my mom

[Guest guest]

Hi - I don't often post much, just read and empathize with all of

you. My mom lives about 1-1/2 hours away in a nh. I get down there

about 2x a month sometimes less. I went down yesterday with my

aunt, mom's only remaining sister. Mom cried a lot, was way out of

it. I'm not sure she really knew who we were, except for my sister

who lives in the area and sees her more often. She walks on her tip

toes and looks down (she's also blind)as she walks (with help of

course)She had a huge bruise on her forehead - she falls almost

daily because she tries to get up by herself. The doctor says she's

depressed and needs to be on anti-depressants. I don't see how it's

gonna improve much more than her crying (she doesn't really cry, but

gets that crying look but no tears really come.) I know she's sad

but I hate to see her on more meds than she's already on. they have

her on aricept and another drug for her Parkinson symptoms, and

still have her on HRT which I'd like to see her off of. She's down

to 92 lbs. and even when we take her out to eat (I'm the only

one " brave " enough to still do that) she doesn't eat much. She

complained to me yesterday that when we would sit her down the backs

of her legs hurt--she's very very stiff. Is there anything they at

the nh can do to relieve the pain she has w/o more drugs? Any

suggestions? I hate being so far away and wish I could be there

more often but due to my work situation and the length of the drive,

I can't be. I told my sister and aunt yesterday I wish God would

just take her home - I hate seeing her this way. Thanks for

listening.

Deb

[Guest guest]

Hi Deb,

Sandie's suggestion of a whirlpool is wonderful. Hydrotherapy works

wonders on sore muscles as well as having an overall calming and

relaxing effect.

As for the soreness when sitting, you could try purchasing something

called Memory Foam. You may have to go to a medical supply store and

ask for it. High density foam may work as a substitute but the Memory

Foam is specifically designed to reduce stress on pressure points.

Since your mum is only 92 lbs. she probably has very little

cushioning flesh on her legs. Using the Memory Foam could help her

with this.

Best of luck,

.

[Guest guest]

Deb, I'm feeling it for you. Having your mom try an anti-depressant like

Celexa may not be a bad idea. It may help her with her sadness, any

aggitation, improve her appetite and take some of those achs and pains away

(it did help me with those). Try her on 20mgs for a while then up to

40mgs - should be seeing an improvement here. You can go as high as 60mgs

but remember that it may take as much as 4-6 weeks to see some improvement.

My mom has been taking Celexa for years now and her depression is no longer

outwardly visable. Hope this helps.

Courage

my mom

>Hi - I don't often post much, just read and empathize with all of

>you. My mom lives about 1-1/2 hours away in a nh. I get down there

>about 2x a month sometimes less. I went down yesterday with my

>aunt, mom's only remaining sister. Mom cried a lot, was way out of

>it. I'm not sure she really knew who we were, except for my sister

>who lives in the area and sees her more often. She walks on her tip

>toes and looks down (she's also blind)as she walks (with help of

>course)She had a huge bruise on her forehead - she falls almost

>daily because she tries to get up by herself. The doctor says she's

>depressed and needs to be on anti-depressants. I don't see how it's

>gonna improve much more than her crying (she doesn't really cry, but

>gets that crying look but no tears really come.) I know she's sad

>but I hate to see her on more meds than she's already on. they have

>her on aricept and another drug for her Parkinson symptoms, and

>still have her on HRT which I'd like to see her off of. She's down

>to 92 lbs. and even when we take her out to eat (I'm the only

>one " brave " enough to still do that) she doesn't eat much. She

>complained to me yesterday that when we would sit her down the backs

>of her legs hurt--she's very very stiff. Is there anything they at

>the nh can do to relieve the pain she has w/o more drugs? Any

>suggestions? I hate being so far away and wish I could be there

>more often but due to my work situation and the length of the drive,

>I can't be. I told my sister and aunt yesterday I wish God would

>just take her home - I hate seeing her this way. Thanks for

>listening.

>Deb

>

>

>

>

>Welcome to LBDcaregivers.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Deb-

My mother is in a NH that is 70 miles away from me so I don't get to

see her as often as I'd like. I usually go one day during the week

and my brother goes with me on the weekend,usually on Sunday.

When we noticed Mom having memory problems, agitation,

hallucinations, and confusion, all these problems were originally

diagnosed by her doctors as symptoms of depression. They tried all

sorts of anti-depressants, including Paxil and Xanax but none of

them seemed to work. It wasn't until her physical health began to

deteriorate that they finally decided she had dementia, and just

very recently she has been diagnosed with LBD. Once the drs.

decided she had dementia she was placed on Risperdal (sp?) and the

hallucinations stopped and she immediately became calmer. I believe

dementia causes depression in the patient. I'm sure my mom realizes

what is happening to her but doesn't understand it, and that

depresses her. She used to insist to us there was absolutely

nothing wrong with her and she was more than capable of caring for

herself alone at home, even though it's obvious she can't because

she can't walk, needs help eating, and basically can't do anything

herself. Now when I go visit her by myself or with my brother, she

usually doesn't carry on about going back home like she used to.

But sometimes I will bring along one of her older sisters to visit

and that's when the waterworks start. She whines, complains, tells

her sisters how bad it is in the NH and how she doesn't belong

there, cries that she wants to go home, etc. She only does this with

her sisters, not when my brother or I are there.

I admire you for having the courage to take your mother out. We

used to take Mom for outings away from the NH, but now that she's

confined to a wheelchair and incontinant, it's just too much for

us. Today she was craving pizza, so my brother and I went to Pizza

Hut and brought a pizza back to her. We had a pizza and soda pop

party in her room and she had a good time. I noticed as she was

enjoying her pizza, her stiffness seemed to disappear and her

tremors weren't as bad.

I know it's hard when you live a long distance from the home your

mom is in, but just make the most of your visits and the time you

spend with her. It's actually a blessing for me that my mom's in

this NH because after spending 2 years in constant worry when I was

caring for her at home, it's a relief no know she's getting good

round the clock care. I'm finally starting to relax again.

Kathy S