Wow Kathy! That was like reading my story of my Mom Verbaetum!
My Mom was diagnosed August 2005 at age 61. She was in an induced
coma in the hospital to try and help her various illnesses and woke
up unable to walk. She was in a nursing home for 2 months and is now
in a locked Alzheimer's Unit in CT she hates!
How long did it take your Mom to start walking again? Does she have
any vision problems?
My Mom's on Clonidine and seroquel- Did your mom have any side
effects from the addition of the Alzheimer's drugs?
Does your assisted living facility monitor at all or can she come
and go as she pleases? My mom is still trying to drink (drank a
whole bottle of mouthwash last month)so she has 24hr private aide
supervision which insurance won't cover and it's killing us-
I'd really like to get her moved before she winds up in some state
run psych unit but can't find any place appropiate who will accept
her with her condition.
I apologize for all the questions but I was so glad to read your
post!
I'm sorry about your Mom and your Dad. I'm glad you have the relief
of knowing she is at least safe now.
Thanks for posting,
Jackie


--- In wernicke_korsakoff_syndrome@yahoogroups.com, kathym530@...
wrote:
>
> Hi Elliot and welcome. I am sorry about your wife. My mother
was diagnosed
> in January of 2003. She was 63. While always a drinker and
probably an
> alcoholic it hadn't been an issue until my Dad died when she
began been drinking
> heavily for the following 5 years as a result of her grief and
depression.
> She did alot of binge drinking and had decided not to "do" the
holidays. I
> found her on New Years Day in a complete stupor, malnourished and
dehydrated.
> Her home was a mess and there was no food. Looked like she
hadn't eaten in
> the whole of December. She had a UTI, pneumonia, and other
various illnesses
> as a result of not taking care of herself. While in the
hospital, she was
> diagnosed with Korsakoff's by a very astute attending physician.
She was in
> intensive care for about 2 1/2 months and was discharged to a
nursing home
> because she was unable to walk. She had no idea what was going
on around her,
> was confabulating up a storm and because she kept trying to walk
when she
> couldn't she was a danger to herself so she was placed in a
locked ward in an
> Alzhiemers unit at the nursing home which was horrible. After
about 3 weeks
> she got her legs back and it was very clear that she was
functioning quite
> well, so I was able to place her in an assisted living facility
near my home here
> in Massachusetts. At first, she could not engage very well, did
not take
> care of herself, etc. But now after 3 years, she seems to be
very happy. She
> in very involved in the activities, plays bingo, bridge and other
card games.
> Goes on shopping and dinner trips. She reads and watches a lot
of TV. Her
> sense of humor is back and while she has not regained her short
term
> memory, she has learned to cope with it. This engagment really
did not occur until
> January of this year. I described it at the time as
an "awakening". All of
> sudden she was aware of her condition, involved in activities,
etc. It was
> quite a burst. Believe it or not, her neurologist said that the
introduction
> of bridge could have triggered some neurons in her brain and very
well could
> have caused her improvement, so Trevor really has something there
with the
> rehab approach. We haven't been able to get her to engage in our
lives, ie
> take part in family dinners, activities, etc. but that's okay. I
think it has a
> lot to do with her comfort level and need for routine. She
doesn't like to
> be away from her home for too long. At the beginning, clonidine
helped with
> the confabulation and impulsive behavior as well as an
antipsychotic,
> Seroquel. Now she takes Exelon and Namenda, 2 Alzeimers drugs
that have also
> helped her reach this level.
>
> I would suggest as Nora did that you read through the archives.
There is a
> great article in there somewhere that I can't get my hands on
anymore. It
> was the most informative in terms of causes, diagnosis and
prognosis. Our
> experiences are outlined in more detail and without the insight
of time, so from
> me you'll find some angry entries, depressed entries, hopeful
entries, etc.
> and probably more accurate in terms of her history.
>
> This group has been a godsend for me, particularly at the
beginning when I
> was confused and upset. I learned alot and found comfort in not
being alone.
> I hope we can do the same for you. Let us know how you are doing
and how
> you came to be here. and good luck. Take Care, Kathy
>