Back to the city, where I made an appointment with her doctor. That first appointment, she insisted on going in alone. When she came out, she had prescription for an anti-depressant. Okay, I thought - sure, I can see that she'd be depressed. Heck, I was depressed from the moment dad called me months ago. But she insisted that her doctor said there was nothing else - he gave her the monthly B12 shot she usually got (several members of our family require this, including me), and took blood tests but...he said she was okay, but too skinny. Along with the B12 shot, he said she needed a nutrition supplement, which we bought, and she refused to drink.
Mom was on a number of prescribed drugs - blood pressure, osteo-arthritis, osteoporosis, cholesteral meds - the usual array of pills older people tend to end up taking at some point. She had a two-week container which held her pills in little daily slots. I made sure she took those every day, and added the antidepressants to the concoction in the trays as prescribed on the bottle. Read all the warnings and counter-indications to make sure she could take them with her current assortment of pills.
Weeks later, there was no improvement - none at all. Except that she began to smile a lot. But it wasn't a good smile. It was...well, vacant and very far away. As if she were not really in the present. I thought it might be the anti-depressants. And I was worried about her physical health. So, another appointment at the doctors.
This time, I went in with her and spoke to the doctor in his office. I handed him a bunch of printed papers from the internet showing all her symptoms - one batch was from the alzhiemer's site. The other, from a site about malnutrition. Then I explained what had been happening, what I was seeing in mom, and how her behaviour was anything but normal for her.
The doctor then brings mom in from the exam room, sits her down and asks her questions about her eating habits, her daily routine - normal questions most people could answer. And she did answer. But to each answer she gave, I shook my head no as the doctor looked at me to confirm.
Mom...well, some things don't change quite that fast. And she was peeved...more than that she was downright MAD at me.
The doctor tells us that that he thinks, along with malnutrition she is in the early states of alzhiemer's, and sets up an appointment with a geriatrics specialist.