← Return to Dealing with a Spouse with a “Mild Cognitive Impairment”

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Good morning. I am new to this group. Presently, I do not know for sure what I am dealing with because we are awaiting a neurology appointment for a specific diagnosis. My husband has prostate cancer, being treated, and we just transferred care from NY to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. He also has severe back pain which he has been dealing with for 2 years. He has had kyphoplasty, laminectomy, and injections. He has been in PT for 18 months and was walking much better until about 3 months ago when he began with severe back pain in lower lumbar. Finally, he is scheduled for fusion at the end of the month. Over the past 3 months, his quality of life has deteriorated because of the lack of motion from not walking well. He uses a walker all the time. This is new for the past 3 months. What has changed is mentally he seems to become like a different person in the early or later evening, and if he awakens during his sleep, he is a different person, almost like sleepwalking. He doesn't recognize me and becomes agitated if I try to talk to him. I don't know how to deal with this all. We have a neurology appointment, but until the appointment, I feel like I am in the dark as to what I should be doing. He is always back to himself in the morning. This is very new over the last couple of weeks. I have joined this group as I am struggling with how to deal with this all. Thank you for reading my story.

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Replies to "Good morning. I am new to this group. Presently, I do not know for sure what..."

@islanders1952 Sounds like he has sundown syndrome, most often related to some type of dementia and the neurologist should help you get a proper diagnosis and make some reccomendations. If the wait is long for the neurologist, consult his primary care physician. Some medications could make this worse (opiods for pain, sedatives, sleeping pills). But it is important to get a thorough neurologic evaluation (possibly neuropsychological testing) and a diagnosis. Good luck.

@islanders1952 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I’m glad that you felt comfortable enough to express your feelings and to say how it really is and to know that you can get support here. The members here are very welcoming and try to help each other. So, again, welcome.