Guest guest Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I have no clue about Alzheimer symptoms vs LBD, but one that stands out is the repeating over and over questions. " Where do you live? " and again minutes later " Where do you live? " this I found common at the nursing home with Alzheimers. My husband never repeated questions, not even in the beginning stages, but it seems to be an Alzheimer symptom. Possibly LBD has it if it is combined with Alzheimers. Has anyone experienced the repeated questions with LBD? That may be one way to determine Alzheimers from LBD in the earlier stages, unless they have a combination of Alzheimers/LBD in the LBD Spectrum. I am curious to hear your responses on this question. Jan Colello San Francisco Bay Area, CA Husband, Jim, dx w/LBD Oct. 2003 Deceased January 22, 2011 ________________________________ To: LBDcaregivers Sent: Sun, February 13, 2011 8:25:52 PM Subject: Re: LBD vs Alzheimers  I have heard when Dementia starts out with hallucinations, it is most likely LBD. Alzheimer's doesn't normally start out with hallucinations. > > Hello all, > > A month or so ago my mother's Neuro Psych leaned towards LBD but would not > commit until the neurologist examined her. This week the neurologist appt. >came > > and went and he thinks it's the onset of Alzheimers. He's recommended a B12 > regimine and Aracep (or something like that). I'm a little confused as to the > two different diagnosis. He felt an MRI was not needed at this time and his > Alzheimer diagnosis was determined by certain test etc. I was not present >since > > I live in Texas and mom is in Tucson. > > Any comments are welcomed. It looks like I might have to head to another group > > for alzheimers. > > > Please respond. > > Thank you. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 I have to say that my Dad does repeat questions sometimes; less lately, but very much in the earlier days of Lewy Body. Nobody ever diagnosed him to date as also having Alzheimers. Lori Re: LBD vs Alzheimers I have heard when Dementia starts out with hallucinations, it is most likely LBD. Alzheimer's doesn't normally start out with hallucinations. > > Hello all, > > A month or so ago my mother's Neuro Psych leaned towards LBD but would not > commit until the neurologist examined her. This week the neurologist appt. >came > > and went and he thinks it's the onset of Alzheimers. He's recommended a B12 > regimine and Aracep (or something like that). I'm a little confused as to the > two different diagnosis. He felt an MRI was not needed at this time and his > Alzheimer diagnosis was determined by certain test etc. I was not present >since > > I live in Texas and mom is in Tucson. > > Any comments are welcomed. It looks like I might have to head to another group > > for alzheimers. > > > Please respond. > > Thank you. > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 I hear you Imogene about everything. Jim had the toileting issues too. He could no longer identify a toilet. I was working full time in those days and I would wake up to Jim urinating on the floor. He would often sit on the edge of the bed or stand by the bed and just let it go. I would be up shampooing carpets at all hours of the night/day. I finally bought a plastic runner and placed it by the bed to save the carpet. All I had to do was mop the runner when he did his thing. I had so many hours of sleep deprivation. He would just tear a diaper off, so that did no good to keep him from urinating on the floor. There were some clothes that went on backwards for that type of thing in dementia catalogs, but then he would not let me change him, so I could not get those off of him. And catheters did not work for him. I know what you went through. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with diarrhea like you did down the hall. Although, there was a time that I fought with Jim to get to a toilet, because he did have diarrhea and I got him to the toilet, but I couldn't get him to sit and it went all over the toilet and down the sides and onto the bathroom tiled floor and even on the wall behind the toilet and I had to scrub and bleach and clean up everything and even got him in the shower and cleaned up. In the late 90s Jim would grocery shop with me, he knew how to ride the electric cart, but by 2000, he could not work the remote for the TV or dial a phone or manipulate the electric cart at the grocery store. He could no longer walk even with a walker, it would get way out in front of him without guidance. His feet would stick to the floor, so I could no longer bring him to the grocery store. I could not wheel him in a wheelchair and a grocery cart too. If I only had a few items to pick up, I could bring him in his wheelchair or transport chair and put the hand basket on his lap to hold the groceries and then I would get the plastic bags to put the groceries in and hang them on the handles of the wheelchair and bring them to the car or have a grocery clerk take them to the car. But when I had a lot of grocery shopping, I could not bring Jim and had to have someone stay with him and he would get delusional that I was going out to meet a lover. Jim got delusional too that the caregiver and I were stealing his money, but I found out accidently that phony play money was just as good as the real thing, so I placed that around the house for him to grab and hide. He never had a problem with me trying to find it. Hahahaha Oh my! Those were the days. But Imogene, I would take them all back again if I could have Jim back. Those days don't seem so hard anymore, once you get through them. When you think you are facing something hard, there is always something harder to face down the road, so the ones before don't seem as hard as they once seemed at the time. It's all relative to where you are in the disease. You are right, it helps to talk about it after it is all done, I guess in some way it is therapy for us now. Hugs to you and Love a Lot! Jan  Hi dear Jan, You are right about AD and LBD showing up in some patients. Don was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at first. And yes, right at first he repeated questions. But, that didn't last long. LBD overshadowed everything else. Like, Jim, My Don displayed hallucinations early on, which made me know he had LBD. The new Doctor diagnosed LBD right off. Also, like, Jim, Don had symptoms as far back as 1995, (he died April 22, 2010.) 1995 is when he had to quit work as he could no longer do the math it required. He had high agitation at that time, but I attributed it to his heart condition, (he had just had open heart surgery for the second time), and the loss of his job. It is hard on a man to not be the bread winner. After weeks of his being on my back with his agitation, I told him if he didn't see the doctor and tell him about his agitation that I would leave him. I couldn't stand it. The doctor gave him Zoloft, and in a couple of weeks there was a big difference. Early on Don tried to pick fights with me. I caught on to what he was doing, and started going the extra mile to show all the love in the world I could to him. I reassured in encouraging ways to build up his low self image. And, yes, I was accused of having a boyfriend, even when I never left his side. At first he could still get around very well, and we did all the shopping together. But, somehow I probably had a boyfriend in his mind. Or, I was taking money that he didn't know about. That too was worked out, and after a while he trusted me completely with it. He was the worlds worst at hiding thing in unusual places. We finally made a joke out of it, by saying look in your sock drawer first. One trying situation was when he urinated on the floors in unusual places. That usually happened at night, and I would walk in it when only the night lights were on. UGH! At least I had tile floors. He had diarrhea one time, and left a trail down the hall to the bathroom, on carpet. I got tile for my allergies and for just such things as that trail down the hall that had to be cleaned up while on my hands and knees. I had no scrubber at that time. I cleaned every fiber, and deep too. Bleach here I come! No more of that. There were other accidents later on, but there was tile! Cold to walk on, you bet! We wore lots of socks and leggings. I bit my tongue and didn't fuss as he couldn't help it. All right! I've talked enough for this time. Love a lot, it helps in a big way, Imogene In a message dated 2/13/2011 11:06:45 P.M. Central Standard Time, janetcolello@... writes: I have no clue about Alzheimer symptoms vs LBD, but one that stands out is the repeating over and over questions. " Where do you live? " and again minutes later " Where do you live? " this I found common at the nursing home with Alzheimers. My husband never repeated questions, not even in the beginning stages, but it seems to be an Alzheimer symptom. Possibly LBD has it if it is combined with Alzheimers. Has anyone experienced the repeated questions with LBD? That may be one way to determine Alzheimers from LBD in the earlier stages, unless they have a combination of Alzheimers/LBD in the LBD Spectrum. I am curious to hear your responses on this question. Jan Colello San Francisco Bay Area, CA Husband, Jim, dx w/LBD Oct. 2003 Deceased January 22, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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