Dementia again

[Derek Nimmo]

I hope so, both for your peace of mind and for her sake too of course. I'm glad things are looking cautiously more positive, that she is up for following through on this.

[Texaco Shirley]

...and back to square one. She’s completely forgotten the conversation about moving.

[Texaco Shirley]

Still nothing about my mum’s CT scan so I’ve chased it up. It was supposed to have been on Aug 15 but it looks like no one told the hospital to notify me and she either didn’t get or didn’t understand the letter. I’m now on hold to the hospital.

[Derek Nimmo]

This is so tough Tex, and the fact that you're having to deal with it all by yourself is so difficult.

Is she deadset against moving again, or was it that she'd just forgotten the conversation?

[Texaco Shirley]

She’s dead set against it again. We tried discussing when my Nan moved into sheltered housing as a guideline for what she should do but it turns out she has no real idea how old she is.

[Derek Nimmo]

Bloody hell. Forgive me if you've mentioned this already, but do you have lasting power of attorney for her already?

[Texaco Shirley]

I have a financial POA, not medical but I do need to through all her paperwork to get things sent to me. She has a lot of shares (which should just be sold really, none are particularly lucrative) and a stupid number of bank accounts so the paperwork is ridiculous. I have most of it here in a big box from sorting her last tax return, it’s just finding the time.

[Texaco Shirley]

CT scan on 18 Sep and follow up appt on 30 Sep. I haven’t told her yet, she’s not going to like it.

On a positive note her next door neighbour phoned me on Wednesday to say she’d noticed my mum getting a bit vague and she was happy to be contacted if there was a problem.

[Leap]

That’s a relief, Tex. I hope you’re doing okay and looking after yourself too, this must be really difficult.

[Kenickie]

I'm glad you've got the scan sorted, but it must be so difficult that, just when you think you've made a breakthrough with her moving, it's back to square one.

[Figaro]

That’s so frustrating for you. Do you think she’s safe where she is for now? Would a carer coming in be useful or necessary? Social care can be so helpful in these situations, it might be worth contacting them and asking them to assess her as well.

[Texaco Shirley]

I think she’s safe yes. She’s lived in the same house since 1964 so things like turning off the gas and locking the door are all absolutely ingrained and she’s physically fit and well. She would absolutely not want someone coming in. At this point I don’t think it’s necessary and the upset over it would do more harm than good.

[Texaco Shirley]

Scan day today. I phoned last night to check she knew the time (1.15) and to tell her I’d go to the office for the morning and get to hers 12.30-12.45. She said she’d sit tight (her words) and not go out anywhere till I got there.

Today I got there at 12.35. She had got to 11am, decided I was taking far too long and went to the hospital where they somehow managed to fit her in 2 hours early. So on the plus side she’s had the scan but on the other hand I didn’t get to discuss it with any staff and I’ve had 6 hours in the car and wasted a half day of employer’s goodwill. It wasn’t entirely wasted as I booked her overdue optician appointment and took her to the big Sainsburys but it’s incredibly frustrating.

[rosy]

That sounds incredibly frustrating, Tex. I am sorry.

[Mountain Goat]

Oh for god's sake. I can imagine how bloody frustrating that is, and that you've probably been worrying about it to some degree all day beforehand too.I hope you were able to have a large gin when you finally got home.

[Figaro]

That is infuriating. If it’s any consolation, at a CT scan there isn’t really anyone to discuss anything with anyway, as it’s just the radiographer there who performs the scan and operates the equipment etc but isn’t really able to take or give any information.

I’m also amazed that they managed to fit her in two hours early, I expect there was a kind radiographer who realised what the scan was probably for and shifted things around a bit. (Assuming she did definitely have it early, which I’m sure you have checked already!)

It must feel like a long wait for the next appointment.

[Texaco Shirley]

I was surprised they fitted her in early as well but I did wonder if they have an unusual number of no shows given who the patients are likely to be.

Next appointment is Oct 1 which isn’t too bad.

[Texaco Shirley]

Scan results today. It was another long thorough appointment, the doctor did another variation of the memory test including facial recognition this time as well as a lot of general conversation to get a feel for what she can and can’t remember. The scan showed early Alzheimer’s and he classed her condition as mild cognitive disorder which means her daily life/routine isn’t really suffering, her memory isn’t bad as such but she can’t retrieve the words she needs from the bit of the brain where they’re stored (e.g. she clearly recognised the people in the photos she was shown but had no chance of naming them) and her perception of time is suffering. The doctor said approx 50% of the people he sees at this stage will remain at a similar level for as much as 5 years and he would generally send them away and set up a further appointment in 12 months. However he feels that as my mum’s condition has developed relatively quickly (over a year or so) she is more likely to deteriorate without intervention. He sent her for an ECG and assuming that comes back OK he’s putting her straight onto medication and called her back in 6 months.

I’m not sure how much of it she took in. She’s prepared to take the medication which I thought might be a big hurdle as she’s never been on any regular medication so I guess that’s a good sign.

[sally maclennane]

That's good that they'll monitor her closely, and that she's ok with the meds.

How are you feeling about it all?

[Texaco Shirley]

I’m not sure really. I think I’m glad they found something as I have a tendency to worry I’m imagining things but I’m still not sure of the best way ahead for her.