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Alzheimers and Surgery

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Alzheimer's Disease
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Posted 3/9/2013 4:25 PM (GMT 0)

cry  My 92 year old Grandmother Evelyn fell on Monday. She fell right on her elbow and shattered it requiring her to have surgery. Before she went into surgery on Tuesday, she repeated herself often but we had all gotten used to it and just answered her every time she'd ask something even if it was for the 3rd or 4th time. She has been diagnosed with Alzheimers and is in the mild to moderate stages. Or she was. Since the surgery she has been unable to put words together. She struggles to speak and last night when I talked to her on the phone, she forgot she was on the telephone altogether. This is a woman who looked and acted like a 70 year old, and still lives independently (but probably won't now). We now have to have her under 24 hour care. They did not use Anesthesia to do her surgery but they did a block. I guess if I understand it right she was awake but sedated during the surgery. The doctors told me that once she was home her condition would improve because she would be in familiar surroundings and not in the hospital. She has improved a little but not much. I am curious about anyone elses experiences with Alzheimers and surgery. I've read up a little on this and I'm not liking what I am reading.

Posted 3/9/2013 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
I'm sorry for your poor grandmother, and the family. I know how hard this is for you.

I learned, while taking care of my mother, that anything different from her normal routine would throw her off. In my fourth year with her, she'd gotten out of bed at some point, and ended up sitting on the floor at the side of her bed. I found her at 7:00 when I went in to get her dressed. She was in the hospital several days, and at first she kept her eyes closed, and didn't talk at all, and when she finally did, it was in a little girl's voice. She acted like she didn't know what the food they brought her was for, but when I'd hold a spoonful up to her, she'd open her mouth and take it. She remained "off" like that until after they'd sent her to the nursing home to get her back on her feet. When I finally took her home, she was as she'd been before this all happened.

She liked to go for rides with me, and she enjoyed people visiting. But most visitors were strangers to her, and even though she enjoyed them, and the rides, once everything was back to normal, she'd get really weird for a few days.

What your grandmother went through would be traumatic for any of us, but to her, because of age and the disease, it's even more so, and she'll react to it. If she's still in her own home, even with the 24 hour care, I believe she'll be her old self before too long. Best wishes for her, and you.
Posted 3/11/2013 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
Is she on pain medication? When my Gma broke her arm in a fall, they put her on Vicodin and it confused her even more.
Posted 3/28/2013 4:59 AM (GMT 0)
My gmother was diagnosed with mild slow progression until she had her lung surgery. I thought it was just the meds for pain, but that has been eliminated. Now we are seeing a cardiologist to ensure that the heart meds and bp meds are accurate for her. The MRI shows more microstrokes. Make sure that she is drinking plenty of water and that she doesnt have a uti. She is independant and was capable of this until the surgery. Her surgery was a neccessity. I will not take to sedated procedures lightly because I now believe that it has a negative effect on the progression of dementias.
Posted 4/22/2013 1:10 PM (GMT 0)
My mom was sedated on versad and Femtenyl?  for dental surgery, She was knocked out for 20 hours. We tried multiple times to wake her but she looked so happy to be sleeping so we just kept a watch on her until she finally opened her eyes the next morning. It's been a week now and her mental state is still the same.  She's still in La La land like before.  I wouldn't say it's worse though.  She does seem to be weaker in the legs so she's having trouble walking without a lot of assistance.

I think any drug is poison to the brain and body.  If you started off normal anything can happen afterwards.  You were essentially invaded so I'm not surprised if you end up worse off than before.  Modern medicine.  Don't get me started.  It's the typical solution.  Fix the problem and worry about the consequences later.

 

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