u/redditor_peeco

Hi all. I’m hoping some folks could share their experiences/guidance for how they navigated an Alzheimer’s diagnosis amidst difficult family dynamics.

My dad is 69, and after many years of symptoms, he was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about 2 years ago. He has started receiving infusion treatment for the plaques, but I know that that only slows progression.

He and my mom live together, but their marriage has never been good. Long story short, he has always had some behavioral issues and was not a loving partner to my mom. They have essentially been roommates for the last 20 years. Similarly, these personality issues have also challenged his relationships with me and my siblings.

He is at a stage where he has virtually no short-term memory: he can remember who his loved ones are and things from long ago, but he won’t remember a discussion from 30 minutes prior. He has to be reminded/encouraged to shower every day, and he fights us about taking his BP and cholesterol medications (I think we should stop arguing and let him make that choice). He thinks he should be able to keep driving, but the doctors have said no: we are going to need to hide the keys as he went for a drive when left alone the other day and doesn’t remember going.

Aside from all that stress, the hardest part for my mom as his main caregiver has been how he follows her around the house, constantly talking and/or criticizing what she does. It’s like she never has peace within her own home.

Me and my siblings try to help as much as we can, but we are varying distances away and have our own lives to tend to. My main concern is protecting my mom’s own health and well-being, and I’m not sure how to do that. Does anyone have any experience with a situation like this? I’m looking into day programs in the county, but most of them are geared toward people in more advanced stages (and I’d have to convince my dad to go). It feels so hopeless right now.

Hi all. Apologies if this is not the right subreddit for these questions.

I’ve been dealing with gastro issues for 6+ months and am working with a new specialist to find some answers. After several stool and blood tests, we are working under a diagnosis of bile acid malabsorption and some secondary element. I was having regular diarrhea that subsided with cholestyramine, and I had elevated 7alphaC4 markers. I have also had fecal elastase scores of 120 and 154, suggesting some amount of pancreatic insufficiency.

My doctor now wants me to take both cholestyramine and Pancreaze for 2 months. Pancreaze was what I originally took (when I got a low fecal elastase score early on), and it didn’t do anything for me. Is this a reasonable plan? While my diarrhea has gone away, I still have to use the bathroom immediately after eating anything substantial, and my stomach feels generally uneasy. I’d like to do a colonoscopy and SIBO test (since I’ve had sulfur-heavy gas), but the doctor seems reluctant to search for other “causes”.

Also, has anyone had vivid dreams and/or night sweats on cholestyramine? It’s been a problem for me ever since starting, but I see nothing about those being side effects.

Was anyone in the U Street station last night around 9:30 PM or does anyone know what happened? I was waiting for my train, and a police officer with what looked like a paintball gun started walking to the end of the platform. He then came back to the escalators. A minute later, as the train was pulling in, he came running back along with more officers. They started shouting and the WMATA employees told everyone to run, leading to a rush of people up the escalators and out of the station. I heard someone mention something about someone having a gun, but I didn’t see anyone on the train that was arriving. I haven’t been able to find any info on the incident, but it was pretty scary.

Was anyone in the U Street station last night around 9:30 PM or does anyone know what happened? I was waiting for my train, and a police officer with what looked like a paintball gun started walking to the end of the platform. He then came back to the escalators. A minute later, as the train was pulling in, he came running back along with more officers. They started shouting and the WMATA employees told everyone to run, leading to a rush of people up the escalators and out of the station. I heard someone mention something about someone having a gun, but I didn’t see anyone on the train that was arriving. I haven’t been able to find any info on the incident, but it was pretty scary.

Hi there. I’m in the DC area and looking for an air purifier to deal with odors from cooking (fish, oils, spices, etc.). I cook often and unfortunately I don’t have a vented hood and the window airflow isn’t great. My kitchen is relatively small, but it opens to my dining and living areas, so smell carries through my 700 sqft apartment.

I was chatting with an AllerAir specialist who recommended the AirMedic Pro 5 with VOCARB filter. My question is: is this overkill? Would I be OK with the AirMed 3 Supreme with the same filter? I don’t mind spending the money on the AirMedic Pro 5 for when I eventually move to a larger place; but I’d also appreciate saving some money since I’m not sure how well it will work. The price difference is about $100.

Thanks for the help!