The scariest thing I’ve had to deal with
Shirely commented on http://sundownerfacts.com/_treatments/
My Mother has had a rough year and a half. She is 83 years old and started having a problems with fluid retention (lining of lungs, legs) due to a leaky valve problem with her heart. After visiting a really great cardiologist we thought we had it licked. Unfortunately, some things happened in my Mom’s life that caused her to develop slight depression which is is now being treated for with a very small dose of Lexapro. Due to the depression she became pretty much immobile, her salt intake wasn’t monitored closely enough and the fluid issue arose again a few weeks ago. I needed to bring her to the ER because she was having difficulty catching her breath when she walked even short distances and it was found that her oxygen saturation levels were very low. They admitted her into the hospital where she first began showing signs of sundowning. The nurse at the hospital told me that this happens sometimes with the elderly when they are taken out of there normal environmental.
It’s the scariest thing that I’ve ever had to deal with. When it was agreed that my Mom needed to go for PT at a short-term skilled facility she seemed to get a little better. She knew of the facility where she was going to be going and knew it was only for a short period of time and it’t the one she picked out. Well, the first night the symptoms came back only more violently. She is on medication to help reduce the symptoms but as soon as late afternoon arrives my Mom changes. I haven’t been able to contact her PCP due to the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend and the doctor at the facility has yet to contact me. The nurse at the facility told me that once someone has dementia it doesn’t go away. I am going to call her PCP first thing Monday morning and have left a message for the facility doctor to call me asap. My Mom didn’t show any signs of sundowning until she was in the hospital so I am clinging to that.
I feel for all of you because it is so hard to see your parent go through this and to believe that they are believing, truly believing what they “think” they are seeing.
Take care all of you.
December 23rd, 2009 at 1:09 am
I am just beginning to research this sundowning topic and this is my second
look t any information. It is amazing, but we could all be talking of of person,
yet, we are all talking of the one we love.
My mom broke her hip in March, and did pretty well the weeks and days she was
in the hospital and re-hab. At home, she started well, with a niece staying at
the house to help her. Soon the accusations began, the niece was stealing and
the niece was scaring her. That situation finally resolved itself, and mom began
living on her own again. Recently, late October/ early Noveber, she had a stroke
or a new going along with a couple of previouse ones. She was pretty irritable in
the hospital, partially because she is almost totally deaf and doesn;t hear
what others are asking or saying. At home, we have had constant companionship (and
previous to this she has lived alone for 25 years), and that has become impossible
because of her behavior and horrific accusations. Now that all of the kids have been
there when it happens, we realize that she has been complaining for no reason that anyone
else was responsible for. She hides medicine, phones, keys, clothes, etc., anything
she thinks someone might want, and blamesother. She too,is on lisinopril, careg (this is
a new drug for her) levothyroxin, and several others. She usully doesn’t sleep well
at night, and says she sees flashing lights outside, see cars, see’s even people having sex in
her house….there is no one there. She has aleniated many in her family.
I would love to know more about this syndrome, does it tie back into abuse as a child,
possible assult and abuse otherwise, is it more people of a certain time period for instance
depression years…..Any information is useful. It has been quite an experience and one that
has so quickly come on. Just out of the blue. Thanks for letting me rant.