.....HELLO.......Some Questions and Observations ..........

Hello,

My mother was diagnosed with an over-active thyroid and

had treatment for it. Before this happened, we noticed that she was losing weight, was very nervous and and if I took her shopping, I had to stay close to her. She did not want to go to the doctor and it took my brother and I awhile to convince her to go.

Looking back it doesn't seem like very much time had passed

after the thyroid problem until one night coming home from

her sister's, she somehow ended up in a town miles away.

This was the first time anything like this had ever happened.

My brother noticed that she could no longer handle paying her bills, They live together. And when she cooked, she would leave out ingredients or put in things that were not supposed to there. So, my brother began doing all of the cooking, for the last five years, he has done everything for her and taken care of the aparment. I take her out sometimes and take her for her doctor's appointments, etc. I don't know if she has dementia or alzheimer's and her doctor told me that they were about the same thing. Mother is 85 now and sleeps most of the time day and night, when she gets up, she sits at the table and drinks coffee or watches television. She doesn't remember many people anymore. She knows her children, but not her grandchildren. I recently bought a card for a relative and she kept reading it out loud every few minutes. If she asks a question, she will ask it again a few minutes later and then again. I guess this is normal behavior for people who have this kind of illness. The only thing she will eat is cheese crackers with peanut butter inside and chocolate candy. When I take her out to eat, she always orders pancakes or biscuits and gravy and when I take her home, she will sleep for hours, it just seems to wear her out. Also, she walks very slowly, her steps are like baby steps and it takes a long time for us to get inside when we get out of the car. I wondered if these are all things that people who have alzheimer's do. She doesn't take a bath anymore so someone has to bathe her and wash her hair. Yet, when her two sisters come over she can play cards with them. I have no idea how she can remember how to play cards. She remembers more about her childhood and parents then she does about getting married and raising a family. Our dad passed away years ago, but she doesn't know who he is when we show her his picture and has no memory of him. I wonder if there are stages to alzheimer's and what we

might expect as time goes by.

Thank you,

Wiggyann

I would suggesst taking her to a Neuroligist to be
tested for all /any types of dementia

Read thru some other threads as well

Stay with us .........LYN