Doctor says no problem?

My mum was put on statins for high cholesterol and some of the side effects were confusion, leg pains and numbness in her feet which caused her to fall a lot. I persuaded her to stop taking them and adjust her diet but although the confusion disappeared her legs and feet were never right again

Sedative cough mixtures have codeine in them and can cause addiction. I had a nice old man patient who was addicted to it. I doubt if this type of sedative cough mixture can be bought over the counter, although perhaps it can, for all I know.

Pains in feet / lower legs and consequent lameness can be caused by circulatory failure often caused by smoking.

If the doctors can't diagnose what is wrong with her you are unlikely to do so. Perhaps ask for a second opinion from another doctor? Is she accompanied to the consultation? If so , why not mention the cough mixture? Can you get a sample of it to show to your pharmacist?

It is not normal to drink cough medicine every day before bed and depending on which one, there are still some that are available over the counter that can become addictive over time. I very much doubt if she has told her GP that she does this either!
I also wonder if that is actually cough medicine or has been replaced by alcohol ?

Sounds like an alcoholic to me but the point is it is up to her daughter to deal with the doctors
Seems a bit churlish you are prioritising the genetic possibilities in a grandchild
Even if she has a 'condition' what are you going to do about it !

There is a type of dementia specific to drinkers, called 'wet brain' (not sure what the proper term is, sorry)

My friends daughter developed it in her late 30s.

I wonder if it could be that?

Whatever it is, it sounds alarming to me. She sounds quite poorly. Pains in her feet and unable to walk properly - could it be neuropathy? That pain is very sharp nerve pain. Her indistinct speech is a worry. A second opinion perhaps with a total body check?

MN, MS Parkinsons all been ruled out. Surely the doctor would have looked at dementia. Maybe they think it is in her head but she is not telling s that.

Surely they will have done brain scans to rule out Motor Neurone Disease? The indistinct speech could be a sign. But for everyone's sake, I hope not.

could it be some kind of dementia.
often not being able to walk correctly and talk at the same time is an early indicator, also loss of sense of smell.

David reread my post, Huntingdon's disease is hereditary and even, if the name has never been mentioned, there will be a history, like that described in this article of family members suffering from some kind of degenerative disease.

In the OP's case, except for this one lady, who is ill now, she does not mention any family history, it is just one person with a problem, and from the OP, if there was any probability of Huntingdon's that would have been screened out.

Whether you know the name of the disease or not, if someone has it there will be a family history.

Yes she did/does? drink. My dil says it is for attention. I worry there may be something actually wrong. She did used to be a nurse so would know the symptoms of diseases. She has recently told me that they are now testing her for huntingtons chorea. But if the doctors have tested for huntingtons then how could she have huntingtons chorea. Is she lying? as I said she would now the symptoms herself. She is 64.

"But forget Huntingdons disease. If that was in the family you would know." Not necessarily, I am sorry to say. See:
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/10/do-we-have-a-right-to-know-if-we-could-have-the-huntingtons-disease-gene

If it was Huntington's disease, then there would be a history of it in her family. It is an entirely hereditary disease and, sadly abut 50% of family members inherit the gene, So unless there is a very clear history of it in the family, I would stop worrying about that.

I would agree with Hetty that alcohol could be a possibility. Someone who is quite a heavy drinker need not smell of alcohol.

My DH had an elderly aunt we visited and cared for. We knew she enjoyed a drink, but it was only when she was rushed to hospital with liver failure, we realised just how much she was drinking. She was having a hefty whisky mid morning, another at lunch time, one with afternoon tea, at supper and when she went to bed, yet I never once noticed her smelling of alcohol, except for a short period (minutes) immediately after a drink.

I also agree that they could be psychosomatic, whichdoen't mean she can snap out of her illness, the causes are essentially mental.

But forget Huntingdons disease. If that was in the family you would know.

2nd thought - does she drink?

It could be that her pains and apparent disabilities are due to her mental (rather than physical) health.

My own mother 'couldn't' walk far or exert herself and suffered all kinds of symptoms from about the age of 40. She was on 20 different medications too. When she was 89 a new doctor got her down to half a dozen meds - and told me it was all in her head!

How old is the Mil, love0c?