- Joined
- Mar 14, 2016
- Messages
- 88
- Reason
- Lost a loved one
- Diagnosis
- 02/2016
- Country
- US
- State
- SC
- City
- Summerville
A few days ago, Tom told me he woke up and didn't know where he was. I didn't pay much attention because he has done this in the past...long before ALS. But then Friday night he woke me up and asked me if I heard music. I did not and my hearing is much better than his. Yesterday morning he tried to tell me the music was coming from the microwave and the cable box. Last night he went to bed early as he always does. I was downstairs watching TV. Around 9 PM he got up and came downstairs. His eyes were as big as saucers...like he was not only awake but alert for something. We both went up to bed a while later. The first thing I know he is poking me awake. He is trying to tell me something but of course, he is now barely intelligible. I finally figured out that he was asking me "where everyone went"....Then he gets up and looks in the bathroom, the closet and out in the hall. I asked what he was looking for but didn't understand the answer. I finally got
him to go back to bed but he got in our bed instead of the hospital bed. I didn't object since I just wanted him to lay down because I was afraid he would fall if he
kept wandering around. So we're laying there and he says "Did you bring any money?" Money for what? We are at home. Then he gets up and goes out in the hall, looks out the bedroom window, goes in the closet. I asked him what he was looking for and he said "the bathroom". He did then go into the bathroom. I think he thought he was in a hotel.
This morning Tom tells me that there were 2 men in our bedroom last night talking about what a wimp he is for letting me take care of him and laughing at him. Whomever these people were, they evidently used to be nice guys but not anymore. Then later today he wanted to know what "they" were talking about. To my response "they who" he answered, the 2 men.
He is aware that he is confused and I spoke with him about it. He says it is because he hasn't been able to sleep. I called Hospice and they prescribed Risperidone to calm him down and hopefully keep him from being so agitated tonight.
I am thinking that either his being malnourished or CO2 is causing this problem. He will not or cannot take in enough calories even through his feeding tube and he will not use his bi-pap. I'm thinking that the most likely cause would be CO2 buildup since I wouldn't think dementia would present so quickly and I would have thought that if malnutrition were the cause it would build up slowly as well.
The Hospice nurse will be here probably Monday or Tuesday and they will do some blood tests. They will discuss this at their meeting and decide where to go from here. Just wondered if anyone and seen CO2 buildup cause this.
him to go back to bed but he got in our bed instead of the hospital bed. I didn't object since I just wanted him to lay down because I was afraid he would fall if he
kept wandering around. So we're laying there and he says "Did you bring any money?" Money for what? We are at home. Then he gets up and goes out in the hall, looks out the bedroom window, goes in the closet. I asked him what he was looking for and he said "the bathroom". He did then go into the bathroom. I think he thought he was in a hotel.
This morning Tom tells me that there were 2 men in our bedroom last night talking about what a wimp he is for letting me take care of him and laughing at him. Whomever these people were, they evidently used to be nice guys but not anymore. Then later today he wanted to know what "they" were talking about. To my response "they who" he answered, the 2 men.
He is aware that he is confused and I spoke with him about it. He says it is because he hasn't been able to sleep. I called Hospice and they prescribed Risperidone to calm him down and hopefully keep him from being so agitated tonight.
I am thinking that either his being malnourished or CO2 is causing this problem. He will not or cannot take in enough calories even through his feeding tube and he will not use his bi-pap. I'm thinking that the most likely cause would be CO2 buildup since I wouldn't think dementia would present so quickly and I would have thought that if malnutrition were the cause it would build up slowly as well.
The Hospice nurse will be here probably Monday or Tuesday and they will do some blood tests. They will discuss this at their meeting and decide where to go from here. Just wondered if anyone and seen CO2 buildup cause this.
