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We have asked her to tell us where the pain is, but she is not specific and the pain seems to change in areas after several questions. She can stand on the leg when we ask her, she can hold the leg up when we ask her. When touching her muscles for pain, no complaints, but as soon as we tell her to walk, she limps. We have watched her secretly, when she is not expecting us to notice her and she walks fine....no limping.


She will be seeing the doctor in the next two days just to be certain, but has anyone experienced this? And does anyone have any suggestions on how to assist with complaints that may not really be there?

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I would be careful about dismissing her pain complaints without a doctor's examination because they are several conditions that result in transient pain, some are inconvenient and some are serious. I have arthritis in my hip, knee, and ankle from an old injury. Sometimes I experience an uncomfortable ache that doesn't bother me much unless I'm trying to fall asleep. Sometimes I'm walking around on a nice level floor and experience a shooting pain. Sometimes the knee and ankle are stiff but after I'm up and walking a bit, I can walk normally with no discomfort.

People with dementia have difficulty describing pain or other body discomforts. When you ask the same question repeatedly (is it hurting here), sometimes they sense your frustration and start changing the answer trying to satisfy you. My father with vascular dementia told me once he was limping because his foot hurt. I found a toenail just long enough for the corner to dig into the toe next to it.

If there's a hallway where you could use a web cam to capture some examples of her walking it might be very helpful to the doctor.
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Swillia1426, have your Mom's doctor check her for possible blood clots and/or varicose veins. Such veins can be calm and some times they can be very painful. My Mom had both situations. The blood clots had to quickly be controlled.
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My mother is a real Sarah Heartburn, she missed her calling, should have been on the stage! She pulls this all the time. Gets her what she wants...attention.
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