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Mom is 92. She had a small stroke last Oct..no permanent dmg done physically. Her left side coratid is completely closed due to plaque, etc. Last week she had 2 TIA s or (strokes) in the same night. Because of her age,no surgical procedures will be done. MRI shows TIA activity. Since then, she has changed quite a bit. She sleeps 20 hrs out of 24. This is not normal for her. Does anyone know if this typical ? I know her little body has been thru alot lately but im not sure if the sleeping is good or bad. So far the Dr's say the "big one" is coming probably sooner than later. Has anyone been thru this?

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My father was a number of TIA's after which he would fall asleep for a while and then wake up and "appear" normal. For him these were the beginning signs of vascular dementia. He had high BP and type 2 diabetes which he did not control very well, as he drank. The damage from them does add up and he slowly declined over several years to the point of needing care in a tiered facility. before he died from the vascular dementia. His heart, lungs etc, were good Let her sleep - she needs it.
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My mom too in her mid 90's had TIA's. The first happened when she was still in IL and she recovered quite quickly with a long weekend sleep. She had Lewy Body Dementia as well and I do think that there would be a brain plaque loosening up causing confusion that preceded the TIA. For her, they seemed to come in clusters, like 3 maybe 2 weeks apart and then nothing for up to a year. Lots of sleeping. One aspect if they are sleeping is that they miss a meal and will become easily dehydrated and that snowballs into confusion and dizziness. They try to get out of bed, move upright after lying down for hours and it throws their circulation off & they can fall. So if you can get her to do2 things: popsicles or yogurtsicles that are easy to suck on to rehydrate while in bed even if you have to wake the zombie & before she gets up/stands up get her to pump her hands (make a fist) and wiggle her feet to get things moving.

Regular eating (cut, lift, bite, chew, swallow) requires a lot of energy & cognition. But things they can suck on will be easier to do till they are able to eat regularly.

My mom fell and shattered her hip @ her NH (pulling her wheelchair no less LOL) and became bedfast & on hospice. Hospice did order for her a pressurized mattress and staff changed both her & the angle of the bed often. She was on hospice 18 long l…o….n…g months and did not have another TIA till 6 mos before & then the month she died. I do think that the mattress helped in keeping the TIA's at bay, she slept well and didn't have any real pressure sores. Hospice can arrange for all this for her.

btw if mom is a nonagenarian, probability is you will be too…..
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Thank you for your responses. It does help me put things in perspective.
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TIA's sneak up on you and they do not go away. The brain, like tires on a car, takes a beating and wears down. Sleeping a lot is necessary for both neonates and nonagenarians. Let it be.
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Yes, get her a pressure air mattress they are electric, they are covered by Medicare, inquire so that the dr can write up a proper script and she gets the coverage for it. She would benefit from having a Hospital Bed at Home or where she is living. I am not sure of what the requirements are for coverage, my mom had one. Make sure they turn her often so she does not get a bed wound. There are wound care people that are covered by Medicare that can come in and check her, should even the "tiniest and smallest" of sores be seen. They grow quickly and grow inward so you would not notice how bad they really are from looking on the outside. You need a Wound Care Specialist to do the care or put in place a plan for others to do the care and observation.These are very painful and can cause infections. My mom had one that basically took her life, even though she had congestive heart failure in the end that was not what caused her passing. She also slept allot, but even when she was up she did not want to get out of bed. She was 95 when these sleep situations started, sleep for 3 days, awake for 1 or maybe 2. I would give her ensure in the sitting up position in bed to keep her fed. Also, sometimes they mix their days and nights, it is hard to find out if she is also sleeping through the night or up with her eyes closed and/or just not speaking so no one will notice. Is she in the hospital, home, or facility? The hospital will only hold her so long. Speak to your social worker about Hospice, about living arrangements, about care. My mom had Hospice for about a year on and off as needed, it was great.
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The lengthy sleeping is typical after stroke, yes. The brain shuts down most non-essential functions for most of the time so that it can conserve energy for healing itself, is basically what is happening.

I'm not sure what I can say to you that would be comforting or helpful. Except, perhaps, that as long as your mother is not in pain and not afraid then you are doing everything right. Let her sleep; only, if she is very immobile, not moving around in the bed or getting up every few hours to transfer or whatever, then do keep a close eye on her pressure areas and, if you're worried, consider asking about a variable pressure air mattress for her.

My mother was a little younger than yours, and her TIAs/small strokes/vascular dementia and finally major strokes (they're really all aspects of the same problem, which is compromised blood supply to the brain) were caused by chronic congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation - slightly different in cause from your mother's condition, but not really different in effect.

If there has been a recent increase in the frequency of observable TIAs then I'm sure your doctors are correct. I'm so sorry, I know the helplessness is incredibly stressful, but there really is nothing to be done except to watch, wait and give your mother comfort and reassurance.
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