about using antihistamines, particularly in older men, as they will cause prostatism and urinary retention quite easily.  Maybe try a steroid nasal spray like Flonase, if you can get it in him?  Not much downside to that.....

Rjheld

We have checked his blood pressure and I will look at the last bloodwork to see what sodium levels are.  He has had this for like 6 years.  No one can figure out what is causing the lightheaded feelings he has.  He doesn't spin like vertigo.  Thank you for your suggestion.

Rjheld

He does use flonase daily.  he has had this lightheaded feeling for about 6 years, no one can find anything wrong.  It has been frustrating and I guess the alz could be causing these feelings, we have only known about alz for 2 years.

Thank you for your reply.

joytoy

my LO also has head feelings of being full doctor also says its not a dementia symptom but what else could it be he has had it for a couple years now. It would be nice to know for sure. 

I

KathyF1

Hang in there, you have a lot of stress on you! Caring for 2 people has to be really hard. Prayers for your strength and resilience! My husband complains a lot about his head feeling “spin-y”. I’ve wondered too if this is due to his Alzheimer’s.

Ed1937

I wonder if it could be an inner ear problem? My wife had a very severe case of Meniere's disease, and she was totally helpless when she would have an attack. But many people have light cases, and don't have symptoms anywhere near what she did. It wouldn't hurt to see an ear, nose and throat doctor to see if something there might be causing the problem. 

I'm sorry you are dealing with so much, and I hope your mother soon gets well.

Pat6177

Rjheld, My DH complains of “wooziness” which leads to wobbliness when walking. The dementia doc says he doesn’t think it’s related to the dementia but I wonder. DH was diagnosed with mixed dementia (ALZ and vascular) 2 years ago. The wooziness and wobbliness has been a steady issue for the last 9-10 months. I have been able to get him to take his BP a few times when the wooziness was a bit worse and his BP was a bit on the lower side for him. His PCP, of course, wasn’t too interested. So, I can empathize but can’t offer any suggestions.

I am sorry that you’re getting hit from all sides. I hope your mother gets better and the mood around you lifts a bit.

MaryG123

My DH came home from the cardiologist with a rx for Bp med, even though we monitor it at home and it’s consistently low.  I didn’t fill it, and took our bp log to his next check up and the doc agreed he shouldn’t take it.  Geez!  I was on bp med for 15 yrs., then started having episodes of low bp and went off it.  So far my bp is normal.  Our metabolism definitely changes as we age.

ImMaggieMae

Another thing I happened to think of is sinus problems. That might give him the feeling of fullness in his head. If you’re familiar with a Neti Pot, that can be a great way to ease sinus problems or even help with allergies or stuffy nose when you have a cold. You can Google it and see instructions for using one on YouTube. I don’t know if you could get your husband to use one or not. My DH thought the whole idea was gross, even before dementia. My doctor thought it was a good idea for allergies.