Dementia?

[fourt9rkim]

My mom was diagnosed with Left Ventricular Dysfunction last year, and about the same time that she started on her meds from her cardiologist (Coreg, Diovan, Lasix, Isosorbide) is when her behavior changes really came to the forefront. A couple of days after being on her meds, she woke me up at 11 pm one night to come sit in the front room and 'wait for the mailman... he was bringing a package.' She truly believed the mailman was bringing a package at that time of night.

Not long after that is when she started believing that she had been living somewhere else, and now believes that she has left and come back several times.

I have tried to find information about side effects from the heart meds, and even went so far as to call her doc's nurse....all that got was her doctor asking her questions about her memory and telling her that a family member had been calling 'concerned' and told her who called. I paid for that for over a month. I honestly believe that there is some sort of side effect with some of these heart meds that causes dementia-like symptoms, but I can't find ANYTHING anywhere with similiar cases.

[Martha H]

My mother's memory began to fail rapidly, but more worrisome, she became irrational, about 4 months after her episode of heart failure and her starting to take 5 prescriprton drugs. Lasix was the only one she had been on before, so I rule that out.

Since then her meds have been chaged frequently. All I can remember at the moment is that one of them was a 'statin' (cholesterol lowering drug) although her cholesterol readings were PERFECT! The only admitted side effect of that drug is muscle cramps. My Mom had had muscle cramps for years and successfully used quinine water (tonic water) to prevent them, but when I wanted to get her off statins, I told the doc about her cramps and he said stop taking it. One down, 4 to go. My brother's MIL got Alzheimer's a year after going on statins for her cholesterol.

Meanwhile, the heart drugs are keeping Mom alive. What do you do? Save her body and let her mind go? That is my amateur belief about what happened to Mom. But I cannot prove it. The doctor pooh poohed the idea. Nonsense. She is so old it is a wonder she has any mental facilities left. BUT, she was only a month younger when she started on the drugs, and the difference in her mental state were amazing. Irrational beliefs, going out of the apartment on a cold night in a nightgown to 'look for a glove I left on the stairs' and walking down the street.
Waking me up demanding 'what are you doing in my apartment?' 'Mom, I live here!'

If I get to that stage and there are still no real medications available to stop dementia, I may choose keeping my mind and letting my body go (in other words, dying of a heart attack) -- as weird as it may sound ...

Love,

Martha

[fourt9rkim]

My dad also has CHF, but he doesn't exhibit any of the symptoms of AD or dementia like mom does. He's also on a cholesterol drug, and has been for a couple of years. But he isn't on the Coreg. My cousin is on Coreg, and she isn't like this, so I'm probably grasping at straws to think that the meds are contributing, or possibly accelerating her decline.

I think mom started down this road as early as 1998. My dad told me a couple of days ago that he told me back then that we were going to have a problem in the future, because she was starting to forget, and was having trouble with her decision making back then. She's been paranoid about someone stealing her cream for about that long, so this is nothing new, but the anger she has when thinking about it is disturbing.

If I had my choice, I'm with you Martha....I'd rather lose my body than my mind. Mom's mom was bedridden for a couple of years before she died, and said she didn't know why she had to lose her body, why couldn't she lose her mind? Well, I think she's observing why now in her own daughter. I bet if Grandma was here and saw how mom talks to us, she'd tan her hide good!

[angel_bear]

This is how I've been feeling over the past 12 months about my end of life:

Given a choice of KNOWING my body was failing would send me into a spiral of despair ....... having nursed an ex-charge who was mentally 'with it' but 'physically had it' ... watching him KNOWING he was going to die was horrific ...

Nursing my other charge, who had no idea there was something wrong with her .... that was a blessing for her really .. she didn't KNOW she was afflicted with Anything ... and her body is/was as strong as an ox ..

So we had him .. mentally with it - physically had it, and her mentally had it, physically with it ........

He died too soon because his body gave out .. she can't die because she's too fit.

Give me a quick heart attack any day (My Dad did it right !! LOL) I just don't want to go down either track really.

[LuvMyLilDoggie]

I feel the same way. My mom died of a heart attack. Dad is slowly losing his mental abilities and my MIL has lost most physical abilities. My MIL is losing a tad bit of her mental abilities but can no long walk more than a few feet and that's with great physical pain and exertion. Her modesty is all but gone. She has to be washed in her chair. She's no longer able to get into the shower. She suffers from depresion because of this. She can't even get outside to go to the doctor. She's not able to attend birthday parties and Christmas is going to be horrible for her. Last Christmas, she told me that would be the last time that she would be able to go to my BIL's house for Christmas. She lived for Christmas. That was her holiday to shower everyone with love and gifts. She enjoyed Christmas so much. Now, for her, that's gone. The family is so big now that we can't all fit into her small house.

My dad still has the ability to walk far enough to get by. He enjoys holidays and birthdays. He can still do some things with the grandkids even if he doesn't remember. At least they do.

Given the choice, I'd like to die the way my aunt did. She went to take a nap and never woke up. They said it was a blood clot, that she went without pain. That would be my choice, healthy both physically and mentally until it's my time. Then I'd like to go in peace with my family knowing that I didn't suffer.

Love, Barb