‘Sundowning’ common in many dementias
Dear Dr. Donohue: What’s “sundowning”? My dad is in a nursing home because of his total confusion. When he was in his house, he didn’t know where he was, and he frequently got lost. He doesn’t recognize my brother or me. A nurse at the home told me that he’s sundowning. I haven’t a clue what that means. — T.T.
Answer: It means that the person’s inner clock has been reset to a different time zone. These people become active in the late evening, when the sun goes down. They believe that night is day. They usually are quite agitated then.
Sundowning is common in many dementias. It frequently occurs in Alzheimer’s disease. Did the doctor say your father has that illness?
Alzheimer’s disease is a heartbreaking illness that disrupts patients’ lives and the lives of their families. The booklet on this common condition presents the facts about this illness and its treatment. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue — No. 903W, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 U.S./$6.75 Canada with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
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Dear Dr. Donohue: What can happen to a person who takes water pills without a doctor’s prescription? My girlfriend takes Lasix because she says she’s bloated. I don’t see any bloat.
She used to take 20 mg a day. Now she takes 80, and she might be taking even more. She says it drains the water out of her body. She gets the medicine from a vet. She works with horses. — J.M.
Answer: She’s right. It does take water from her body. It could be taking so much that she’s on the verge of being dehydrated. Along with water, it also takes potassium, sodium chloride and bicarbonate. She runs the risk having too little of those minerals. Such a deficit can be responsible for abnormal heartbeats, among other things. She’s upsetting the balance between acid and base in her body.
If by “bloat” she means a distended stomach due to gas — the common meaning of bloating — water pills do nothing for that. She must stop this nonsense right away.
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Dear Dr. Donohue: I have a corn between my third and fourth toes. What caused it? How do I go about getting rid of it? — L.M.
Answer: Corns are a sign of friction. Something is rubbing against the skin, and a corn is a defense to preserve the skin. In your case, the two toes rub against each other. Quite often, that’s because shoes are too tight.
To get rid of the corn, soak your foot in warm water for 20 minutes. That will soften it. Then with a pumice stone (you can get one in any drugstores, or you can get something equivalent to it), rub the corn until you reach normal skin. This takes more than one session.
If you cannot find the source of friction, buy cushions that you insert between the toes to prevent another corn from forming.