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My mom's husband isn't doing well...


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I posted over the weekend because he had emergency surgery to install a pacemaker. The surgery went fine and he was supposed to go home today. However, he had a really bad night - confused, disoriented, screaming, and it took 12 people and security to control him. As of late morning, he was still restrained, so I don't know whether he will be able to go home or not. I am a little concerned about my mom being alone with him if he is confused and doesn't know what he is doing. I am glad one of his daughters was there to see exactly what was going on so that they wouldn't start thinking my family was making stuff up or upsetting him. Please pray for him if you are so inclined. Thanks!

 

ETA: I was able to talk to my sister for a few minutes. He is still restrained and has been seen by a neurologist, cardiologist, and urologist, and he's had a ton of bloodwork. They still have no idea what's causing the psychological symptoms, but he can't go home until they get it under control. My mom sounds tired and shaken, but she won't go home or to my sister's to get some good sleep in a bed.

Edited by LizzyBee
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:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Your poor mom! She must be a wreck!

 

Thank goodness they won't let him go home until they have identified and solved the problems, because it could have been dangerous for your mom to have been alone in the house with him -- not to mention how terrible he would have felt if he'd accidentally harmed her while he didn't know what he was doing.

 

Perhaps he had a very bad reaction to anesthesia or one of the medications they're giving him?

 

I hope they figure it out soon -- it sounds like he's in a lot of distress. :grouphug:

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The last update I received said his CT scan was normal. My sister thinks it's psychosis, probably brought on by the stress of the surgery and being hospitalized. She's been an ER nurse for 30 years, so she's pretty smart about these kinds of things. Maybe he would calm down at home in his normal surroundings, but it's too risky to take a chance. His daughter and my mom would not be able to control him if he has another episode like last night. My mom is 80 yo and doesn't need to risk getting hurt.

 

Thanks for praying for him! He is such a kind and gentle man, and I'm sure he's horrified and embarrassed in his more lucid moments. He hit my sister last night, and today he said he didn't know it was her; he just saw purple hair. She has brown hair. I would think they'll do a psych eval tomorrow unless they find a physical cause in the meantime.

 

My sister is working 16 hours tomorrow and 8 hours on Wednesday, so I hope she can get a good night's sleep tonight.

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A drug reaction can do this. I've seen demerol do this over and over. Also, there is alcoholic hallucinosis. A regular drinker goes 2-3 days without, doesn't have DTs, but hallucinates. Classic case is the business man who has surgery and runs down the hall nude in the middle of the night.

 

My father has reacted the same way to pain medications. Any narcotic based pain medicines make him crazy. He even managed to break the casts off of his two broken legs and walk on them to barricade himself in his room to keep the doctors and nurses out. He thought they were trying to kill him.

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I talked to my mom, and they had a better night last night. He is out of the restraints, and my mom sounded like she got some sleep. The doctors have told her numerous things that could have caused it, but they're not sure what actually did cause it. Maybe it was the medications and he'll be fine when he gets off of them. But the doctors are advising her to put him in a nursing home temporarily in case it happens again. He's not a big man, but he's always worked hard and he's very strong, so my mom has to consider her safety. She said she was really scared when he threatened her the other night (the same night he hit my sister). He never drinks and won't allow alcohol in their home, so that's not it. His daughter is going to stay for awhile, so that's good.

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Mom's husband went home from the hospital this morning. He's doing much better. The agitation began before he was given any medications, so the best explanation at this point is the beginning of dementia. Hopefully, he will be fine, at least for a good long while, at home in familiar surroundings.

 

Thank you to all who prayed for them!

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Mom's husband went home from the hospital this morning. He's doing much better. The agitation began before he was given any medications, so the best explanation at this point is the beginning of dementia. Hopefully, he will be fine, at least for a good long while, at home in familiar surroundings.

 

Thank you to all who prayed for them!

 

I am really sorry to hear this.

 

If his symptoms progress and your mother can't handle him, there is an option of placing him in a geriatric psychiatric ward so all med adjustments, and crazy mood swings, can be handled in a controlled setting. We had to do this with my mom. It was heartbreaking, but necessary. My dad was at his breaking point and was in heart failure. Getting just the right meds is difficult.

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