Posts by Keith Jones76

It suppresses your appetite, so you won't feel that urge to binge!

That’s just another myth. Binging isn't actually about having an appetite. You can overeat even when you aren't hungry—in fact, people often binge even when they feel totally repulsed by food.
The root cause is psychological, which means the solution has to be found there too.

Edward Sanchez72 said:No... they won't be getting any supplements, but I have no clue how much it costs to design and implement a full program.

Nutritionists are generally a useful resource, especially for people who don't know what a balanced diet looks like—particularly those in specific niches like athletes and such.

But we’re talking about people who already realize their eating habits are a mess (which just adds to the depression), yet they can't stick to a plan, whether it's their own or someone else's. Seeing a psychiatrist isn't a failure; it's actually a rational move when dealing with this kind of dysfunction. I’d suggest finding a psychiatrist-psychotherapist, maybe at somewhere like the Mayo Clinic (though they've moved locations recently).

It’s probably not your heart. More likely just some intercostal muscle strain, or maybe an issue with the spine—like an intercostal nerve.

Yeah, society is a mess right now. So what's the move? We *are* that society. Honestly, how many of us have actually stepped up to fix any of the issues we complain about? Exactly—zero. It’s not like some aliens are going to drop from the sky and fix everything for us. And sitting here behind a screen on a forum? That doesn't count either, and yeah, I'm guilty of that too. Let's just face facts and take some damn responsibility.

It’s incredibly easy to be "all for" something when you assume someone else is going to do all the heavy lifting. Then everyone just waits around for a miracle. People get worked up, screaming on internet forums because they think their mere opinion entitles them to instant results. It’s delusional. You see these "ideologues" everywhere—plenty of talkers, but nobody wants to actually put in the work unless they get to audit everyone else's privileges first. The second you try to organize an actual project or build something real, those "visionaries" vanish into thin air. One person can't carry the whole world on their back; I know that from experience. So, who exactly are we all waiting for?

...
I've got work to do.

crimsonheron80 hit the nail on the head.

It’s no secret that our healthcare system is struggling, and geriatric care is one of the biggest gaps in the coverage. That said, things might actually start looking up once we align our standards with the USA. We should see a dedicated geriatrics specialization introduced soon—likely within the next couple of years.

Walter Evans3 said:What exactly should we tell her regarding why the doctor showed up, especially since she’s making it clear she has no interest in hearing from him? It seems she is merely speaking to him—listening to his voice without actually seeing him there... she insists they met once sometime in the past, though she won't say when exactly that was.

I mean, she likely has medications or needs to check her blood pressure or something similar anyway. It makes sense for a doctor to swing by for a general checkup and just chat with her and the family while they're at it. For instance...

Walter Evans3 said:The hospital isn't an option, period. My entire family is on the same page about that because we all know how those places operate—you either lose your mind entirely or you just wither away from pure heartbreak. Last night, she finally had it with him and laid down the law: if he won't come to her, she’s done talking to him and done seeing him altogether. She hasn't said a word to him since, which is unusual considering she’s usually up and running by 7:00 AM sharp. Does this mean he might actually change his ways on his own, or am I just kidding myself? 😢

Who knows what that actually means for her. But I doubt it's that simple.

I’m a firm believer in Occam’s razor—the simplest explanation is usually the right one. And honestly? Loneliness is just a plain, simple fact of life these days.

Well, good luck! Honestly, though, it’s going to be a grind. Nobody ever promised this would be easy. Just... let's hope it doesn't get any more complicated than it already is. That's about it.

Sure, you really ought to be talking to the people who deal with her day-to-day. It’s just common sense. If they prefer different options—since everyone has their own way of doing things—they could always consult a private psychiatrist. Or at least let you know who her primary doctor is. Look, if things escalate—if she starts wandering off, attempts suicide, lashes out at someone, or starts openly hallucinating (which can get dangerous, like leaving the stove on or falling through a window...) or whatever else comes to mind—you can always call 911. They’ll decide then whether to take her to the hospital for an evaluation or just provide some medication and advice to the family on how to handle things at home. You can also have a family doctor come by for a house call to do something similar. That doesn't necessarily require a full-blown emergency; sometimes what's happening right now is enough.

Walter Evans3 said:I wanted to check in with an update—for the last few days, we’ve mostly been pretending everything is fine, or at least I have been since I’ve been by her side 24/7, which is honestly starting to wear me down. She’s been claiming there are listening devices hidden all over her apartment and that he can hear everything—could this be schizophrenia? She eventually gave me a full name for this man, and when I brought it up to my mother, she told me the man actually passed away six years ago. Apparently, he had asked her to marry him about ten years ago, but she turned him down back then because she felt he was just trying to exploit her—his plan was to move into her place, sell his own house, and hand all the cash over to his kids. Now, though, she insists he is a wonderful person.
To make a long story short, she barely mentioned him on Wednesday or Thursday, so I thought she was finally calming down, but then Friday hit like a ton of bricks. Out of nowhere, she starts planning to buy rings, booking a venue, and even calling a cousin—who had absolutely no idea what was happening—to drive them around to get everything done. When I tried to step in and tell her not to waste money like this, she got upset and spent the rest of the day in tears, though I didn't have the heart to tell her that the man isn't even alive. When she woke up Saturday morning and told her aunt, who lives with us, things really boiled over. Her aunt wasn't screaming, but she was speaking with this frantic, nervous energy, trying to explain that this man doesn't exist and that she’s just driving everyone crazy. That caused her to break down, and things were quiet until this morning, when she snapped that she doesn't care if we don't want her to marry him; she’s going to do it regardless. Now, we’re starting to fear that this whole "wedding" obsession might have nothing to do with his death. 😢 😢 😢 😢 By the way, she isn't sleeping at all, she's hardly eating, and she's already lost about nine pounds. And when we suggested that maybe it’s time to go talk to a professional, she just looked at us like we were the ones losing our minds. 😳/

Those symptoms can show up in several conditions besides Schizophrenia, so it might not be that specifically; it doesn't quite fit the classic profile.

It just reinforces what I already told you— psychotic depression, more or less. Either way, it’s an equally serious issue. And like any major illness, the longer this drags on, the worse it gets, and things can spiral for both her and everyone around her!

When someone's mental health is this fragile, you shouldn't leave the heavy lifting of decision-making to them—including deciding whether to see a doctor! That responsibility falls on her family.
I’ll say it again: it is unethical not to ensure she gets help , especially since she is clearly suffering through all of this. This isn't a game. 😢 Family doctors are available—you can go in for a consultation, get referrals, and follow medical advice; and if things escalate, there's the ER. Not to mention, primary care physicians do house calls. You don't, none of you, have a single valid excuse.
The way you've been handling this so far—arguing and waiting for someone to snap—is completely unacceptable ! It’s more reason to bring in a trained professional who actually has the capacity for this. If you came into my clinic and told me this was how you were managing, saying it's easier to vent anonymously online than to take action and wait for a crisis to force your hand—and if you still refused to cooperate in the end—I would give you such a lecture you'd be feeling it in your teeth!😠

I feel terrible for your grandmother, but honestly, I don't feel a shred of sympathy for the rest of you. Most of you are adults—well, at least a few of you are. You’re clearly literate, you know how to navigate the internet, and you're living in the 21st century. You aren't exactly lacking anything in life, except for a basic sense of responsibility.

And just so we're clear, you can yell at her all you want, or keep fighting against whatever delusions she's having, but it’s not going to change a thing. This is a serious medical condition, not some set of whims she can just snap out of. She’s the victim here, not you. If you keep this up, you might actually make things worse or even push her toward suicide (which has already been mentioned)...

...but honestly, why am I even bothering to weigh in when there's nothing I can actually do to help...

It looks like an infection has set in. You should probably get to a doctor ASAP so they can get you on some antibiotics.

There's really no need to start catastrophizing before anything has even happened.

I honestly think it’s better to let a doctor make that call. I already brought up the possibility of suicide prevention earlier. If that’s actually on the table, then hospitalization is probably the more useful route—avoiding it could end up doing more harm than good.
And besides, why not just go to a private clinic? A single consultation shouldn't break the bank.

If it were actually that simple, you would have already done it. Being pressured to deny how you feel might actually be a symptom of the guilt people often carry in these situations.
In therapy, you’re going to have to face those emotions head-on before you can move toward acceptance and everything else.

The family needs to step up even more.
If it were a younger family member—say, a kid—battling cancer, nobody would just sit there taking one doctor's word for it. People would scour the entire country to find anyone who could actually fix the problem. That’s just how it works. The family should be putting in that same level of effort.

Yeah, psychotherapy. And let’s be real—it’s a process for a reason. There isn’t some magic wand or a single "eureka" moment that fixes everything overnight. While I totally get why you're feeling impatient, you're allowed to feel that way. That’s exactly why you need an empathetic therapist more than you need a list of clinical techniques.

Drew Morgan said:Is that because hallucinations aren't part of the Alzheimer profile?

It’s not about whether hallucinations are present; it’s about the absence of a whole different set of signature symptoms.
That said, you really need a doctor to make the final diagnosis.

I have no idea why this thread turned into a discussion about Alzheimer's. 😕
I guess it's just the go-to mental health label people jump to whenever they hear an elderly person is struggling, even if they don't know anything else.
The grandmother might actually have something completely treatable. Instead, we're wasting time writing her off based on a non-existent case of Alzheimer's.

That’s not exactly typical for Alzheimer's.

Thanks for the support.