Has anyone else run into this problem? My Dad has hallucinations, and this seems to be the one that occurs the most. He holds his hands palm-side up and asks what he should do with the catgut or strings on his fingers. He continually rubs his hands together to rub the catgut into a trash can. Usually I'll just tell him to rub it off and let it fall onto the floor, where later it will be vacuumed. He seems fixated on this during the day. Sometimes he picks on his fingers, trying to get rid of it, until his fingers are red!
GrandpaHiker, thanks for the input. Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but he has so many of the symptoms of Lewy Body that I'm not sure what he really has. He picks and rubs at the 'strings' on his hands, but hasn't gotten to the point where he picks his skin raw. He continually wanders around the house rubbing the stuff off his hands, asking where he should put it, etc. He has asked me several times what would happen if he swallowed some of it (I tell him his digestive juices will eat it up) and should he be touching food with it on his hands.
You know, for most of my life I've seen older people, been around older people, and have noticed the strange habits many of them have had, but until my Dad was diagnosed with AD I never really paid much attention to it. Its scary to realize that so many are afflicted with dementia, and that there's really very little that can be done about it. And so many of them are alone. It really is a very, very sad situation.
At one time she saw a piece of plastic growing out of her right elbow. There is a small mole on the back of her neck that she says has moved there from the side of her head.
As a result of the "grit" she has scratched out much of her hair. Dementia meds have helped but not eliminated the issue.
What have the docs said? I am sorry the lotion suggestion kinda backfired!!!
Read the print outs that come with the prescriptions. Ask the pharmacist specifically what interactions could be occuring. I started to take my Mother off certain meds when I sensed an overload. Use your intuition combined with info from pharmacist, and I think you will figure it out. Also check for UTI. Give Daddy a hug for me:) I have missed mine for 40 years:( xo