With my husband's Lewy Body, would something as simple as getting a cold make him extra sick?

Thanks to everyone for your answers. He is up and about now, but still has the deep cough. His hands are shaking more too. Since I don't drive, I'm unable to attend the local support meetings so I really depend on you.. (He is 78 and I'm 77)

I see that your husband's diagnosis is recent. I hope that in time you will develop a strong support network with the medical professionals as we did. We had to switch from the internist who was clueless about dementia to a geriatrician who was very willing to deal with the neurologist's diagnosis and treatment plan. She did not interfere in the plan but kept up-to-date on drug interactions and took the trouble to understand the plan. I contacted her for all the usual things you see a primary doctor for, and contacted the neurologist with the LBD symptoms. When Coy developed a cough or the hiccups, I called the geriatrician. When he had hallucinations I contacted the neurologist.

We saw that geriatrician for about 9 years. Over time she got to know his symptoms and and general health patterns well enough that she didn't need to see him in person for some treatments. She did see Coy every few months when he was well to check his lab work and generally assess his health.

Having a great medical team was a HUGE factor in being able to care for Coy at home. I wish that for you!

Oh, yes, yes, yes! Something as simple as a cold can have a huge impact on LBD symptoms. In fact, when the LBD symptoms suddenly got worse I learned to predict an acute illness -- within a day or two the cold or sore throat or constipation would make itself known. His doctor learned to trust this, too. And his acute illnesses were often more severe than usual.

Continue with the rest, vaporizers, and lots of fluids. (Popcycles worked well for us and provided some calories as well as fluid.) Monitor temperature. Keep him comfortable. Stay in touch with the clinic about changes. Our geriatrician understood the difficulty of bringing a sick dementia patient in to the clinic and she was willing to prescribe based on my phone description of his cough. She wanted to nip any pneumonia in the bud. Using antibiotics in this way is probably not a good practice in general, but for someone with a terminal condition it may well be the lesser of the bad choices available.

I have a regular ol' cold myself right now. I am spending great amounts of time in bed -- I didn't used to with a cold, but I didn't use to be 70! Bedrest is to be encouraged when an elder or someone with a chronic condition is ill, in my opinion. If he gets up to eat and use the bathroom at least he is using his muscles a little each day.

I would try both in order to get as much information as possible.

Should I try his neurologist or the family doctor?

Could you call his regular doctor and ask for help since you are concerned about him? I am so sorry you are having difficulty with transportation, too.

He just went to the local Instacare office. You seldom see the same Dr twice there. Our doctor is in the next town and we have problems with transportation.

Can you call the doctor's office and ask for information ? Tell them why you are concerned and they should help. Sometimes a caregiver has to be stubborn. :)

I usually go with him to the doctor but couldn't this time, so didn't get my questions answered.

When someone has a chronic illness, something as simple as cold can be a major event sometimes. I have several chronic illnesses and put myself to bed as a cure. I sleep for hours which is odd to my husband who always found me hyper. I stay hydrated and eat very little. The key is to ask your doctor for a range of time to help you understand when your husband should be feeling better so you don't have to worry. Please keep us posted on how things are progressing.