Is there any chance this could be something other than dementia?

[Nel1234]

Hi everyone - I have been so lucky that until now I can hardly remember a day when either of my parents were unwell. They are now 81 & 78 and obviously slowed down a little etc as they got older but nothing major.

Approx 8 weeks ago, my mum who was so efficient & organised & would have put Mrs Hinch to shame with her cleaning started to behave a bit erratically & hyper. Simple tasks were taking longer & having a conversation with her was difficult as she wouldn't let anyone else speak.

She had 2 appts with nurses & eventually another 2 with gp's & finally got antibiotics for possible urine & possible chest infection. Things did improve but not completely. More blood tests have been done plus urine checked - all normal. Referral made to memory clinic.

My dad who until now had been coping as well as he could is now not doing so well.

In the last week mum has became quite argumentative - so out of character for her & dad has taken himself off to bed early to get away from her shouting at him. When I tried to gently speak to mum about this - she said it's dad shouting at her. While I can't say for sure that dad isn't getting frustrated he's not showing any behaviours that are giving me concern.

I spoke with gp today - have authority to do so - who is going to refer mum for ct scan - but no idea of timescale for this. I asked if it was possible there was still a bit of infection left, should she have another course of antibiotics - he didn't believe so as tests all OK.

Has anyone got any experience of situations where you were preparing to deal with dementia.....but the outcome was different?

Thank you for reading x

When my FIL had an abrupt personality change a CT scan revealed he'd had a series of small strokes (TIA's). He was around 80 at the time.

Typically you'd be seeing some subtle changes as dementia set in rather than a sudden change in personality (but sadly dementia is unpredictable). It's also encouraging that you noticed some improvement when her UTI was treated. Another thing to ask the doctor about would be a B12 deficiency. This is common with older age and can result in cognitive changes.

I know how worrying this all is. Take care.

Dementia usually develops slowly. You start to notice they're becoming more and more forgetful, getting disorientated in unfamiliar places, repeating themselves a little.

If your mum has had infections it can sometimes take 2-3 months for things to return to normal in elderly people.
A CT scan is a good idea as there may be something else going on like TIAs. But it could well be the after effects of the infection

That should say repeating themselves a LOT

I went through this with my dad, Dementia UK were really helpful, you can book an appointment to talk to one of their Admiral dementia specialist nurses.
www.dementiauk.org/information-and-support/how-we-can-support-you/

Stroke, mania, drug reaction, lots of things.

Definitely! Asking the same question repeatedly in a conversation.

You might privately ask your dad if he's been noticing anything like that. In my experience couples do tend to cover for each other with memory issues or simply dismiss it as "getting old".

Has she had liver function tests as part of the blood work?

The first sign of liver disease in one of my relatives was a fairly rapid change in personality. He'd been generally unwell for a few weeks (chest infections) but had never had any liver problems. He became distracted, gruff and argumentative quite rapidly which at first I put down to him just being unwell. Then out of the blue one day I made him cross by saying something fairly mundane (can't even remember what it was now) - and he picked up a remote control and slung it at me, hard. It was so incredibly out of character and I thought it was early onset dementia.

A couple of weeks after this he had routine bloods for something else which included LFTs and his levels were through the roof...further tests confirmed liver disease. The personality change was the only symptom and contrary to what many people think about those with liver disease, he was tee-total.

Anyway, rambling - but check she's had LFTs.

I think it could be delirium being slow to recover after the infection. See how she goes for a while and wait for the appointment

Thank you so much for the replies I appreciate everyone of them & will look into all the advice given x

Hi OP, how is she getting on now? I have a very similar sounding situation with my DF.
He went to GP yesterday and they gave him antibiotics for suspected UTI. My DM said GP was more concerned with looking for signs of mild stroke. His blood pressure was terribly high too. Next step is blood tests.
I hope you have seen some improvements.

Hi thanks so much for your post & I'm thinking of you and your family - its such a worrying time x

We've had a couple of very stressful weeks. Due to the aggression & agitation GP agreed to give mum some medication (without seeing her) - which she took for a few days then assured us she was taking it - but actually wasn't!

Updated GP re this & said we needed help while waiting on memory tests etc - after a bit of a fight he said he wanted to see her

Gp spent about 25 mins with mum on her own, then with me joining them. There is def cognitive decline referral for memory test has been escalated, but agreed she is extremely anxious & agitated.

More medication prescribed & my dad in charge of giving her it. She's not happy as it has side effects until settles down but we can see a change in her already!! We've been able to have nearly normal conversations with her & no angry outbursts.

I'm being very cautious & not getting my hopes up - but all along I felt there was something else going on.

Looking back now - mum has been stressed & worried about a few things - some of them she was right to be concerned but others she was overthinking & out of her control.

Hoping this change continues but also being realistic that we may have other issues to deal with x

Antidepressants in the old can cause mania. But it’s probably a stroke.

What meds were prescribed recently that showed an improvement? Was it anti depressants or anti anxiety medication, or something else?

Along with many others, I've been there with mother. Not to scare you but vascular dementia slowly set in as a result of previous (symptomless really so we didn't know) TIAs over a couple of years. Discovered by CT and other tests.

Wishing you the best, it is a tough road for you and for Mum and Dad too.