Alzheimer's and Anorexia

Mum seemed to have been on a plateau for some months until about a month ago. Looking back though, I can see that she has been declining very gradually. Her decline took a more precipitous turn when she stopped eating. At the same time, she was vomiting and saying she had no appetite. She became disturbingly weak.

Her physician weighed her in at just under 80 lbs. and diagnosed anorexia. According to Dad, the doctor outlined her options in no uncertain terms: Eat, be hospitalized and force fed, or die. To push her in the proper direction, he prescribed an appetite stimulant (megestrol).

I’m very happy to report that she responded to medication, although it did take a few days. She’s now eating more at each meal than she has in months. Even my father is amazed.

What surprises me is that it took so long for the doctor to reach the diagnosis of anorexia. Mum has been underweight for several years. She actually has hypothyroidism (not hyper) and is on medication to control that. Perhaps that is a complication. However, she has had food and body image issues throughout her life, even as an elderly person. Despite having little energy, losing weight, and not being able to find clothes that aren’t baggy, she would still be concerned about her diet. For example, when the rest of us (most of whom could afford to lose a few pounds) indulged in ice cream, she would eat fruit.

I know two other elderly women who followed similar patterns. Neither one had Alzheimer’s or any kind of dementia, so I did not associate the two. I simply thought, and still do think, that anorexia in elderly women is overlooked. When I searched the Web for Alzheimer’s and anorexia, I did find that the two can be associated. Whether Mum had anorexia before she came down with Alzheimer’s or vice versa is anyone’s guess. I’m just glad that she’s eating more again, and I look forward to seeing her with a few more pounds of flesh on her bones.