Disorientation prognosis
September 21, 2010 2:51 PM Subscribe
Does this sound like an onset of dementia, panic attack, short term memory issue or Alzheimer's?
Three times this year my mom -- a spirited 80-year-old who still loves going to her job and staying active with grand kids -- has been out and about in public when she suddenly halts whatever she's doing because she's become 'fuzzy in the head' (to use her description.) This 'fuzziness' is followed by intense sweating.
I asked her if she temporarily loses her memory of what she was doing or what her 'goal' was at those moments, and she said 'no' she recalls what she wanted to do, or get -- but she loses her orientation to whatever space she is in. (Not that she was going to faint or anything -- just a not-knowing disorientation).
This happened yesterday in the market, she was going for some butter, heading to the dairy case, but then stopped and couldn't get her bearings. Someone in the store noticed her 'just standing there' and assisted her.
She's hesitant to tell her doctor because she doesn't want to lose her drivers license or be let go from work. I of course said she needs to broach the subject.
I know this isn't a medical forum, but I'm curious to hear some opinions from the meta hive.
Thanks.
Three times this year my mom -- a spirited 80-year-old who still loves going to her job and staying active with grand kids -- has been out and about in public when she suddenly halts whatever she's doing because she's become 'fuzzy in the head' (to use her description.) This 'fuzziness' is followed by intense sweating.
I asked her if she temporarily loses her memory of what she was doing or what her 'goal' was at those moments, and she said 'no' she recalls what she wanted to do, or get -- but she loses her orientation to whatever space she is in. (Not that she was going to faint or anything -- just a not-knowing disorientation).
This happened yesterday in the market, she was going for some butter, heading to the dairy case, but then stopped and couldn't get her bearings. Someone in the store noticed her 'just standing there' and assisted her.
She's hesitant to tell her doctor because she doesn't want to lose her drivers license or be let go from work. I of course said she needs to broach the subject.
I know this isn't a medical forum, but I'm curious to hear some opinions from the meta hive.
Thanks.
This 'fuzziness' is followed by intense sweating
She really needs to tell her doctor. It could be anything from blood pressure to thyroid to seizure.
posted by availablelight at 2:55 PM on September 21, 2010
She really needs to tell her doctor. It could be anything from blood pressure to thyroid to seizure.
posted by availablelight at 2:55 PM on September 21, 2010
Doctor, right now. Maybe it's a warning sign of something preventable. Maybe it's a problem they can help fix. Maybe an early intervention will actually keep her active and healthy for longer - but if she hides her head in the sand, she might get worse and then she really won't be able to drive/work/etc.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:58 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:58 PM on September 21, 2010
It doesn't really sound like typical Alzheimer's or dementia, for whatever that's worth. I of course am not a doctor, although I am a hypochondriac.
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:00 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:00 PM on September 21, 2010
Could be a lot of things. A mini stroke, dehydration, low blood sugar...getting a definitive answer from her doc is the best idea so that is it is something treatable they can fix the problem.
posted by MsKim at 3:07 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by MsKim at 3:07 PM on September 21, 2010
I would take her to the doctor. Ask her how she would feel if this happened while she was driving, and she seriously hurt or killed someone? My grandmother had something like this occur, where she was having mini-seizures, and it was this line of reasoning that finally got her in to see a doctor and risk losing her license. I hope that your mother is ok.
posted by jnaps at 3:09 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by jnaps at 3:09 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: i can't think of a single medical condition where the prognosis improves the longer you take to notice it. early intervention is essential for so many of the things it could be.
when i hear an 80 year old say they are afraid of losing their job or their driver's license, i hear them saying that they're afraid to lose independence, afraid to be dependent on others. confronting that fear head on might help her go to the doctor. play the worst case scenario game, what if she loses her license? does she live in an area where public transport or walking are a possibility? is there a service specifically to help people in this situation? what about retirement communities? not nursing homes - but neighborhoods or apartment buildings where there are people close to help deal with issues related to aging without making her feel like a child.
part of reassuring her about her independence is letting her be in control of her own medical care. you know she needs to go to the doctor and she knows she needs to go to the doctor. be sensitive on how hard you push the issue, though. you could just make her dig her heels in about not going.
my, not a doctor thought? that's how crashing blood sugar can feel to me. sometimes i get faint and woozy, but sometimes it's just a sudden fog, a need to steady myself, and a complete blanking of my mind.
i'm assuming she told you about the event? maybe go to the market, talk to the manager and ask to see the security footage? that way you can actually see what she describes so you know exactly what you're looking for from an outside perspective?
posted by nadawi at 3:16 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
when i hear an 80 year old say they are afraid of losing their job or their driver's license, i hear them saying that they're afraid to lose independence, afraid to be dependent on others. confronting that fear head on might help her go to the doctor. play the worst case scenario game, what if she loses her license? does she live in an area where public transport or walking are a possibility? is there a service specifically to help people in this situation? what about retirement communities? not nursing homes - but neighborhoods or apartment buildings where there are people close to help deal with issues related to aging without making her feel like a child.
part of reassuring her about her independence is letting her be in control of her own medical care. you know she needs to go to the doctor and she knows she needs to go to the doctor. be sensitive on how hard you push the issue, though. you could just make her dig her heels in about not going.
my, not a doctor thought? that's how crashing blood sugar can feel to me. sometimes i get faint and woozy, but sometimes it's just a sudden fog, a need to steady myself, and a complete blanking of my mind.
i'm assuming she told you about the event? maybe go to the market, talk to the manager and ask to see the security footage? that way you can actually see what she describes so you know exactly what you're looking for from an outside perspective?
posted by nadawi at 3:16 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
For what its worth, my mom struggled with equilibrium problems, and its common to the elderly.
posted by effluvia at 3:38 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by effluvia at 3:38 PM on September 21, 2010
I'm seconding going to the doctor. It sounds like what happens to me caused by low blood pressure.
posted by TooFewShoes at 4:02 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by TooFewShoes at 4:02 PM on September 21, 2010
The well-known Dr. Donohue had this comment:
The signs of a TIA - transient ischemic attack - are the signs of a stroke: dizziness, confusion, defects in vision, weakness of an arm or leg, difficulty speaking, slurred speech, numbness or peculiar sensations, the inability to move an arm, leg, foot, hands or fingers and a deviation of the tongue to one side. People recover from these brief signs, so they often dismiss them as unimportant. They're very important. Up to 25 percent of those who have had a TIA will have a full-blown stroke within three months.
The family doctor should be notified of a TIA immediately, or the affected person should be promptly taken to an emergency department. The treatment often is aspirin, clopidogrel or a combination of anticoagulants.
posted by JayRwv at 4:25 PM on September 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
The signs of a TIA - transient ischemic attack - are the signs of a stroke: dizziness, confusion, defects in vision, weakness of an arm or leg, difficulty speaking, slurred speech, numbness or peculiar sensations, the inability to move an arm, leg, foot, hands or fingers and a deviation of the tongue to one side. People recover from these brief signs, so they often dismiss them as unimportant. They're very important. Up to 25 percent of those who have had a TIA will have a full-blown stroke within three months.
The family doctor should be notified of a TIA immediately, or the affected person should be promptly taken to an emergency department. The treatment often is aspirin, clopidogrel or a combination of anticoagulants.
posted by JayRwv at 4:25 PM on September 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
I agree that she should see a doctor in case it's serious, but it does sound a bit like low blood sugar. My blood sugar levels used to zoom up and down like crazy, and I would get fuzzy-headed and sweaty.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:58 PM on September 21, 2010
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:58 PM on September 21, 2010
How about if you tell her "the internet says it's probably low blood sugar" as a way to get her into the doctor's office?
I empathize with her fear of losing her driver's license. But if she had one of these episodes while she was, say, driving a car through a crowded grocery store parking lot, she could easily kill someone.
In fact, my aunt was recently nearly killed by exactly that - an elderly driver who had some kind of attack, and plowed their car right into hers. Luckily she happened to be looking in the right direction, and was able to jump out of the way before he could crush her against her car.
posted by ErikaB at 8:41 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
I empathize with her fear of losing her driver's license. But if she had one of these episodes while she was, say, driving a car through a crowded grocery store parking lot, she could easily kill someone.
In fact, my aunt was recently nearly killed by exactly that - an elderly driver who had some kind of attack, and plowed their car right into hers. Luckily she happened to be looking in the right direction, and was able to jump out of the way before he could crush her against her car.
posted by ErikaB at 8:41 PM on September 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
This could be something quite serious - she needs to see a doctor right away.
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 1:50 AM on September 22, 2010
posted by sero_venientibus_ossa at 1:50 AM on September 22, 2010
Another possibility: does she take any medication on a regular basis? Had she remembered to take it on the days she had these experiences?
posted by telophase at 9:16 AM on September 22, 2010
posted by telophase at 9:16 AM on September 22, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by desjardins at 2:54 PM on September 21, 2010