My mother is 86 and in the late stages of cerebeller ataxia. (Atrophy of the cerebellum) She has been unable to walk for over 3 years and began having visual and audio hallucinations about 2 years ago. Over the last year or so, she has been seeing ants, fleas and bugs in her bed.
Lately she sees bugs in all her food. It is so bad that she struggles to eat anything and chokes from eating too fast before the bugs eat it all. Her neurologist is most unhelpful and would not tell me anything about what to expect. She has been taking Clonozepam and Buspirone for year to mask some of the symptoms of loss of motor control.
I am running out of ideas about how to get her to eat and would appreciate any educated advice. Here are some videos from about 3 months ago.
dropbox/s/1mp5anwy3lif2h3/3-Food%20Bugs.mov
Neuropathic pain
Damage to the nerve endings can result in nerve pain. The medical term for nerve pain is neuropathic pain, which is often experienced as a burning, aching or shooting pain, or sometimes tingling, in certain parts of the body.
Traditional painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen aren't usually effective in treating neuropathic pain, so you may be prescribed a number of medications, such as amitriptyline, gabapentin or pregabalin.
I'm not being flippant - does she say what the bugs are telling her? I'm wondering if they say anything that could be useful in knowing how to reassure her. I'm not suggesting you pretend you can hear them too, just looking for clues about what's going on in her head.
This is also a serious question: how is her appetite? Is it easier to get her to eat when she's hungrier? I know you can't be there all the time, but could you work with the staff to time main meals for when you can be around?
Poor lady. I hope things improve for both of you.
The other idea would be to have some friend come over who's a "Pest Control Specialist" and have them "treat" your house for bugs. Move your mom to another room while they "treat" her room. Put some kind of spray in there so it smells different. Have the specialist tell her that her house is now bug proof. Make it as elaborate as you'd need to in order to get her to believe it. I don't know if she'd remember it the next day or not...
Again, I have no idea if either idea would work, but I'd start with the Bug-B-Gone idea. It can't hurt. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be for you...
She can't identify any of the faces she sees, but thinks I know who they are. A woman used to come sit on a picture frame and sing to her. She hated her because it kept her awake all night and she kept yelling for her to shut up and stuffing her ears with tissue.
There is only so far I can go pretending to recognize her hallucinations. If I can see them, why won't I get rid of them? I don't want to be in that position.
I found one of those personal drink blenders on clearance today. There are several containers that can seal out the bugs and let her use a big straw. I suppose that is the best I can do. I wonder why bugs are such a common hallucination as the brain detetiorates. It seems like a primitive reflex when control is lost. I haven't been able to find much information on it.
( wed had a battle with bed bugs but were already winning it by this point )
Hugs to you and your mom.
Even with fresh sheets right after a bath, the ants came out within minutes. Snow and ice outside cannot convince her that there are no bugs in winter. Reason is pointless with hallucinations. Reality is only real when it is shared.
I do have some experience dealing with hallucinations, my brother has paranoid schizophrenia with psychosis and went off his meds a few years ago. This is not related. Bug hallucinations are quite common with dementia. Cerebellar ataxia is rare and is hereditary, but ony passed on through females. The cerebellum is also near the visual and auditory centers. I am only guessing that they are related to her seeing faces, bugs, etc., and hearing them also. She tells me the bugs talk to her and sees nothing unusual about that.
I do use a travel mug and large straws for juices and smoothies. I suppose I will have to liquify everything from now on. Just as well, she had several more teeth pulled last month due to periodontal disease. The nursing homes in Oklahoma are rated "F" and I could not leave her to minimum wage caretakers anyways.
Meanwhile, would she enjoy taking some of her meals as a smoothie drink? If you serve it in an opaque container with a straw, so she never has to look at the food, would that help?
This is a perplexing problem. Do let us know of any progress you make. We learn from each other!
.Antidepressants such as amitriptyline, imipramine, trazodone and amoxapine can cause hallucinations,
.Digoxin can cause formed and unformed visual hallucinations,
Propranolol can cause visual hallucinations,
Benztropine and trihexyphenidyl can cause visual hallucinations,
Hallucinations are reported with cimetidine, clonidine bromocriptine, levodopa, methylphenidate, antihypertensives, corticosteroids, antineoplastic and antibiotics.
If she is taking any of these call the MD and get meds corrected.