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From 150 lbs she is down to 105.



She lives in a lovely apartment.


Her kitchen is well stocked, she eats a healthy breakfast at home .


She goes out to eat regularly and often orders a chocolate milkshake after a generous, well balanced meal.


Yet she continues to lose weight.


She is generally active, using a walker to shop and do errands with her companion.


The companion is taking on more housecleaning duties but she still does her own laundry and changes her sheets and straightens up her apartment.


She does have arthritis and a colostomy.


Her heart is strong and though she has fallen a few times she has never broken a bone!


She knows what she likes and what she wants and is demanding, usually getting it.

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What does her physician say about this?
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I had the same problem with my father. He turned out to have a chronic inflammatory disorder and wasn't absorbing nutrients. As was mentioned, I would take her to the doctor and have them do a full workup.
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Your mother needs a full medical work up and testing to see what the reason is for her drastic weight loss. Is she having pain in any part of her body that would be an indicator of which area might benefit from a CT scan looking for a culprit?

Best of luck
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She could have an over active thyroid or Graves desease. She needs labs done.
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When was your mom's last full checkup with her PCP?

Weight loss, when not purposely dieting, can be due to a number of illnesses, some of them very serious.

My 91 year old mom has gone from 145 lbs to 113 in one year. She also has a well stocked pantry, freezer and refrigerator and generally shows a normal appetite when eating around others.

Still, I'm worried, and I've taken her to the doctor twice so far since beginning caretaking earlier this year. So far, everything checks out ok physically; mentally, it's apparent to everyone that Mom's in the early to mid stages of Alzheimers.
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lealonnie1 Apr 2022
Katy; she could be forgetting to eat; forgetting HOW to cook and/or the steps to prepping food/using the microwave, etc. With ALZ at play, her tastes could have changed; they like the taste of sweet now, for the most part; you might try yoghurts and milkshakes/higher calorie/dense foods that taste good to HER vs. 'healthy' choices that have few calories. They often need prompting to eat, esp if she's in IL where they're not looked after quite like they are in AL/MC. You may already know all this, I just thought I'd let you know; also, as ALZ progresses, they lose their appetite. I watched my mother do that, and she used to be able to eat my DH under the table!!! Huge appetite went down to pushing food around on a plate and refusing COOKIES!! I hate dementia.
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Lealonnie1: Yes, I am somewhat acquainted with the course that dementia takes, since my mom inherited this from my grandmother. My grandmother weighed probably about 75 lbs by the time she died, and she had excellent personal attention nursing care in a small facility.

My mom still knows how to use an oven and microwave. I often "let" her cook lunch for the 2 of us, because it's helpful to her to feel as if she's useful in some way. Also, I keep her fridge and pantry stocked with everything from fresh organic veggies to cake and ice cream, in order to tempt her failing appetite.

One thing I learned from watching my dad die -- throw out the diet cookbooks at the end! The important thing is just to get them to eat something...no matter whether it's "health" food or not.

I hate Dementia too. It's become my Nemesis.
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Leave her alone. If there is anything serious about her not gaining weight, it's too late to do anything. Let her enjoy whatever life she has left. Forget about seeing doctors or having tests, for what?
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newbiewife Apr 2022
I don't understand why you are so consistently negative about trying any actions for treatment or comfort for the elderly. The weight loss could be a totally treatable condition, with a non-invasive solution. Losing too much weight for whatever reason can have all kinds of cascading negative consequences.
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Mum went through a drastic weight loss as well. Turns out her thyroid incredibly overactive (treated now with meds) and as an added bonus other symptoms of this are irritability, restlessness, and anxiety which in mum's case (alzheimers) was/is another layer of navigation. Good news is the anti anxiety medication she is on is now significantly lowered so side effects have decreased as well.
We now have "Pie Lunch Wednesdays"!
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Check her thyroid. I lost 10 pounds last year without trying and was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, a form of hyperthyroidism.
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Is 105 a healthy weight for her based on her size? How long did it take for her to go from 150 down to 105?

Are you sure she is eating the food and not eating and throwing it up? or eating and having diarrhea? or worse, acting like she is eating but actually tossing the food because it didn't taste good? Does #2 (output from the body) align with the amount of food that she is taking in?

Assuming none of the above is happening, I agree, it is time for a full blood panel analysis. Make sure they check for thyroid which is an "extra" test.

In addition, I have read (and do believe) that the "elderly" body is not as efficient at absorbing nutrients from food, some bodies more than others. That is why the suggestion of taking a daily multi-vitamin and especially vitamin D and/or vitamin B12 supplement. However, a complete blood panel analysis would be able to point out any known vitamin deficiencies.

Is she seeing a doctor for an annual or bi-annual? Has the doctor commented on the change in weight?
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She either may have problems with digestion - producing enzymes to break down food, absorbing food, or it passes to quickly through her system... OR, she may have developed diabetes. Please get her in to see her doctor pronto so that this can be addressed. She will need some tests and might even need to be hospitalized for a few days.
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can we ask why she has a colostomy bag ie did she have colon cancer?she needs to get a workup at the dr - it could be many things from her telling you she is eating(when she is not) to thyroid to cancer.....does she feel weak from all this weight loss?
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My mother was losing weight and since she loved ice cream, every night around 8:30 we would fix her an ice cream dish to include chocolate Ensure poured on top and she started to gain her weight back. However, doctor needs to be involved to do a work up.
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She needs to see a doctor ASAP.
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My mother at 95 yo went from 175 lbs down to 125 lbs in roughly 2 yrs. She had invasive squamous cell skin cancer and I think her body was using a lot of energy to maintain her strength. She too ate well and did well on a daily basis to maintain her home, but the skin cancer won out in the end. She ended up with cancer in other parts of the body and decided not to treat.
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TChamp Apr 2022
I'm glad you decided not to "treat" her cancer. That would have killed her sooner. That was a perfectly normal death. Nobody dies naturally with a healthy body. Something has to happen (disease) to give us the last push.
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I feel your pain, since I have the same problem.

My mother, who is about to turn 90 in two weeks suffered a huge weight loss from the time she got sick last year to the present time. I live with mom, so I saw this first hand. Last year after turning 89. she got very sick, with a number of ailments. First, she had a bad reaction to a new drug, then she got a UTI, followed by diverticulitis, and some other stuff. She dropped from 120 lbs to 87 lbs. For a while she was in hospice, but thankfully, she was removed from hospice after it was apparent she was not dying. Now she wants to gain weight but says she has no appetite. She has upper and lower dentures. She tells me she trouble swallowing "solid" food, meat potatoes, salad, etc. She lives almost exclusively on soup, preferably creamy vegetable or seafood soups. I put all the soups through a blender to eliminate large pieces and get a smooth texture. She always eats her soup. Mental state is good with little cognitive loss. She walks with a walker fairly well, though she does get tired.

My goals for her are to try to get some more weight on her. She wants to gain weights but has little appetite. So far, I have started adding grated cheese to her soups to increase the caloric count. Also, she is eating Greek Yogurt in the mornings. Someone on this post mentioned thyroid problems, so I'm thinking of setting up a Drs visit to check her thyroids. She has started eating some solid food. Yesterday she ate some sheppards pie, with no problems. At the moment, she is eating enough to maintain her weight, but she needs to eat more. I would like to get her to 100 lbs or so. Any suggestions are welcome
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Candyapple Apr 2022
Check out dr. Michael Klaper and dr. Neal Barnard have her drink lots of water. Also have blood test that tells the story see a gastro to check her gut. Most of all listen to intouch.org my lovely pastor Dr. Charles Stanley
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Some people in the forum resist to accept reality. A 96 year old person has surpassed the average life expectancy and is at a ripe for dying naturally at any time. She seems to be enjoying her moment. To submit this woman to rigorous medical tests and treatments is cruel and for what? Why not accept the laws of nature? There is nothing wrong for a 96 year old person who has started to go down hill. Let's suppose they find a malignancy, will they cure her? or will they kill her sooner with chemotherapy?
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Candyapple Apr 2022
Great ! Response. I concur but I also would say just drink lots of water and eat plant based foods as well as just getting tested for blood levels and checking the gut. Otherwise Mum sounds good. I think it’s wonderful she is the age God has given her thus far. Great Response.
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Kudos to your mother who is so active at age 96! It sounds like she is not in pain. Speak to her doctor about her weight loss, but she may decide that it's best to do nothing. Do you know her wishes about medical care (advance directives, a living will)? It may be more bothersome for her to have to go through extensive tests and possibly invasive medical procedures, rather than just to continue enjoying her life. It might be time to switch to hospice-type care (comfort care) if that is her wish, rather than aggressive medical care to fix things. Her doctor would have to certify that she is ready for hospice care.
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At 84. I lost 44 lbs. from lack of appetite due to hip replacement re-do complications. It’s over, and I’ve gained about 15 back, which is about right! Appetite back too! Sometimes it does mean an underlying serious illness and,if I were 96, I’d say to hell with it! Even at 84, there are probably things I would not endure ( like a THIRD surgery right after two, when the hip dislocated 11 times!! I wore a brace for awhile & it has now stabilized!). Congrats to doing so well at 96; I hope your Mom continues to enjoy these years!
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TChamp Apr 2022
I agree with you.
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She should be checked for Diabetes.
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Have Dr check her out. My husband suffered from an inflammatory disease at age 62. No amount of food helped. His body was not absorbing any nutrients or enzymes that Dr prescribed.
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TChamp Apr 2022
Your husband was young, not 96. Life expectancy has to be taken into consideration before making treatment decisions.
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:) hi OP! is your mother having diarrhea? that's 1 way to lose weight quickly. the body isn't absorbing the food. definitely get a doctor (home visit?) to check out what might be going on.

your mother (96) sounds like she has amazing health (apart from the worrying weight loss). going out! errands! manages to do her own laundry. incredible. hug!!
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I would have her get a full blood wk up , test her gut and a bowel test. I would make sure she’s drinking lots of water and eating a plant base diet . Check out dr, Dr. Michael Klaper website and plant base tele. Also, check out Dr. Neal Barnard. Great job taking care of Mom.
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She has lost almost ONE THIRD of her body weight and you're consulting a social internet forum?

What does her doctor suggest might be causing this dramatic weight loss?

[You're using the same, accurate scales? and she wasn't holding on to anything for balance the last time she was weighed, was she? - it might be worth checking again]
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Get her to a doctor ASAP. Don't minimize this weight loss. Unexplained weight loss is one of the classic symptoms of cancer, diabetes and other serious diseases.

Take care.Liz
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TChamp Apr 2022
Can she be cured from a serious disease? are you sure? So far outside the failure to gain weight is the only problem. What's wrong with just leaving her alone?
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As we age, our bodies change with their abilities to absorb nutrients. The gut lining actually changes, it's our entire bodies that are aging, and working less 'well'. (from my SIL who is a GI doc).

You cannot expect a 96 yo gut to do the work that a 40 yo gut did. Just one more lovely part of aging. I've become lactose intolerant as I have gotten older and much more sensitive to overeating--I have to really watch the dairy.

My mom has maintained a weight of about 140 lbs for years, eating whatever she wants, but pretty much just 2 meals a day. She is almost immobile, so she isn't burning many calories at all.

My MIL has GAINED a lot of weight in the last few years and told me she was over 180lbs after always weighing about 130 all her adult life. I think she eats a lot and is also pretty immobile, but IDK, I'm not in her life.

I think at 96, you should just let her have what she wants. Short of a physical problem, which should be ruled out by her Dr., just let her be.
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Having a well stocked kitchen and observing that she is eating well when she is dining out doesn't mean that she is actually eating well at home, and even if she is going through a lot of groceries that isn't proof the food is actually being consumed after it is prepared. I know that people tend to hate on supplements like boost and ensure because they aren't "real food", but they can be a valuable addition to her calorie count in the short term while you figure this out and for the long term if needed.
My words of warning - something very similar happened to my mother (although her weight loss was more subtle and I failed to notice it), it lead to weakness and frailty, which lead to falls and ultimately started the downward spiral of her final years.
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she needs her MD to check her electrolytes...Also there is an emotional component to eating which revolves around "is she a happy person?"
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Please read Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Your 96-year-old mother sounds like she could verbalize what she wants. The hard part is actually listening to our aging parents.
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WendyElaine Apr 2022
That book is great! I should reread it.
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Just my 2 cents: At 96, your mom is quite a rock star for getting around like she does. I believe she's smart enough to make decisions for herself. Let it go.......
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