grandmother blacks out

[eemccracken]

We believe my grandmother is in the first stages of alzheimers due to several symptoms that have been growing over time. Last year my grandmother fainted (blackedout) without warning (didn't get light headed before hand or have a panic attack...etc) breaking a glass table and luckily only bruising herself. Four months ago it happened again and again last week. Is this a common occurance or should we be looking elsewhere for answers. The doctor doesn't seem to know what is going on. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[SnowyLynne63]

Blackouts are not a symptom of Alzheimer's.Low blood pressure,anemia,many other things.................

[gizmolove]

My mother had blackouts many years before she was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's. They were just one of her many symptoms. She was examined by a doctor and was put on Asprin Therapy. (Very common for the older person with blackouts). You should seek medical advise right away. It is my suspician that this was the cause of her broken hip years earlier. A broken hip that she never recovered from. Who knows what Alzheimer's is caused from? But, I know that her blackouts were caused from the blood flow in the carotid artery. If there were blockage of this artery, who's not to say that vascular blockage in the arteries of the brain, did not also lead to my mothers Alzheimer's. (It's called vascular dementia). I am a firm believer that blood circulation is vital regenerator of new, and continued healthy, brain cells. Who is to say if blood circulation and Alzheimer's are mutually exclusive?

Hope and Joy,
Gizmolove

[eemccracken]

Thank you. The doctor's are not sure she has alzheimer's. They did a MRI and said there was no sign but I believe this test only really shows for advance stages. I'm trying to get my grandmother to be more aggressive with her doctor. She is scared but still not able to swallow her pride and just keep at the doctor until he starts to really look at her symptoms. I just saw her today. Her hip is terribly bruised and the whole left side of her face is black and blue. I'm very worried she will pass out and really hurt herself one day.

[eemccracken]

I should also state that my grandmother's symptoms are:

memory loss
repeating the same story over a short period of time
forgetting how to get home from the mall she shopped at for 20 years
paranoia
anger
symtoms get worse when in "new" situation or can not "fake" understanding
forgetting information just told to her...

etc...

These have just started appearing over the past 2 years.