We took my grandmother in the hospital 1 week ago for lung problems, she had alot trouble breathing, this was going on for a couple of weeks now, she was having trouble breathing. She is 83 yrs old and smoked pretty much all her life. The day we took her in the hospital her breathing was just getting worse to the point were just stopped. The doctors rushed in and had to put a tube down her throat to her lungs, for about a half an hour the machine was breathing for her, they she all of sudden opened her eyes and wanted it out. They took it out and thank god she was actually breathing on her own. She still needed a mask though. Everyday we were noticing her going down not her breathing but her mind. Her mind was always there. She was just as normal as anybody else. Its been a week now, she is a totally different person, like a child. Today my mom went to visit, she slappped her 3 times in the face, told her she hated her. Her temper is awful. She also hasn't slepted much either. What is going on, did we lose her, does she have alzeimers now, i dont know whats going on, none of us do, the doctors dont even seem to know. If anybody has heard of this happening please let me know, we are so worried about her.

Thanks, Carole

Carole,
Has she been checked for heart disease? I have a friend that is 83 years old. Last November she was diagnosed (finally) with heart problems and had a valve replacement and a triple bypass. We noticed her symptoms about six months before that and they were : fatigue, loss of memory, and severe breathing problems. She also lost a lot of weight and had no appetite. You might seek out a cardiologist for her.

I agree with Howitt44, my mom also changed her personality greatly before her heart attack. She also was diagnosed with COPD, and the oxygen deprevation is what caused the major personality changes in her again.

C