My husband has not been diagnosed with anything, but he has a lot of the same Alzheimer's symptoms everyone is talking about. Any thoughts?

I noticed that caregivernow, who wrote the original posting, hasn't been back on-line since that original post. Sounds like he/she has left the building.

He was in the hospital for a month, enough said. He could be still be feeling the effects of the hospitalization.

Alzheimer's is not the only dementia condition that presents these symptoms. There are other conditions - dementia is the umbrella that covers them all.

I would agree with others that having him present the symptoms that you describe is not normal for one of the dementias. If he had extensive surgery, it can induce a dementia-like condition, but as others have said it should get better with time - perhaps not back to pre-surgery, but certainly better. The symptoms you describe are a bit extreme, coming on in such a short time. We do not have a definitive diagnosis for our mother, but more than likely in her case it is vascular dementia. More often than not, the symptoms for this are more progressive. Living with someone day to day you might not notice the changes, but at some point the repetitive statements or questions would be an indication. Our mother lived alone, but during phone calls this behavior was observed. In person it would happen as well, but sometimes the person can mask it to an extent so that others are not as aware of the changes. She then started having trouble with word choices (only a little) and issues with bill payments and pill taking. We finally moved her to MC a year ago, and after about 9 months of pestering my brother about when she could go home to her condo, she now asks about going to see her mother (also gone about 40 years) or to go stay at her previous residence (sold 23 years ago.) So, in her case the similar symptoms to your husband took several years to manifest.

As others have suggested this should really be directed to a medical workup. They can rule out various conditions that could contribute to his symptoms. You also indicate that you are working - are there safety plans in place for him while you are at work? Someone to check on him, stay with him, a place for him to go while you are working? Until you know what is causing this, he could be at risk if left alone.

Was your husband checked for normal pressure hydrocephalus? If not, ask one of his doctors about doing so. A CT scan or MRI can diagnose this condition. The sudden onset of confusion is not the norm for Alzheimer's. Also, have metabolic reasons and occult infections been ruled out? Best of luck to you both.

Is he running fever?
Look in his mouth to see if he has Thrushmouth which is indicative of Candida Overgrowth.

He should be on Probiotics regardless.

Talk to his physician - just go ahead and call - my DH recently was having hallucinations from Benadryl. You just never know - which is why we call and ask.

Sharing some information--

Early-onset Alzheimer's

A very small percentage of people who develop Alzheimer's disease have the early-onset type. Signs and symptoms of this type usually appear between ages 30 and 60 years. This type of Alzheimer's disease is very strongly linked to your genes.

Scientists have identified three genes in which mutations cause early-onset Alzheimer's disease. If you inherit one of these mutated genes from either parent, you will probably have Alzheimer's symptoms before age 65. The genes involved are:

Amyloid precursor protein (APP)
Presenilin 1 (PSEN1)
Presenilin 2 (PSEN2)

Mutations of these genes cause the production of excessive amounts of a toxic protein fragment called amyloid-beta peptide. This peptide can build up in the brain to form clumps called amyloid plaques, which are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease. A buildup of toxic amyloid beta peptide and amyloid plaques may lead to the death of nerve cells, and the progressive signs and symptoms of this disorder.

As amyloid plaques collect in the brain, tau protein malfunctions and stick together to form neurofibrillargy tangles. These tangles are associated with the abnormal brain functions seen in Alzheimer's disease.

However, some people who have early-onset Alzheimer's don't have mutations in these three genes. That suggests that some early-onset forms of Alzheimer's disease are linked to other genetic mutations or other factors that haven't been identified yet.

OldBob1936: While telling "white lies" to this gentleman may work, IMHO it could backfire because the "teller" will have to keep her statements straight and it may cause even more confusion when she is unable to do so.

jjariz: Did you realize that you cannot click on the link that you provided?

caregivernow: Let me offer some insights--
#1 Please let us know why your husband was in the hospital.
#2 The age of only 65 is far too young for a one-month hospitalization.
#3 Although difficult to fathom, a patient oftentimes gets sicker in the hospital, which is LOADED WITH GERMS.
#4 If the patient picks up an illness at the hospital, ALL VISITORS MUST BE GOWNED BEFORE ADMITTANCE TO HIS ROOM.
#5 What is his health history? That could be very telling of why he had to have a one-month hospital stay at the young age of 65.

Sounds like he developed delirium during hospitalization. It can take weeks or even months to fully resolve. He might have a UTI now, but what is more common is for older adults to also be experiencing other factors that aggravate their brain function, such as medication side-effects, pain, sleep deprivation, and constipation.

He also might have vitamin B12 deficiency (it does not come on quickly but it is common and makes brains more vulnerable) or a thyroid abnormality or an electrolyte disturbance or another type of medical problem that makes brain function worse. An evaluation for cognitive impairment (a term that covers both dementia and delirium) should check for all of these.

There is no formula for how quickly people recover, it really depends on the underlying health of their brain, whether all delirium aggravators have been removed, and how restorative their current environment is. I will say that it's not uncommon for it to take months for people to fully recover, and unfortunately, a fair number of people never get quite back to the way they were before.

About dementia coming on quickly. It usually does not come on quickly, however, when we ask a lot of questions, a fair number of people who were supposedly "fine" before hospitalization were actually showing some signs of memory/thinking problems beforehand. So what we often say is that delirium can "unmask" an early dementia.

Having early (or more advanced) dementia is a risk factor for delirium.

I hope your husband starts doing better soon. At this time, I would say it's less important to see a dementia specialist and more important to ask his usual doctors to help make sure he is evaluated for anything that might be contributing to persisting delirium. He should also be evaluated for common medical problems that cause cognitive impairment.

You can help him recover by minimizing stress and strain around him. I completely agree with the other comments, don't try to correct his errors. Accept his reality and do what you can to maintain your sanity in the meantime.

good luck!

Very possibly your husband has a condition known as delirium which is quite common and mimics the symptoms of dementia after someone has been in the hospital for an extended period of time especially true in an older person. Would suggest you check out delirium online and talk to your family doctor . Symptoms of dementia delirium will normally diminish over time.

I'm so sorry your experiencing this. It is very alarming and scary. I would definitely check for a UTI and make sure his meds and vitamins are good. The only other thing I can think of is maybe sundowners syndrome. But you don't mention if this is throughout the day or if his behavior gets worse toward late afternoon. Many people have bouts of sundowners
or confusion after being hospitalized esp. if surgery is involved. You mention that you still have a job and like everyone else, your plate is probably full. Do you have adult children, friends or relatives that could help you out for a bit? Maybe just to get your husband to proper doctors for proper tests and diagnosis and treatment? We all need help at some times in our lives. Might be a good idea for you to get checked out also because this is very stressful and exhausting.
Wishes that everything work out for you.

Yes, it could be any number of things affecting his memory and adding to his confusion, but, my LO started in her early 60's with Vascular Dementia. By age 65, she was in Memory Care with severe dementia. Also, there are other conditions like Alzheimers that can hit at an early age. i think it's called Younger onset or something like that. I'd explore the cause with a neurologist, who can order MRI and other tests to see what's going on, if other things are ruled out.

Without knowing why this man was admitted to hospital and kept there for a month it's really impossible to comment meaningfully.

65 is still kind of young for this kind of thing. At that age my Dad valve replacement surgery. He had some memory loss but not to this point. You said he was tested for the confusion, check to see what tests were run. I would call his primary. Dementia and Alz don't come on this sudden. Going under will make it worse but not cause it. Ask if he was checked for UTI. Even if h was, I would check again. UTIs are harder to clear up in men. Potassium low levels could cause this, sugar too. Dehydration too. He could have had a stroke too.

65 is still kind of young for this kind of thing.

After my mom came home from surgery, she was extremely confused. It took a few months. I'm surprised no one at the hospital told you that.

Could he possibly have a UTI or other overlooked condition? I would think 65 y/o is rather young to have this kind of confusion from being in the hospital happen.

This group has already given some great advise. I wonder too whether your father was given a full blood work up which included looking at his vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. These can go south in the elderly fairly easily, causing confusion, and unless they are specifically checked they are easily missed.

Going to the hospital for a month can be traumatizing....it can take a while to come back to reality....if it persists, a trip to his doctor and neurologist is your next step. Did the hospital change his meds? What the reason for hospital visit for a month? He could have a UTI (urinary tract infection), you never know...that, too, causes some unusual behavior. Go slow and breathe...one step at a time. All the best to you!

What the others said is good....I suggest also that you devise a strategy of just going along with him and not "correcting" him to say his loved ones are long gone....You may want to fudge facts and say that his mom called her yesterday and said they were o a trip to Europe and won't be back for a month, etc. You could add "You were napping and I didn't want to disturb you to awaken you and have you say hello."

His constant repetition may well wear on you heavily at times...For your own sanity, learn to consider it the "new normal" and with God's help, realize you will do better emotionally if you strive to have a servant's heart.

God bless you,

Bob

If this persists, make an appointment with a neurologist that specializes in Dementia (not all of them do) for a full neurological workup. You can find more help at alzconnected.org/discussion.aspx?g=topics&f=2147485438

Caregivernow, you mentioned your husband was in the hospital for a month... what was the reason for him being there? Knowing that might help us understand more of what is going on.

If your husband had surgery, depending how long he was under, for each hour it would take one month for one's brain not to feel so foggy. If surgery was 3 hours, thus it would take 3 months. Plus being in the hospital for one month, he is probably feeling delirium being back home until he becomes for comfortable at home.

I would recommend you bring this issue up to your husband's primary doctor, or if he had surgery to his surgeon, for answers.