My 59yo husband with early onset Alzheimer's came down with a bad cold six days ago. He developed a cough; I contacted his doctor who had him tested; it was positive for covid. DH is on both covid and cough medications, along with his other meds that he takes for Alzheimer's. I have seen a significant decline in the past five days including but not limited to speech, hallucinations, and ADLs. His speech is now mostly gibberish, and his hallucinations are fully visible, i.e. stomping on non-existent bugs in front of me. I know that his sleep is disrupted, as mine is too, by the coughing (the cough meds don't seem to work as well as I had hoped for). While I have helped with most ADLs by now, toileting was not one that seemed to be an issue. However, I am finding used TP in the trash and there have been several accidents in the past few days.
While our conversations were not deep or plentiful, we could converse. I cannot understand most of what he says now and his actions have less reason than usual. An example, I laid his breakfast in front of him this morning and he handed it back to me and stood up. I asked what he needed and he said he wanted some food. I can put a drink by him and show him where it is and he will still get up to get a drink, leaving the refrigerator door open and the water running.
I know the decline will continue but this is so rapid I am hoping that he will regain most of what has been lost once he gets over this illness.
So I always prepared myself mentally for the possibility that he would decline a bit faster. I was grateful if he returned to the way he was before he became ill.
The same goes for any sedation, there is a possibility that there will be a decline or that it will take a much longer time to return to the previous functioning.
My GP and pharmacist both warned me about this when I was prescribed.
Luckily, DH has mostly returned to pre-covid cognition. I was so concerned at the time as I was so unprepared for his response.
Common early symptoms of dementia
Different types of dementia can affect people differently, and everyone will experience symptoms in their own way.
However, there are some common early symptoms that may appear some time before a diagnosis of dementia. These include:
memory loss
difficulty concentrating
finding it hard to carry out familiar daily tasks, such as getting confused over the correct change when shopping
struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word
being confused about time and place
mood changes
These symptoms are often mild and may get worse only very gradually. It's often termed "mild cognitive impairment" (MCI) as the symptoms are not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia.
You might not notice these symptoms if you have them, and family and friends may not notice or take them seriously for some time. In some people, these symptoms will remain the same and not worsen. But some people with MCI will go on to develop dementia.
Dementia is not a natural part of ageing. This is why it's important to talk to a GP sooner rather than later if you're worried about memory problems or other symptoms
Matilda
the tumor. In other words, the part of his brain that normally compensated for his tumor was unable to function normally due to the fever. Once he recovered he was able to function again mentally. Have you been talking to your husband’s doctor about this? I would at least have a phone call and get some advice. Perhaps there is something they can do to help. Depending on the type of dementia it can progress fast. My father’s was vascular dementia and his would progressed in steps where he’d suddenly be worse. God bless you as you care for your husband. I understand what a hard job that is.
I talked with both neurologist and PCP and it was wait and see. Frankly I don't see doctors the same way, i.e. they can help with issues that are definitive but not much with ones that are different for each person. It is called a practice for a reason!
God bless you in your journey.
Last year in May, my mother, nearly 100 years old, had covid. She has mild to moderate dementia. They moved her into isolation per protocol at the time. We did not do drugs. She couldn't understand why she was in isolation. Yes, she coughed more often. Her case was so mild that she just thought she came down with the flu. I didn't notice a change at all in her behavior, other than coughing and sleeping more.
Since you posted, 7 days have past. Hopefully, your husband is better or past the worst now.
I found that every medical or emotional crisis led to a noticable decline in Mom's cognition from which she recovered only partially or not at all. Her decline was not a gradual slope downward but rather a series of step-downs, then a levelling out until the next crisis.
Covid is infamous for brain fog, and should a person descend into long-covid then that fog can remain. And it seems to hit hard in the area of the brain that allows one to concentrate or focus on tasks with the mind wandering off in all directions, even on simple tasks. It takes focus away.
They are currently doing experimental studies now with some who are affected with ongoing "brain fog" that involves actually playing computer games, and with mindfulness training, to regain the ability to focus on things.
As with all things medical, any one person's reactions to these things is individual to that person as his own fingerprint. I think also that we know little about the new drug paxlovid, and whether it can/may react or interact with other medications. It simply hasn't been used long enough for any studies about interactions and reaction.
I assume you are measuring O2 saturation with the little finger monitor, so you are assured there is good oxygenation to the brain.
I am sorry to say I think this cannot be predicted. I wish you good luck and I hope you will update us and stay in close touch with the doctor regarding symptoms. Daily if you can.
I don't have a lot of hope about returning to pre-covid levels since there are multiple things starting to happen and now seem accelerated. Eating is minimal and I am doing as much as I can to supplement. I just was hoping I was wrong.
Four months later and she's recovered quite a bit. Not everything but maybe that would have been part of the natural decline anyway? I don't know.
Physical stress, whether from infection or emotional (death of a close friend) definitely impacts her cognitively. Keeping life as stress free as possible works best in our situation.
Have you talked to his doctor about the fact that he's still coughing and the hallucinations?
Has he been tested for a UTI?
My mom had Vascular Dementia. But every infection, and illness set her back a bit.
I would get on the phone to the doc right now.
At some point, we made a decision to do only palliative care with my mom, no hospitals or ERs. But she was already in a NH, so there was lots of staff with medical training around, not at home.
Does your doc come to the home, or can he send a Nurse Practitioner?
Hopefully your husband will be the exception.
So sorry that you are having to face this decline, keep posting it will help.