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Her mind remained sharp after the strokes, but some of her "real self" was lost. Within the last two months, Mom has started showing extreme anger and striking at me. She also cries every day, usually when she gets up for an hour or so in the middle of the night. Do you think dementia has set in?

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Hi there. Firstly, I'm so sorry you and your mother are going through this. The only way to know for sure whether she has developed dementia is to consult a doctor. But I can tell you that my own mother's personality changed as her Alzheimer's progressed. She would have bouts of extreme anger and irrational jealousy. This always got worse as night came on, too. It's something called "sundowning" that happens with dementia and Alz folks. The change in the atmosphere produces a depressive effect on them. It can also be hard for them to sleep, so our doctor recommended giving my mother 2 sudafed or some kind of anti-histamine before bed. They are non-addictive but make you drowsy. Worked like a charm. I just said a prayer for you and your Mom. Hope you find the help you need.
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My mother is post-stroke. No Alzheimer's. She does have vascular dementia. In the last year, particularly, I've seen personality changes like spontaneous crying, having a fit, laughing for no reason (PBA), being irritable for no reason. She has language impairment and will just make gibberish, incomprehensible sounds in place of words she used to know. It's so difficult to watch her in this condition. In addition to asking the doctor for a UTI, ask him/her to for a Candida evaluation. My mother recently had a very bad case of toe nail fungus and this was coinciding with her cranky moods. Your mother may be suffering from an internal Candida flare-up. Google Candida symptoms to see if this fits in line with your mother's behavior. Candida wreaks havoc on the mind/behavior. Due to weakened immune system in the elderly, UTIs and Candida infections are common but is not the first thing on the radar of doctors as they immediately jump to a dementia diagnosis due to patient history. You'll need to advocate for a thorough work-up.
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So, write down all the changes you've seen with your mom. Doctor should check for a Uti, other infections. Also, sources of pain ( my mom fractured her hip and it wasn't discovered for several days). If all else is clear, an evaluation by a neurologist is certainly warranted.
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Ask them to check for a uti. Though my mom had a stroke and dementia. Her anger was caused by a severe uti and come to find out it happens more often than not to ppl older in age
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This has started since her last visit with the doctor. I plan to call the doctor tomorrow am! Thank you for your response.
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It could be the result of the strokes or it could be the onset of dementia or something totally unrelated to either. Any time there's a rapid personality change a Dr. should be consulted. Has she seen her Dr. lately?
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