Dementia, or seizures? Please help.

[elizzza811]

Hello,

I haven't been on here in a while, but if anybody remembers me I was diagnosed with Independent Generalized Seizures about 3 years ago following a car accident. It took over 3 decades for these seizures to be recognized (which resulted in severe OCD). And now I have some serious concerns about my 89-year-old father. Consequently, my father and I have always shared an inability to handle stress.

Okay, so here goes...

My dad, over the last several months especially, has been having difficulty remembering things and finding the right words. We all just assumed this was due to old age. Then about a week ago my sister (who's taken care of my dad since my mom passed) called me and asked me if I could go over and check on him (during freezing rain, so I knew it was serious). Apparently he had called her at work (crying) repeating over and over again that 'he had made a mistake', 'it could not be fixed', and that 'everybody was going to die because it could not be fixed'. And that he needed to talk to his pastor right away. She told me that he had also been overly concerned and fixated on the taxes recently, even though my sister had repeatedly reassured him that they were not due for another 2 months and that she would take care of them. He was also seemingly fixated on his being constipated.

When I got there he answered the door and let me in and then immediately motioned me into the kitchen. He stood there focused on a piece of paper my sister had left out for him on the table, looking very distressed, tapping the paper with his thumbs. This paper was a medication/eating/drinking schedule my sister had left out for him (with phone numbers). At first we all thought he had accidentally messed up his meds, but we checked, and everything was okay and undisturbed. I eventually got him to sit down, and he sat there looking literally tormented by his thoughts, nodding his head, repeating over and over again the things I'd just mentioned about this mistake. My sister arranged a direct admission into the hospital. They scanned his abdomen - no tumors. And a CAT scan of his head came back normal.

Because of all this, I am now taking care of my dad (some days) while my sister works, and I am greatly pained. Today, for example, my dad was fine for several hours, and then about an hour before my sister left for an appointment to arrange power of attorney, he had one of his 'spells' out of the blue. The expression on his face changed in an instant - dazed, as if in a trance, though the emotion on his face was that of unmistakable torment. He started blurting out nonsense about this mistake again without ever making eye contact with either of us. He looked as if he was about to cry, and then the tears started rolling down his face. He seemed to be able to respond verbally to us as we tried to reassure him (in short, repetitive sentences), but we were unable to console him. He held his head and when I asked him if his head hurt he said 'yes'. Another time he said his whole body hurt.

After my sister left he only got worse. Still dazed as if in a trance, still blurting out nonsense about this mistake, tormented, crying, and I noticed his breathing was heavy as if he was scared. His eyes scanning the room. His forefingers were twitching in unison, and his hands were trembling and cold. He told me that my sister was going to go to jail because of his mistake, never making eye contact with me. I honestly was relieved when he finally fell asleep. When he woke up he still wasn't quite right, not quite 'there', still dazed, staring into space, his eyes darting back and forth. It took a long time, but eventually I was able to get him to come into the kitchen with me for a drink. He was a little snippy, and his fixation this time turned towards his meals, confused as to whether or not the grapes on a plate on the kitchen table were from lunch or dinner (they were leftovers from lunch) and which meal he'd last eaten. I had to remind him what he'd eaten for breakfast and lunch, though he still didn't seem convinced. He was also blurting out garble about his bowel movements - that he had to go, but that the commode 'would not be able to handle it'. I reassured him that it would, but he wasn't convinced. When I asked him if he wanted something to drink, he responded with worries that he'd throw up and there would be 'nothing to catch it'. Also he worried that he'd spill the drink, 'and then what'. He seemed far away.

My question: Does any of this sound like a seizure? And if so, what type? He was able to respond in simple sentences, but this dazed tormented look, thumb tapping, and finger twitching have me concerned. A seizure disorder would also explain his gastro issues.

I should also mention that he is on a potassium- and sodium-restricted diet because of some sort of kidney problem, and from what I've read, extracellular potassium rises after a seizure. (OCD has also been linked to a defective kidney gene - one that we share?) Please help. Actually, I'm not even sure what I could do if these were seizures because I'm the youngest of 3 girls and at 49 I'm still treated like I'm 12.

 

[Cint]

This all sounds similar to what my 85 year-old father is going thru. Only he suffered from a stroke about 15 years ago and now has kidney failure so he does dialysis three times a week. Due to the stroke, he suffers from dementia. Some days he seems fine, others he doesn't remember if he ate breakfast only an hour ago. If my mother isn't constantly monitoring him, he would either OD on his meds or not take them at all. Some days he doesn't remember if he's gone to dialysis earlier in the day. And now, he suffers from gastro-intestinal disorder also.

Since the CT scan, has your dad been seeing a neurologist? He could be suffering from ischemic strokes or 'silent strokes'. Sometimes these happen and no one actually realizes it. Then they end up with dementia. IMO, this it what it sounds like. He needs a thorough neurological check-up.

What is Multi-Infarct Dementia?

Multi-infarct dementia (MID) is a common cause of memory loss in the elderly. MID is caused by multiple strokes (disruption of blood flow to the brain). Disruption of blood flow leads to damaged brain tissue. Some of these strokes may occur without noticeable clinical symptoms. Doctors refer to these as “silent strokes.” An individual having a silent stroke may not even know it is happening, but over time, as more areas of the brain are damaged and more small blood vessels are blocked, the symptoms of MID begin to appear. MID can be diagnosed by an MRI or CT of the brain, along with a neurological examination. Symptoms include confusion or problems with short-term memory; wandering, or getting lost in familiar places; walking with rapid, shuffling steps; losing bladder or bowel control; laughing or crying inappropriately; having difficulty following instructions; and having problems counting money and making monetary transactions. MID, which typically begins between the ages of 60 and 75, affects men more often than women. Because the symptoms of MID are so similar to Alzheimer’s disease, it can be difficult for a doctor to make a firm diagnosis. Since the diseases often occur together, making a single diagnosis of one or the other is even more problematic.

 

[elizzza811]

Thanks for the info. My dad has an appointment scheduled with his primary next week, and we're hoping he'll get a referral to a neurologist at that visit. Only problem is I really think he needs to get in with one now. My sisters aren't listening though.

Today early on while I was with him he had some staring episodes, a far-away look on his face, but no crying episodes or babble about making mistakes. The staring episodes started shortly after a BM, if that's important. Then later in the day he started slipping a bit. For one thing he kept asking me when my other sister was going to stop by (over and over again), looking at his watch and the clock and asking me what time it was, if he'd eaten breakfast yet, lunch...

Later I went out to smoke and he managed to hobble to the door while I was out there, motioning me to come in, even though he'd promised me he'd stay put and always abided. I knew something was wrong right there. (An aura?) Then as I was situating him back in his chair he asked me what my name was. I pointed to pictures of my daughter and his great grandchildren and he was drawing blanks. My sister arrived in the middle of it, and I pointed out to her that his thumbs were twitching. She pointed out to me that he was doing something weird with his tongue. And he said that if anything happens to him he wants my sister (the main caregiver who was at work through all this) to be taken care of along with her cat and dog. (I lost it when he said that.)

He was out of it though while my sister and I continued to question him, eyes closed. He seemed really distraught that he couldn't remember my name, nodding his head side to side, and said he was sorry, that his brain wasn't functioning right. He knew my name had something to do with Christmas, but kept drawing a blank. All of this started shortly after I'd given him lunch.

The thumb twitching though...the tongue thing...this is exactly what would happen when I was having a seizure. I guess it could be something else but we'll see. Thanks for all the info...it all sounds a lot like my dad.