Has had for at least two years. Now he is confusing/mixing up his conversations; he doesn't know who told him what. He will ask me REPEATEDLY the same question, not realizing he is doing that. He will finish a story and tell it over and over.... yet, he can balance a check book still and can get from point A to point B.... but he will forget what he drove down our 1/2 mile long drive way to do (get the mail).... and he misplaces things all the time and can never find them. When I gently ask him about anything, he LASHES out and verbally attacks me. His moods have changed as he is not like this at all. It is very uncharacteristic of him to have mood swings. He is unrecognizable at times when he is verbally attacking me, and he even told me to GET OUT at one point and shortly there after acted like he didn't remember and told me he couldn't live without me and how much he loved me. So I don't bring things like that up after he lashes out because he seems to forget about it. I am scared and worried, however, I cannot get him to cooperate to go to a doctor to get tested. I don't know what to do. I have called doctors to ask for help and I am hitting a brick wall. HELP....can anyone offer any suggestions as to what to do. Does all this sound like dementia?? I feel so helpless and lost....
The fact that your husband doesn't consider himself "ill" even though he has Cancer is admirable. But YOU need to bear in mind that Cancer is an illness, and both the disease and the treatments can have wide ranging effects.
Your husband sounds like a wonderful, take charge guy. And your love AND your worry are evident in your post. You ned to tell his doctors all of his worrisome symptoms ( keep a log if you can).
You also might want to let them know that he has not assigned PoA or advanced medical directives, if this is the case. When we get to a certain stage in life, we need to acknowledge that there might be times when we aren't able to be in control, and we need to allow for the possibility that someone we trust will make good, clearheaded decisions.
Perhaps his lawyer would be able to be PoA.
But most importantly - make sure you have a safety plan. You may not think it could ever come to that, but it's best to have a plan and not need it, than be caught in a situation and not know what to do or where to turn. Domestic Violence agencies can help with this info. They're free and confidential.