My father had a BA in September of 2022. He physically has almost no deficits. But he continues to have almost hallucinations where he pretends to do things like talk on the phone or pretend to eat, and he is very convinced he is ACTUALLY doing these things… it gets very frustrating and I’m not sure if anybody else has experienced this or how to manage this? My dad also cannot hold a conversation with somebody much longer than a minute, and then he begins to say things that make absolutely no sense. He experiences aphasia, and he has very little recall… recently he has also been wetting himself, as if he almost forgets to go to the bathroom…does anybody have insight or how to handle these issues? Has anybody experienced this?
Thank you
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Bri, I think he needs to see his regular doctor for the incontinence. Male incontinence can be caused by many things from a UTI to neurological issues. I think the first step is to rule out any underlying cause.
My aphasia is still going on right along with me. In fact yesterday was a really bad day, some are better, but we met with a contractor who couldn’t understand me. It was frustrating to say the least. I had scrubbed the kitchen floor and the exertion just increased my aphasia and stutter. I had started around 0700 and it took over five hours! One would think after 7 years, I would know better. But the floor needed a proper scrubbing with a scrub brush and I needed to get it done before the contractor came. I didn’t remember to do the things I was taught in Speech Therapy to keep my words.
Early on, I had a great deal of trouble with conversations. The effort often gave me headaches. If I wasn’t hydrated enough, it was far worse. For me to have a verbal conversation I had to have a relatively dark room, and no other distractions. Even three years after my rupture when my Dad passed away, my niece was telling my Mom to open up the shades in the living room. When my niece took it upon herself to do it, I sounded like a blubbering idiot and Mom closed them immediately. Having the tv on would get my conversations into left field, as would the radio. Being tired which was a common occurrence for a couple of years also played a big part in my inability to communicate as did too many people in a room.
Short term memory is still a hurdle. I have found many things to help with it, besides Speech Therapy, things I’ve learned from this group help me day to day. Since memory is stored in various areas of the brain, it may be that one or more areas of his brain has taken a beating and it takes time, a lot of time for healing. He is only about 7 months from hai rupture and that’s still quite early in recovery for many of us. There are also things he can do if he is willing, brian games, exercise and such. He probably needs to reach out to his neurologist if he has one.
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Hello! My dear mother is almost 5 months post cerebral aneurysm clipping of a 12mm aneurysm that was incidentally found due to her passing out. (Vasovagal syncope)
As far as your father having very little recall regarding holding a conversation- I have found, through my dear mother’s speech therapist, Walc workbooks to be extremely helpful in building new connections and helping rebuild her short and long term memory.
You can Google “walc memory” and find numerous free PDF documents to print. These have been a godsend & we work on these everyday for 45 min. You may find some are rather easy but these are all science (evidence) based and will help with cognitive deficits.
Take care & God bless you, your father & family!
Jessica
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Hi again! Also, scheduling a visit with his PCP and/or a urologist may be judicious given his symptoms and especially if this is something new.
Jessica
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I took a look at the WALC and those are very similar to what I did in ST. I didn’t start ST until maybe a year after my rupture. It also reminded me that my ST would give me five words in the beginning of the session and I would have to try to remember them in the order given at the end of the session. I could recall perhaps two of those words at the onset, but after several weeks I could recall all five. After a few more weeks, I could recall them in the correct order. I had forgotten all about it, thank you for giving me back a memory Ms. Jessica!
You’re very welcome sweetheart!
Jessica
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Thank you for being so honest. I don’t often get to check in but as always I’ve learned new things from you. Please take care.
Sincerely
Lyd
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I can only offer words of comfort but I hope you feel less alone. Take care.
Lyd
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Thank you for the information. It was very useful.
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