How do you all handle the paranoia and having to answer questions and tell them stuff multiple times?
I'm starting to get frustrated, and yes, I know he's not doing it on purpose, but when you've just finished telling him about something and then asks about it again. It's all new to him. If my daughter and I are talking about something he needs to know what we're talking about, sure that it's about him.
Help--give me patience, NOW.
Carol

Carol, yes it is difficult. Sometimes in my houseold, with two AD patients, it gets a little frazzled to say the least. Yes, patience is exactly what it takes. I honestly pray for God to help me with patience everyday. I am much better at it than I was 13 years ago when my husband was first diagnosed, but I need a refresher course every morning when I awake.

Carol, we get better at it as we go along.I am now actually able to tell Ed that I am getting angry with him and to just let me pass by on the way out of the room.After a few minutes, I am able to go back and calmly handle the situation.It is so hard to remember that he cannot help his actions but I can mine most of the time.There are times when I would rather just scream and react than control myself.Like Twice Blessed,I have to pray for patience every morning.I also pray that I will be able to treat Ed with love,compassion,gentleness and with dignity.Try to laugh when you can.Best wishes to you,"Me"

HI CAROL,
WITHOUT A DOUBT AD IS FRUSTRATING. KEEP TELLING YOURSELF,IT'S NOT HIM IT'S THE AD. AS FAR AS PARANOIA, I WENT THROUGH TOO MANY WEEKS WHEN MY SPOUSE ACCUSSED ME OF HAVING AN AFFAIR,THINKING THERE WERE MEN ON OUR PROPERTY AND GETTING UP IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING STANDING AND WATCHING OVER ME. THERE IS HELP. I CALLED THE DOCTOR AND HE WAS IMMEDIATELY PUT ON SEROQUEL. IT WORKED! I HAVE FOUND IN THE LAST 3 YEARS EACH WEEK OR SO CAN BRING ON A NEW SYMPTOM.HANG IN THERE. REMEMBER,ONE DAY AT A TIME.

HELLO CAROL....YOU ARE NOT ALONE....MY MOM THINKS SOMEONE IS ALWAYS RINGING THE DOORBELL...THAT STARTED TODAY. SHE USED TO THINK THE COUPLE UPSTAIRS WERE LOOKING THRU THE AIR-VENTS, AND SHE ALSO THOUGHT WHEN SHE WENT TO BATHROOM, THEY DID TOO, THEY WERE FOLLOWING HER THRU HER APT, EXCEPT THEY WERE UPSTAIRS....NO WAY.....THEY HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO, I TOLD HER,,,,SHE USE TO WRITE 911 ON THE WALLS, I DIDN'T FIND IT TILL I CLEANED OUT HER APT IN MARCH.....IN HER DEAR LITTLE MIND SHE WAS ASKING FOR HELP....THE RESPERDAL DOES HELP, BUT THERE ARE WARNINGS ABOUT GIVING IT TO AD PATIENTS......HANG IN THERE HOPE THE SEROQUEL WORKS WELL FOR YOUR LO.......HANG IN THERE FRIEND..........ZOEY

Thanks all. John's on Seroquel already; but maybe it needs to be increased. It's very interesting and extremely sad to see changes almost on a daily basis. The other day, I asked him to see if our daughter Carrie wanted to go out to lunch with us. He couldn't remember which was her room. Making hot tea the same evening, he asked if he should put the tea bag in the hot water. Today, he couldn't remember how to unlock the front door. Things we all take for granted, are disappearing everyday. I feel as if it is moving way faster then it should.
I also think he's starting to sundown.

I appreciate everyone's support.
Carol

my mom is living on her own right now, but she shouldn't be. I'm an only child and married. We are trying to fix the house to where we/she can get away from the situation when we both become frustrated. I am unable to tolerate my mom asking over and over the same questions. She writes weird things down writing them multiple times and buying dog and cat food almost on a daily basis. I tell her she already has dog and cat food but she won't hear it. In dealing with my mom,s I have to take a good dose of my medicine just to tolerate her. I can remain calm if I do that. I'm scared and I'm scared for her. I do not know what's to come. I'm taking over the bills as she is unable to write a check anymore. I'm really bummed.

New poster here and I hope I am not repeating what everyone else has posted. My father lives in assisted living and it is a very secure facility. He cannot get out of the facility and can lock his door to his apartment. He loses items in his appt and thinks people are breaking in and stealing them. He won $100.00 in a drawing and was flashing it around at the facility. Well he lost the wallet and claims pick pockets took it. He also is hiding his cd music discs and is claiming they are being stolen too. I just received a call from the director of the facility and his wallet was on the senior center van and his cds were in his closet. This paranoia is starting to overwhelm my father and how do I deal with this? I know why he thinks this, since he forgets where he put things and his only reason is the stealing. I am afraid of confrontaion with the other residents and staff members. Should he be medicated for this or just keep a very close eye on him with this?

Dear Bill: My husband was having delusions/hallucinations and was very paranoid. We exhibited "confabulation" on numeous occasions.

He now only has had one episode of delusional activity since I moved his electric clock radio off his nightstand, stopped his statin (Lipitor) and started him on nightly melatonin (he takes 4 of the 3 mg. capsules WITH NO VITAMIN B-6 -- Bud worsens w/extra B vitamins -- may be due to our close proximity to two high voltage powerlines).

Anyway, check out my website: www.guineapigsrus.org

You may be interested to my appeal to Dr. Marilyn Albert at: http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/3038870/

I am "very concerned" about close electric and some telephone equipment (including transformer boxes for cordless phones as well as cell phones and chargers) being on nightstands not only in nursing homes but in regular home situations too.

Bud is now said not to have Alzheimers afterall. He was diagnosed before that tho by a highly respected neurologist in Minneapolis. He has improved in three parts of his Executive Function and as I indicated above, he no longer exhibits many previously worrisome behaviors including improvement in overall demeanor -- no more agitation/anger episodes or sundowning.... Buds problems were noticed over 8 years ago so I have been documenting for many years now.

Best wishes and take care - Joanne

I was driving us both nuts by my asking questions over & over.I was put back on the Razadyne last month & the questions stopped,thank heaven,lol.I'm on my 2nd month of 8 mg Razadyne so we don't upset the IBS.I will be on this for 4 months total then go to the next level.I know everything I do but can't help the things I do or say......

Joanne,
You mentioned you took your husband off Lipitor. What was the reason for doing that? My husband also was diagnosed with AD almost five years ago. He is also on a cholesterol lowering drug, pravastatin. Originally, he was on Lipitor, then pravachol.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.


Genie

I'm new to the site and my Mom just started an extremely quick decline from very mild to severe dementia in July. Possibly b/c of some mini-strocks. It is very hard to deal with. I am very happy and sad to hear everyone's stories and struggles with being patient. It is hard for me to find a ballance of my life and her demetia b/c I am planning my wedding and it has been hard without her.

She just started seroquel 3 wks ago and it seems to make her a little more coherent and cut down on the halucinations. She thought people were stealing the car in the driveway and that there were people moving things around in the bedroom. It was so hard to be patient and let her explain why she thought that but there was no way to explain to her that it wasn't rational. The hardest part is her frustration and ocassional angry outbursts that I am not helping her the right way. She hasn't yelled at me in over 15 years since I was a teenager.

Dear Genie: I am very sorry about your husband's diagnosis but have to tell you, considering what I now know about the dangers of statin medications, it doesn't surprise me.

Your info as to whether or not your husband also has/had any sort of electric clock, a small fan close to head of bed, or other electrical item (see my website: www.guineapigsrus.org ) IN ADDITION TO taking the statins is "extremely important!!!"

I have been researching EMF/EMR exposures, journal articles, attending conferences and other meetings, etc. for well over 17 years now.

The situation re "combination exposures" -- i.e., "dangerous drugs or dangerous environment" is one of considerable concern.

I will try and check the site but if you don't receive a response, a "thanks," etc., would you please call or email me with the info re nighttime electric and/or phone items close to head of bed? jcmpelican@aol.com is email address.....

Lipitor is considered to be one of the most damaging of all of the statins but Dr. Duane Graveline, retired astronaut, researcher, medical doctor does not cut any slack for any of the statins. See Doc's site: (and chat forum with "hair-raising reports") at:
www.spacedoc.net Also references to his books.

Basically, I contacted Dr. Graveline and he told me to get Bud off his statin immediately which I did. I didn't "give a hoot" what the doctors thought. Doc also explains how statins lower Co-Q-10 and I already knew about EMF/EMR exposures doing the same. Probably anything toxic which EMF/EMR as well as statins are......

Did anything show on your husband's PET Scan, CT, MRI? In my husband's case, nothing showed up as a problem but he was diagnosed with Alzheimers. For years, he was said to have "profound and unusal memory loss and cognitive dysfunction but his neurologist did not like that description and acted like the neuropsych who initially gave that description for Bud's problems was "a bit off-the-wall...."

The way I look at it, we "live in a crazy world, need to trust our own research, and take one day at a time and when other persons become as angry as Doc and I are, maybe something can be done to help prevent others from meeting the same fate(s).

I will, of course, let others to join in with complaints as soon as "someone in the media" is willing to do something about "prevention of Alzheimers!!!" That includes the Alzheimers' Association who continues to ignore my pleas to inform the public..... Best wishes and take care - Joanne

Joanne C. Mueller, Guinea Pigs "R" Us, 731 - 123rd Ave. NW, Minneapolis, MN 55448...Phone: 763-755-6114