tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649118720488149471.post8288146609014385085..comments2023-12-27T00:52:05.523-08:00Comments on Dementia Diaries: A Journey With Dementia: A Drastic ChangeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649118720488149471.post-81797406517215130862013-06-27T20:13:14.276-07:002013-06-27T20:13:14.276-07:00Hi, I'm a friend of your sister and an RN. Wha...Hi, I'm a friend of your sister and an RN. What did they give her? Megace and Zofran? Neither should upset her stomach although I understand what you're saying about her having lost awareness of hunger. In that case the appetite stimulant may not work but it's still worth a try since it won't hurt. Is she drinking okay? She can go 3 days or so without eating but she needs to at least be drinking water everyday or you need to take her into urgent care again. We're taking care of a grandma with Alzheimer's right now and the stages are similar. Try not to stress, it's just another phase :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03387379963016240060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3649118720488149471.post-4462626173892868062013-06-26T17:50:45.417-07:002013-06-26T17:50:45.417-07:00Cassandra, my heart goes out to you. Dementia is s...Cassandra, my heart goes out to you. Dementia is such an evil disease. The thing with meds is they can treat some of the symptoms. And, they may not work the way they are supposed to, but they might help, too. You can try them, and if there is an adverse reaction, you can discontinue it. You will probably notice effects pretty quickly. Your mom has been conditioned by the vomiting to avoid food. I think it was a brilliant idea to substitute instant breakfast for Slim Fast. I hope that works, and it sounds like it has, at least for now. And now is what you have. I don't think your mom has reached the stage of refusing food, as she likely will sometime. It sounds more like she has "learned" to avoid food due to the stomach upset. The nice thing about dementia is that she will forget this, as she experiences more time without vomiting. This is probably when you have to do the BRAT diet - you probably use it with your kids when they have been sick - Bananas - Rice - Applesauce - Toast. It may take awhile for her to get past the fear of vomiting, but this should help.<br /><br />Keep getting the medical input as you worry about things. Have doctors explain how the body functions, and what things to watch for. Water is important, and sometimes it helps to have some special cups or glasses, or a special straw. These might make her interested enough to try and drink more. Also, remember that foods have fluid in them (I learned about that as my dad had congestive heart failure, and we had to keep track of all fluid). She likely got dehydrated due to the vomiting, so if that stops... And, if she won't go to the restaurant she liked, could you get take-out?<br /><br />I was incredibly fortunate to have a good connection with our family doctor, who worked with me and my family for about 40 years (before he retired last year, the rat! - but he did stay working through the illnesses of my parents and my aunt, for which I thanked him profusely). His mother had had Alzheimer's, so he had been through something similar. He was quite compassionate, and also "got" my sense of humor, as I chose to laugh about some of our "adventures" rather than to stay terribly sad. I never laughed "at" my mom (or my aunts, who had other forms of dementia), but I sure laughed when my aunt wore her Depends over her head, or wore her bra backwards, or Mom would say "Hey!" when she was upset about something.<br /><br />One medication story: We tried Wellbutrin with Mom, hoping it would improve her concentration. Yeah, we did one dose, as that was more than enough. After she had the one dose, I awakened at 3 am, and she was sitting in the rocking chair in my room, watching me sleep. Her attire? Sweat pants, a necklace, and sneakers. I dearly, dearly loved my mom, and I miss her terribly, even eight years after she passed away. There were times in the dementia journey that were horribly hard, and other times when things settled down for awhile and Mom was content. You are clearly in one of the horrible stages, and it is my prayer that you will quickly be able to get to the "content" stage.<br /><br />I'm sorry for such a long post. I wish I was close and could give you a hug. You are in my prayers.Bev Longhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12872679309711213763noreply@blogger.com