It has all the signs of a dementia. Dementia explains many of the things we witnessed over the past couple years. 
What we thought was addiction behavior was probably dementia. It wasn’t that she wanted to take too much medication, it is likely she didn’t remember taking it. 

Once we got a handle on her meds we started seeing the underlying confusion. She got angry, refusing to speak with me because I dispensed her pain meds. She cursed my sister for not getting her french fries. She told my dad to ___ himself because he checks her blood sugar religiously. 

It has snowballed since her long hospital stay in September. Her heart disease and diabetes complicates her treatments. It hurts us because we aren’t sure what to do to help her. 

I had a lengthy conversation with her doc last evening. I told him this is just like having your first child. You are never sure if you need to go to the ER or not. 

She can’t be left alone. The sister and I are trying to work out our schedules so one of us is there most of the time. Dad is there also. But he is beside himself watching his wife decline as she is. 

I know some of my friends have gone through this already. I saw how hard it was for a few as you posted about it. I have been mostly quiet because she has a FB account and would read posts. I doubt she can now at all. 

Tags: addiction, altzheimers, confusion, dementia