Does anyone's LO talk endlessly?

Posted by blc1951 @blc1951, Dec 6 10:08am

My husband starts talking from the moment I walk into the room until I leave. He goes from one topic to the next and back to a previous topic, and it is very hard to follow. I don't even have to respond or look at him and he keeps talking. He also exhibits emotional dysregulation, where he gets upset about something, usually something insignificant that I have said or done, resulting in a prolonged and emotional reaction. By prolonged, I mean he can lecture me for literally hours and I end up in tears. Last week he insisted that I hit the snooze button on the alarm 4 or 5 times, when I only hit it once. That was the start of two hours of telling me how selfish I am. I get the same lecture once or twice a week. He usually gets so exhausted, that he ends up going to bed for a few hours. When he wakes up, he comes to find me and give me a big hug and apologizes.

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Profile picture for lkbous @lkbous

This discussion is blowing my mind! I think we’re all married to the same man! My husband talks endlessly, tells the same stories over and over and over. If we’re with some other people he will hijack the conversation, so embarrassing when they don’t ‘know’ why. When I’m attempting to converse with him, I can tell he isn’t listening, has what he wants to say next stuck in his mind, interrupts, and when I call him out says that I stopped talking—I paused for a split second or it was just the cadence of what I was telling him!!
He also narrates the tv, guesses what will happen next or asks me what’s going to happen, I haven’t seen it before…. He turns off the sound instead of pausing the tv to talk. He used to be in charge of large construction projects, so we have to pause the tv, or even back it up during shows so he can show me one that I already know he worked on, or he ate dinner in a restaurant on tv or he walked on a sidewalk, ugh! Sometimes I suggest that we watch something else because we have paused so many times I can’t stay invested in the storyline.
He also announces what he’s going to do every minute and says things out loud that the rest of us think to ourselves, like yours @judimahoney.
He used to badger me about my therapy until I cried @blc1951 before I even had a clue that he might have dementia. One time I took my sadness and distress over his cruelty to a whole crazy level and played it out for hours to send a message, he even called my therapist, himself, at the time. He still keeps a balance of how much I’ve spent
on therapy and throws it out there occasionally. I should have started noticing clues way before. That cruelty was/is so out of character for him.
He plays guitar, and he has started playing guitar while watching tv in the family room/kitchen area, where I am working doing cleaning or cooking or 1000 other things. I am a prisoner where I am working, but there are other
places he could play and/or watch tv. Because I can’t stand the multi sounds at the same time I put earbuds in to listen to music and take them out when he speaks. Being considerate has been completely wiped out.
@sandyar He reads books and tells me what he’s just read all of the time and it’s long drawn out repetition of what he’s read.
And don’t you find yourselves, like you @theglobalnomad1, think of something to say, but then think carefully if you even want to open that for discussion, because of where that discussion could go or you are just too tired and exhausted.
I do complain a lot, but I miss him so much. We met at 15 (from different states) got back together, then married at 19, and have been married 52 years. I would have loved having him to myself again and to have fun going places and doing fun things and enjoying each other’s company. It is what it is.
Thanks for reading this far…
And my whining…

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@lkbous
What you said about thinking twice before you tell your husband something rings true for me as well. Before I say something I think, will he remember this? (no), Is it too early to tell him this thing (or else he'll just start obsessing over whatever it is and talk or ask non-stop about it), and also, will he care or pay attention to what I am saying (probably not).
It is lonely not having my husband emotionally here any longer. Sigh, again...

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Profile picture for lkbous @lkbous

This discussion is blowing my mind! I think we’re all married to the same man! My husband talks endlessly, tells the same stories over and over and over. If we’re with some other people he will hijack the conversation, so embarrassing when they don’t ‘know’ why. When I’m attempting to converse with him, I can tell he isn’t listening, has what he wants to say next stuck in his mind, interrupts, and when I call him out says that I stopped talking—I paused for a split second or it was just the cadence of what I was telling him!!
He also narrates the tv, guesses what will happen next or asks me what’s going to happen, I haven’t seen it before…. He turns off the sound instead of pausing the tv to talk. He used to be in charge of large construction projects, so we have to pause the tv, or even back it up during shows so he can show me one that I already know he worked on, or he ate dinner in a restaurant on tv or he walked on a sidewalk, ugh! Sometimes I suggest that we watch something else because we have paused so many times I can’t stay invested in the storyline.
He also announces what he’s going to do every minute and says things out loud that the rest of us think to ourselves, like yours @judimahoney.
He used to badger me about my therapy until I cried @blc1951 before I even had a clue that he might have dementia. One time I took my sadness and distress over his cruelty to a whole crazy level and played it out for hours to send a message, he even called my therapist, himself, at the time. He still keeps a balance of how much I’ve spent
on therapy and throws it out there occasionally. I should have started noticing clues way before. That cruelty was/is so out of character for him.
He plays guitar, and he has started playing guitar while watching tv in the family room/kitchen area, where I am working doing cleaning or cooking or 1000 other things. I am a prisoner where I am working, but there are other
places he could play and/or watch tv. Because I can’t stand the multi sounds at the same time I put earbuds in to listen to music and take them out when he speaks. Being considerate has been completely wiped out.
@sandyar He reads books and tells me what he’s just read all of the time and it’s long drawn out repetition of what he’s read.
And don’t you find yourselves, like you @theglobalnomad1, think of something to say, but then think carefully if you even want to open that for discussion, because of where that discussion could go or you are just too tired and exhausted.
I do complain a lot, but I miss him so much. We met at 15 (from different states) got back together, then married at 19, and have been married 52 years. I would have loved having him to myself again and to have fun going places and doing fun things and enjoying each other’s company. It is what it is.
Thanks for reading this far…
And my whining…

Jump to this post

@lkbous This is my therapy, thanks so much for your post. It really helps knowing that all of this is not my imagination. So much of what you said reflects my situation.

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Profile picture for blc1951 @blc1951

@lkbous This is my therapy, thanks so much for your post. It really helps knowing that all of this is not my imagination. So much of what you said reflects my situation.

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@blc1951 Thank YOU!!
I was just going on here to apologize for my extensive rant, when saw what you wrote. It’s so cathartic to empty your gut on here and know that everyone knows exactly what you’re talking about, ant that you’re NOT exaggerating about little stupid things that you’re nitpicking over.

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I just wish that I could wear a “Do Not Disturb “sign around my neck when it gets to be too much, and that it would have the intended effect.

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I'm so glad I found this thread today. My hubby was diagnosed with MCI 18 months ago and we now know it's vascular damage and some frontal lobe pulls as well. He's 73 and the specialist said his brain is similar to an 80 year old. One of the more recent symptoms is non stop talking ... while I'm watching TV, reading, working or just trying to keep a thought in my head. Unfortunately, he also has started talking in his sleep. I love the "Do Not Disturb" sign idea. It made me laugh out loud when I want to cry most days. It is totally exhausting and I'm afraid this is only the beginning. Thanks everyone for confirming that I'm not alone in all this.

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Profile picture for theglobalnomad1 @theglobalnomad1

@lkbous I sometimes feel guilty and ashamed at complaining because I do know it is not him... but it is exhausting, and overwhelming and leads to a sense of loneliness. Hard to know what to do because nothing with stop it.

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@theglobalnomad1 I know the guilt. It’s such a strange phenomenon that we couldn’t have dreamed up for our futures. We’re pioneers muddling through this. The good thing is that we have found this place to trade stories, ideas and feelings.
God bless.

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Profile picture for lkbous @lkbous

This discussion is blowing my mind! I think we’re all married to the same man! My husband talks endlessly, tells the same stories over and over and over. If we’re with some other people he will hijack the conversation, so embarrassing when they don’t ‘know’ why. When I’m attempting to converse with him, I can tell he isn’t listening, has what he wants to say next stuck in his mind, interrupts, and when I call him out says that I stopped talking—I paused for a split second or it was just the cadence of what I was telling him!!
He also narrates the tv, guesses what will happen next or asks me what’s going to happen, I haven’t seen it before…. He turns off the sound instead of pausing the tv to talk. He used to be in charge of large construction projects, so we have to pause the tv, or even back it up during shows so he can show me one that I already know he worked on, or he ate dinner in a restaurant on tv or he walked on a sidewalk, ugh! Sometimes I suggest that we watch something else because we have paused so many times I can’t stay invested in the storyline.
He also announces what he’s going to do every minute and says things out loud that the rest of us think to ourselves, like yours @judimahoney.
He used to badger me about my therapy until I cried @blc1951 before I even had a clue that he might have dementia. One time I took my sadness and distress over his cruelty to a whole crazy level and played it out for hours to send a message, he even called my therapist, himself, at the time. He still keeps a balance of how much I’ve spent
on therapy and throws it out there occasionally. I should have started noticing clues way before. That cruelty was/is so out of character for him.
He plays guitar, and he has started playing guitar while watching tv in the family room/kitchen area, where I am working doing cleaning or cooking or 1000 other things. I am a prisoner where I am working, but there are other
places he could play and/or watch tv. Because I can’t stand the multi sounds at the same time I put earbuds in to listen to music and take them out when he speaks. Being considerate has been completely wiped out.
@sandyar He reads books and tells me what he’s just read all of the time and it’s long drawn out repetition of what he’s read.
And don’t you find yourselves, like you @theglobalnomad1, think of something to say, but then think carefully if you even want to open that for discussion, because of where that discussion could go or you are just too tired and exhausted.
I do complain a lot, but I miss him so much. We met at 15 (from different states) got back together, then married at 19, and have been married 52 years. I would have loved having him to myself again and to have fun going places and doing fun things and enjoying each other’s company. It is what it is.
Thanks for reading this far…
And my whining…

Jump to this post

@lkbous Having a place to vent like this can relieve some of the pressure on you. Please don't feel bad. All of us at many times have and will continue to turn to the people that understand what we're going through.

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Profile picture for marketlink @marketlink

I'm so glad I found this thread today. My hubby was diagnosed with MCI 18 months ago and we now know it's vascular damage and some frontal lobe pulls as well. He's 73 and the specialist said his brain is similar to an 80 year old. One of the more recent symptoms is non stop talking ... while I'm watching TV, reading, working or just trying to keep a thought in my head. Unfortunately, he also has started talking in his sleep. I love the "Do Not Disturb" sign idea. It made me laugh out loud when I want to cry most days. It is totally exhausting and I'm afraid this is only the beginning. Thanks everyone for confirming that I'm not alone in all this.

Jump to this post

@marketlink I am so glad that I started this thread. I hadn't seen anything on the nonstop talking and was wondering if I was alone. Thanks to everyone who has posted.

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I truly feel so many of these comments. We are all experiencing much of the same thing. My husband talks ALL the time, hops from topic to topic, doesn’t use nouns (just pronouns) so I am always in the dark on exactly who “he” is that the conversation is about. I rarely bring up anything for an actual discussion, because it devolves into an unpleasant experience 100% of the time. I stick with safe reminders “how did you sleep” and “it looks like a nice day today” comments. I make all the decisions for the home, cars, finances, etc. if he asks about any of that, I answer his question but honestly, he almost never asks. I miss talking to him the most, but that person that I used to be able to share hopes, dreams, and thoughts with is gone. Now I just keep them for my morning prayers. On the bright side, God is always listening 😊.

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It sometimes seems like non stop talking but also non stop questions and non stop requests for me to do things my husband could do for himself. For instance he makes lots of phone calls to friends but always asks me to call the drugstore or auto mechanic for him. Sometimes it is just easier for me to do whatever he asks and sometimes I resist and he gets very angry.

I also have a hard time sometimes because in his mind his needs, wants and routines always come first.

I love the idea of a do not disturb sign.

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