UTI treated with antibiotic shot & Bactrim 4-21. Her urologist and PCP don't want to do anything. They just want to wait 3 months and see if she gets better. Our concern, she has had confusion for many years (brain aneurysm 25 yrs ago) but went from short term memory issues to not being able to dress herself or find the bathroom in her own house. A CAT scan was done on brain to see if shunt was working properly, they say no fluid buildup on scan. She thinks she is in hotel, or in an unfamiliar house. We don't understand why this started so suddenly and thought Alzheimer's was more of a gradual onset. We went to her urologist last week and he said the UTI was gone and we thought if it were caused by UTI then the confusion would start getting better after infection was gone. She seems to be getting worse. I hate to see her suffering like this and the toll it is taking on my dad is heartbreaking. Thank you for any guidance or help you can give. Feel that doctors just want to push the elderly population aside.
My husband's dementia came on very suddenly. He couldn't figure out how to order from a menu, he didn't know how to make tea from a bag and a little pot of hot water, he got lost in his own home, and he thought he was in a hotel. This was not Alzheimer's but Lewy Body Dementia (confirmed 10 years later upon autopsy). His neurologist was able to come up with a drug combination that improved his quality of life (and mine!) immensely.
In my opinion,
1) this situation may be still related to the uti, and will clear up soon
2) it may be a drug reaction, and should clear up when the drug is completely out of her system
3) it may be some type of dementia that came on suddenly, possibly (but not necessarily) latent until it was triggered by the infection
I know how urgent this seems. You are discussing this with the pcp and the urologist. Good. I think Pam's suggestion to follow up with the neurologist at this time is on target. If dementia is not this doctor's specialty, ask for a referral.
Best wishes to you and your family. Please keep us informed.