need reply fast!!!! - Alzheimer's Disease & Dementia Message Board

Jess22 · 09-05-2006, 11:30 AM

A quick hi to all still going through alot but forget me at this moment, some important news on mom here goes: The new nursing cord. over mother asked for us to let a new physt. see mother who is from another state and has been visiting their facilty doing some work suppose to be ranked one of the best in the nation anyhow he has been working with mother and also spoke with us anyway he says mothers dementia is moving at a very rapid state and is very concerned mother may have something more "medical" possibly going on. (Cranial lesions) mini strokes? Has anyone dealt with this before?? Now we are very concerned my sister and I because mother for at least ten years has had a pain that would shoot through the back of her head behind her right ear. She would literally hollar in pain and we use to always wonder about it but of course knowing how older people are she never went to the doctor and always passed it off. Anyway he may want us to allow for a cat scan of her brain, what do you all think about this has anyone been through all of this. Now Im really concerned because mother had a terrible car wreck when she was thirty knocked her unconciense (cant spell) for a few days but back then they didnt do much for that. Lord it would be a miracle if she had something else going on this entire time but Im probably being unrealistic and hopeful. Anyway, let me know if anyone has dealt with all of this before Im very curious?? can strokes cause dementia to this magnitude?????
jess

AnnaKaren · 09-05-2006, 11:42 AM

All I know is my dad's diagnosis is dementia caused by a mini stroke that happened in his left frontal lobe.

This was shown on a CT scan of his brain and his progression to me was quick - even though he's considered high functioning now because he can dress and feed himself, etc., his mind is terrible. It seemed to me he was OK one month, then just went downhill very fast (after the stoke?).

I'm glad dad had the scan just to know that a stroke was involved...

Anna

Martha H · 09-05-2006, 01:55 PM

If there is something happening in his brain it would be good to have that CT scan done as soon as possible on the chance that it may be a correctable problem.

I can't say anything about fast progression. It seems that my Mom is progressing very very slowly. There is a huge difference between her behavior now and 2 years ago, but only a little difference to 6 months ago. I plan to take a trip to NY within 2 months, so I'll soon be able to make a judgment on that. My broher sees her every day and may not notice small differences. My sister is still in denial and actually thinks Mom is helping her to learn German (I cannot even imagine WHAT Mom tells her when she asks for a translation - could it be she still has that part of her brain intact, although she has forgotten everyday words in the language she has spoken since 1926, English?)

Good luck and I hope the results are good for her and for you.

Love,

Martha

cyt · 09-05-2006, 03:26 PM

Yes, having the CT scan is very important - my FIL had to go a step further and have an MRI done. It did show mini strokes. He has dementia caused by them and his memory is terrible. When he is having a mini stroke he is totally out of his mind and then doesn't remember any of it later on. Good luck, I hope they can find out something. All he takes is plavix but that doesn't seem to help much. At least he hasn't had a big stroke yet. C

angel_bear · 09-05-2006, 03:34 PM

I know when my ex-charge got the BLOODY OBVIOUS signs of dementia and I was running her around to psychogeriatricians trying to figure out if it WAS a form of dementia they asked me if she had been in any major car accidents or had any significant blows to the head during her life because that can have something to do with some kind of 'induced' dementia .........

She had been in a few accidents, but only broken ribs .. and of course, by the time they were asking, she had lost cognition of words and didn't understand what people wanted to know ...

There is a lady I know who used to be an absolute HORROR in her pre-dementia days .. but had to have brain surgery (you should feel her skull, ewwww ... lumpy bumpy) and she's got a significant case of dementia and schitzaphrenia created by the surgery .... saved her life in one end, but gave her a warped quality of life in another??

Makes ya wonder.

Get the scan done, at least you will have some ANSWERS HOPEFULLY.

Cheers