Tests have been run she is not a diabetic, no real health issues, has anyone experienced this? she does have mild alzheimers that will come and go but this will happen at anytime, not when doing a particular activity or anything. has anyone experienced this??
You can see the same almost in newborn babies. They will sort of freeze, and eyes stare. A normal thing for them, but if seen on electroencephalogram can look like mild seizure. Our OP's best answer will come from the MD here. We an only guess. We have had more than a few reports from families that describe just this sort of thing.
The internet tells us this:
"Seizures in dementia are typically associated with advanced stages of the condition. When there are more neurons damaged in the brain, the more erratic the electrical signaling in the brain can become. This is why the amount of time you have lived with dementia can affect your chances of having a seizure."
I think our OP should discuss with MD and not worry further about this after doing so.
Your grandmother needs to see a neurologist to determine what is causing her to pass out.
Some people have seizures without any warning like my mom had. Others will see auras when a seizure is coming on.
Best wishes to you and your family.
You said your ggma is 98, and has been checked.
I know someone younger who frequently gets checked by her doctor.
It seems okay with him if she has anemia, thyroid issues, B-12 deficiency etc.
But falls every year at a holiday gathering with family.
She has "been checked" however, ignores treatment for low B-12, anemia, and thyroid. Wondering why she falls. It could be anemia, or a combination of factors. Sometimes when people fall, they are unaware of a mild seizure, event, or "spell" preceding the fall.
Getting back to your ggma and her "passing out". I found this:
(of course I am not a doctor, we cannot diagnose your ggma's passing out on a forum).
Common Anemia Symptoms
1. Breathing Issues, Dizziness, and Headaches
When you’re healthy, abundant oxygen is conveyed to the heart, muscles, and organs. With anemia, the lungs overcompensate in order to bring in more oxygen, causing breathing difficulties.
***Low levels of hemoglobin prevent adequate oxygen from reaching the brain. Blood vessels swell, blood pressure drops, and it can result in headaches, neurological issues, and vertigo.
Small exertions can cause shortness of breath or fainting spells.
Of course you don't want extensive tests for ggma at her age.
But she may be more comfortable if anemia is treated.
Pull down her lower eyelid, see if inside is pale, very pale.
Feed her some liver, or see her doctor if previously she was diagnosed with an anemia. Anemia can improve with treatment.
See a new doctor maybe.
I would encourage you to question her doctor about what could be going on.
What type of dementia has she been diagnosed with? If it is Vascular Dementia the mini strokes are part of that.
My Husband had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I think he had Vascular Dementia as well and he had what the Hospice Nurse call Myoclonic Seizures, she really did not seem concerned about them
She would literally "pass out" after having a shower or if she was sitting up in her wheelchair for more than ten or fifteen minutes.
She had Alzheimer's. Her doctor said that the activity of being showered, transferred, and sitting up was causing it. She would have a normal pulse but be unresponsive. There as really nothing to be done for it other than limit how much she was moved around and transferred.
We switched to bed baths. She was transferred from her bed to the recliner chair instad of the wheelchair. This way she could be reclined throughout the day with brief periods of sitting up. When the physical activity stopped the fainting did too.
Is it known what your GGMa's wishes are regarding medical intervention/investigation VS Mother Nature?
Because of her age, it might not be advisable to have a bunch of complicated tests done, but there may be some medication she could try to prevent these episodes. That would be a good idea because you wouldn't want her to fall down unconscious, painfuly break a bone or bleed to death from her falling injury before anyone knows it happened.
The issue is, is it worthwhile to do a bunch of tests? To what end?
Would you do pacemaker surgery? Have her take seizure meds?
Has anyone considered hospice?
Does she lose control of bladder or bowel during these episodes?
She may need further neuro-psyc exams if this continues or it could be a part of her early dementia. Some do get brief brain glitches not unlike the little staring off into space thing that babies get (which are actually a kind of mini seizure as the brain develops, but normal).
Do these episodes occur only when at rest? Because some will fall asleep with eyes open but unfocused.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23325-vasovagal-syncope
Is she a fall risk during these episodes or is she already bedridden? Is she in a facility or at home?
For a while my MIL, in LTC, would pass out briefly while having a bowel movement.
We aren't doctors so this is still a medical question for an internist or gerontologist.