Accepting

Lucie1961

Hello, This is my first post. My DH just turned 67 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s less than a year ago. I am still trying to adjust to this new reality and how quickly he seems to be declining. I found the posts on hallucinations very helpful. In the past several weeks he has awoken in the early morning (usually around 4:30) thinking he sees a spider in the bed. I take his hand and say it’s OK and he falls back to sleep. It’s scary to think that these hallucinations may get worse and be upsetting to him. I will speak to his doctor about this. We are surrounded by family and friends but I feel so alone.

SDianeL

welcome. Sorry about your DH diagnosis. Hallucinations and delusions are common. Definitely talk to his doctor. Maybe get a referral to a Geriatric psychiatrist who is best able to many medications for Alzheimer’s. It may take 2 weeks for the medications to start working. When my DH started having hallucinations I would calmly take his hand and tell him he was just dreaming and everything was OK and go back to sleep that usually worked. His doctor put him on Risperidone which helped for awhile. When it stopped working, the doctor increased the dose slightly. The book “The 36 Hour Day” helped me after my husband’s diagnosis. Learn all you can and come here often for info and support or to vent. We understand what you are going through. 💜

Lucie1961

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/239856#Comment_239856

Thank you for the advice and kind words.

CampCarol

Hi Lucie, and welcome. My DH hallucinates as well. Sometimes he’s aware he’s hallucinating and other times he’s not. Patients in a calm voice, or what I found to be the most beneficial in that situation. Also, if you haven’t found it already, on the top right of your screen click on groups and scroll down a bit, you’ll see a link to ‘New Caregiver Help’. There is a lot of great information within that might help you. You can search for different topics that might be of interest to you as well. You should also get your legal affairs in order as well, sometimes progression can move very quickly. This is a hard journey, and as @SDianeL said above, we understand, and we’re here for each other. We’re all in this together!

jfkoc

Sometimes. the aloneness was the worst part for me. Gone is the person we lived with…shared everything with. It is an adjustment which never seems OK.

Please take the time to just be together doing pretty much nothing. Make room in your life for the doing nothing. I now look back on when we just sat together and realize it was enormously bonding and worthwhile.

Lucie1961

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/239897#Comment_239897

Thank you so much. I will check the link.

Lucie1961

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/239899#Comment_239899

Thank you. I try to appreciate each moment we have while he is still present but I’m not always as patient as I know I should be and I feel terrible because he is such a good, gentle person and it’s not his fault.