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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Today's Dr. Appt.



Well, today the doctor was even more concerned about my mom's state of mind, and he saw/heard firsthand the whimpering noise she's been making....the assisted living people sent lots of information about what's been going on, too, so that was good.

My mom did not sleep all night, apparently. I need to remember not to tell her ahead of time about appointments, I guess. I've heard that other children of Alzheimer's parents need to do this, too. It feels deceptive, though. Spring it on her at the last minute, you know? But I guess the whole disease becomes a deception--where I don't argue with her when she tells me the entire church was in her apartment, I just tell her I'll tell them not to come back....etc....I guess in the name of harmony, there's no way to escape the deception.

Anyhow, the doctor decided we are going to try my mom on Paxil for the anxiety and the depression. He is going to wean her off of the Xanax because long term use in the elderly can increase confusion(!). He is going to put her back on Seroquel only at bedtime, too, to help her be less anxious at night.

It all made sense to me. Whether my mom's body will cooperate, that's a different story--I'll keep you posted!

2 comments:

perphila said...

It does seems to make sense. At least it's something to try and that's better than nothing. I hope her next appointment to check the progress of the switch isn't too far off.

Shevy said...

This is my 1st time here (via Grace's blog) and, when I think I have a lot on my plate, maybe I should just think about all you're dealing with instead.

My mother, who passed away 7 years ago, was also on Xanax for a long time at bedtime (to help her sleep) and it's a very problematic med, one that has to be reduced very slowly, because long term use creates a serious dependence (with important side effects or withdrawal when you try to stop).

The elderly can be very touchy with their meds. Any little change in them, or in their physical circumstances, can cause big problems. Part of that has to do with drug interactions and it's always amazing to me how clueless doctors can sometimes be about that.

Of course, it's not their mother who suddenly can't speak English any more or who becomes psychotic for days, believing that she's on an elevator that's wired to blow up or that she's seen her grandkids killed in a flood.

Maybe if it was, they'd be a little less cavalier about making several changes at once or too quickly.

You're truly caught in the middle, trying to manage your mother's dementia, your hubby's bipolar and your DD's FAS. It's amazing you're holding it all together and working 2 jobs as well.

Just one thing: you really do need to do a couple of things Just for You! You're doing one heck of a job but you need to sharpen the saw.