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Annat123 Asked November 2021

Weight loss due to Diabetes or dementia?

My mother in law in stage 5 Alzheimers and has lost taste in food and complains about every food for the last six months. She lost weight because of eating issues. Physically she is upright, she can walk, shower, no incontinence, she can do things on her own. But she has very high diabetes like 17.5 to 20 mmol everyday. She has always had high sugar inspite of taking insulin & 40 units in the last ten years. But it has never affected her weight... We force her to eat three meals per day, But recently she is losing more weight than she should be. Her scans of stomach and blood tests all came out normal. Except sugar levels in blood which the doctor said if not controlled could affect kidneys. Does dementia cause major weight loss rapid decline… …I am wondering if she is last stage?

JoAnn29 Nov 2021
You may have her eating 3 meals but how much of those meals is she eating. Some people do lose weight with diabetes but the elderly also lose weight because they lose muscle mass.

I knew a man whose sugar was really high even with doing everything right concerning his diabetes. It was called his normal. With MIL in stage 5 I don't think I would worry about her #s if this is how its always been. I may use Glucerna to suppliment her eating.

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