Some time back I questioned why my LO would be so restless, constantly moving from her chair to her rollator, sitting in each a matter of seconds before moving back.
No uti found after lab test.
Today she started doing it again. A heavy thunderstorm was moving in and she couldn’t sit still. Now that things have calmed down, she’s calmed down. I don’t remember if it was rainy the previous time or not.
I’ve noticed various weather patterns affect her in different ways. Rain and barometric pressure changes (no rain) seem to affect her more-so because of her dementia. Maybe??
Anyone else notice an increase in symptoms in your LOWD because of storms, etc?
I’m being more vigilant in what we watch in the evenings even changing over to easy listening music on Spectrum. She likes me to leave it on after she goes to bed, says she finds it restful.
My wife is a very strong person. In all our years together I have never seen nor heard her complain about pain. Honest! There have been times I’ve seen tears in her eyes and ask what’s wrong. “Oh, I hurt.”
No uti’s and all medications are ok.
As some have suggested, we are chalking this up to dementia and an increase in not being able to handle weather changes.
However, dementia patients don't regulated pain or physical changes well and seem to have what appears to be a more dramatic reaction.
You're an intuitive and insightful person, and if you haven't found anything that addresses her fears, that just might not be possible, but OTOH, if she's active, what about doing some mild exercises if she's up to it?
Way back when, a beautiful sunny day here, she was hurting. She said it was raining or about to. Nope! Not around here. The weatherman stated it was raining about 2 hours south of us and we would not get any rain. LO’s reply: “I told you it was raining!” Ai yi yi. What’s a guy to do?! Lol.
I’ll adapt. I’m learning.
I remember a few very cold winter nights covered up in bed with several of Mom’s handmade quilts. I could not move! So I understand how you felt.
I was given a weighted blanket for Christmas one year and once I took it out of the box and covered myself with it, it went back into the box and back to the store. The weight was so much that I could not turn over.
If you want to try one look for a child's weighted blanket, they would have less weight and it would be smaller so it could be used as a lap blanket.
I would discuss this with the doctor (or sometimes better, with a pharmacist) to make sure that these are not side effects of medications and if so can meds be reduced to limit side effects or possibly eliminated.
I'm curious if your wife has had any fractures, even in the distant past. When it is going to rain, all of my old breaks hurts and my arthritis is worse.
IMPORTANT WARNING:
Studies have shown that older adults with dementia (a brain disorder that affects the ability to remember, think clearly, communicate, and perform daily activities and that may cause changes in mood and personality) who take antipsychotics (medications for mental illness) such as risperidone have an increased risk of death during treatment. Older adults with dementia may also have a greater chance of having a stroke or ministroke during treatment. Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are taking furosemide (Lasix).
Risperidone is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of behavior problems in older adults with dementia. Talk to the doctor who prescribed this medication if you, a family member, or someone you care for has dementia and is taking risperidone. For more information visit the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs
You have just disclosed the diagnosis that is causing your wife's restlessness.
I am going to tell you, but I want you to be able to receive it and tell her doctor.
Tardive dyskinesia caused by the Resperidol.
This is my opinion, I am not a doctor, but I think the doctor will agree. There may be other factors like you said, the storms. Or maybe instead of a UTI, she has a yeast infection.
The cure for tardive dyskinesia is to discontinue, decrease, or change the medication. It is not going to help to take more Austedo, imo. You may need a second opinion by a geriatric psychiatrist. Or, even start over getting her diagnosed?
I would not be surprised if she is found to be over-medicated.
Prayers now.
I’ve was diagnosed years ago with fibromyalgia. Both my husband and I know that my pain level, headaches, and temperature regulation can go off kilter especially in drastic changes of weather.
Add hypothyroidism and a Covid infection. Same symptoms, amplified.
AND, UNPREDICTABLE.
So here’s my bottom line, for myself.
It HELPS me to stay a little more comfortable when I have symptoms to be able to identify the cause, and sometimes, I can find a way to address a solution for the discomforts that are bothering me.
It is my personal practice to take the least amount of medication possible, and I use relaxation techniques, cutting back on planned activities, and careful diet management.
If your wife is not experiencing symptoms of discomfort, can what you are referring to as “restlessness” be a desire to stretch, see her surroundings from a different position, even just shift her weight?
You are a devoted spouse and caregiver. You are entitled to a good night’s sleep and your wife needs her sleep as well. But are you sure that her actions overall are causing her distress?
Is it possible that you’re looking for a solution when there isn’t so much of a problem? Do you see her life as being better when she’s “sitting still”?
For us, we’re “newbies” in the world of dementia. LO was only diagnosed 2 years ago with dementia. I think she’s in the 3 to 4 range of the 7 stages. We’re (me!) still learning new things about this disease. Thanks to AgingCare forums I have learned quite a lot; present and future situations.
My wife can not sit still at these times. I asked her yesterday why she was so restless. “I don’t know. My legs want me to move.” She takes Resperdal for schizophrenia and the Resperdal caused Tardive Dyskenesia which caused leg shaking. To help calm down TD she takes Austedo.
Since my first post this morning I’m wondering if the TD in combo with the weather extremes is what is causing “restlessness”. I have a call in to her doctor to ask about this.
Again, there’s a break in the storms and she is settling down a bit. There’s another storm coming later this afternoon. We’ll see what happens then.
My thanks to both you and Need for your replies.
If this starts in the late afternoon or evening, have you heard about sundowning?
Caregivers have described this over and over.
They have also said, a sudden change in behavior should be checked out by her doctors, starting with a UTI.
If your wife is immobile, or in bed most of the time, she might have a blood clot somewhere. But don't get all scared because I said that, there are a myriad of simple things to explain the restlessness.
So glad that the symptoms subsided once the storm blew through. Write these incidences down, the date, the time, and you may discover a pattern, with each storm, she does this.
I made dinner thinking that would help calm her down after she ate. Nope. No pain, no uti. About an hour after the storm moved she calmed down but her mind is still muddled.
So today I’ll blame the nasty storm that blew through.
Exactly 9-10 days just prior to the New Moons, here on the Aging Care forum, caregivers start sniping at each other, even calling other names.
Not always though. (Disclaimer).
As long as I have something to blame or account for the distress (worse for some sensitive people), then I know what to do. (nothing, lol).
We are searching for the latest change or disturbance to explain many poster's feeling scattered, unsettled, restless, irritable, or more pain, etc. this week. So sometimes there is just no explaining it. Spaceweathernews.com
A rain storm or thunder storm can explain it. As well as an UTI.
Feed your wife a snack, medicate any pain, cool off the house, try that. imo.