My 88yr old mother is clearly experience the early stages of dementia. One possible symptom though has us confused. She can be perfectly well one day and the next morning too weak to get out of bed. This can be for a few hours or a whole day on occasion.This has been going on for a couple of months. No medical professional has been able to come up with a diagnosis( even during a stay in hospital). I wonder if anyone else has any experience of this? Only yesterday she went from too weak to eat to totally fine in a matter of hours! It is very tempting to think that she is being dramatic or attention seeking but really don't think that's it. Any suggestions please?
Old people get tired. Sometimes just their daily routine can tire someone out.
I suggest keeping a journal to record when your mom has these bouts of exhaustion. Record what she had been doing, how long it lasts, what time of the day it hits her, etc. You might start seeing a pattern.
(P.S. I have some health issues and my Dr. suggested I keep a journal of my symptoms. I thought the suggestion was dumb but I dutifully did it and wouldn't you know it! Darned if I didn't start seeing some patterns! Now I suggest to anyone who will listen that they keep a journal.) :-)
Many of the same symptoms are the same.
And if she is aware now of the dementia and that her memory is failing that might be enough to get a bit depressed about. (I know if I were told I was diagnosed with dementia I would be depressed!)
So when she has those days where she doesn't want to get up I just make sure she is getting her meds, liquids and Ensure or something similar.
On those days where she doesn't seem to be able to walk, well the most effective cure for that is call 911 and when the EMT's arrive she gets up and tries to run. True story, of course I wouldn't make that call just to get her up. But, I tell that story because the brain is constantly misfiring and sometimes there are triggers we can use to prompt the appropriate activity and sometimes nothing works. I keep meds and hydration going and then she comes around, it may be hours or a day, but she comes back around. So many things can go right and wrong while being a caregiver. I have learned Rule #6: Don't take life so darn seriously!
Take care of yourself
The partial answer is Diltazem. After a couple weeks on this drug...the effects of the arrhythmia were greatly reduced. She still had period of being tired...but a much more "normal" kind of tired...i.e. Connected to activity level.
Have her heart checked.
She's got a DNR and her heart doc has taken her off one of her heart meds since it was causing her lungs to stiffen. So there's not much to be done, but it was very stressful to me the first time I witnessed it. I think her oxygen level goes down (when her heart is in a-fib), causing her semi-comatose state. Then she dozes and her heart goes back into a normal rhythm. So I'd question whether your mom has some sort of heart arrhythmia going on.