Back to ER - Update 9/28

[ODAT]

My sister who is here from Florida, took mom to the ER. Yesterday pcp changed xanax to ativan. Not saying that's why this happened but just to give you background. Last night mom fell, didn't get hurt. This morning getting out of bed mom fell and hurt her wrist. Mom couldn't get up and two older women that my sister called to help were not able to get her up. Sis had to go to office and find the maintenance guy.

After 30 min or so mom was icing her wrist. Sis said she was going to get her breakfast. I told her to make sure she took her blood sugar first. She called me back it was 20!! She called me again and said that my other sis was on her way there to help get mom in the car to take her to ER. She was very weak and her wrist hurt and was crying uncontrollably. Mom has not had any relief from the anxiety and dizziness that took her to ER two times ago.

Even before they put her on any new med, mom was very anxious, jumping out of her skin, couldn't sit still. Since xanax she has looked dopey, speaks lethargically, weak, and walks very slowly. My brain hurts from trying so hard to figure this out and get her to feel better. She just looks at us and cries, 'why can't I feel better?'

I am trying to work - they have been so good here. I just told my boss at our regular weekly that she was on her way to ER again. He said leave if you need to. I said going to stay for now.  So I better do some work... I'll post an update later.

[monrein]

Your poor Mom.  And I know hoe hard it is on you three also.

[willieandwinnie]

ODAT, Her blood sugar being that low can cause jumping out of her skin, can't sit still, looking dopey, speaking lethargically, weak, and walking very slowly. When mine gets too low, I also sweat and turn beet red. I hope they find out whats going on and she can get some relief. 

[Sluff]

Hope they get her straightened out with her blood sugars.

[paris]

ODAT, Your sweet Mom has really had a hard time. I hope something can be done to make her feel better.  It really has been a rough time.  We'll keep saying lots of prayers 

[okarol]

My mom had a low blood sugar spell when I was at her house the other day. She got clammy and sweaty and said she felt "prickly" all over.
I got her a glass of orange juice and stayed with her until she felt better. She had forgotten to eat because her schedule was off.

[G-Ma]

odat and okarol, I hope you any your moms are feeling better...it's fall...everything should be wonderful...can you tell I love this season??
Ann

[Mimi]

Odat, I am so sorry your Mom is feeling so poorly.  It all seems to be tied into her blood sugar.
I can't believe her sugar would be 20 and she was still conscious.  I know she feels anxious and
nervous, who wouldn't?  I'll be watching for your update on her and tell her I am praying for her.  Give her a BIG hug from me.

Love, Mimi

[annabanana]

I'm sorry about your mom. Hopefully the ativan will be MUCH better for her! 

[ODAT]

9/24 in ER they put a soft cast on mom's arm. She fractured her wrist. Gave her a couple vicodin because she was so distraught. She has been becoming increasingly anxious and seriously crying and not herself. She will ask what time it is she did that a few times today and then she'd start crying real bad. I asked her why she was crying. She said the day was going too slow. All's she wants to do is sleep and all's she prays for when she wakes up is that she feels better.
 
They sent a psychiatrist to see mom in the EOU (emergency observation unit). She changed mom's meds. Debbie and I were with there thankfully. A few days ago they took her off Xanax and gave her Ativan. They had also switched her antidepressant to Lexapro. Since starting the Xanax in the hospital she's been looking drugged, talking like she is and very agitated and sleepy yet can't sleep. The psyc put her back on her old antiD - Celexa and increased the mg from 20 to 40. Took her off lexapro and ativan. Gave her another anxiety med Neutrotin. psyc said some older people cannot tolerate ativan.

In ER they found she has a urinary tract infection - most probably from the cathedar the last time she was there. Mom had to go and they brought her a bedpan. Deb didn't realize there was a toilet under the sink. Anyway mom had to remind the nurse that she needed to take a sample. They found out today and gave her antibiotics by mouth, and a bag of iv antibiotics every 12 hours.

She was taken off Lyrica because of the new anxiety med Neutrotin - they can't be taken together. I am going to see if there is any evidence of people having adverse reactions to grafts. I know that she is experiencing some withdrawals from the Xanax they stopped, she was only on that for about a week. She was only on Lexapro and Ativan for two or three days. Now she is on Celexa 40 mg daily and the neutrotin 100 mg three times a day.


These are the symptoms mom is experiencing (not so much the blood boiling but these are signs of extreme anxiety):
 
blood boiling
electric shocks going through body
unstoppable unexplained crying
wanting to sleep but can't


They were going to send mom home Friday 9/26, but I had just talked to cath and she said if they did it would be a 'safe discharge.' I told the social worker that the issue is not mom's arm it is the fact that she fell because of the meds and she is still in that state and even though Debbie is there, there is still a danger that mom would fall again. Deb was there when mom fell so even more concerning. We told them we want her to stay until we see that the meds don't make her worse don't want to come back a FOURTH time.
 
Of concern right now is of course mom's anxiety and lack of ability to get around by herself. Her blood sugar is still too high - around 190 to 200 since she got there. Her blood pressure is too high. They have to take it on her leg because she has a cast up to her elbow on the right arm and an iv, and they can't use the left arm. Her bp was 247/80. It went as low as 118/36! Told the nurse there is a problem and she called the cardio group. They gave her blood pressure med EARLY. Umm, sorry but she is on two blood pressure med and it still got high so what makes you think it will help now.
 
Mom has an appointment to get an aranesp shot tomorrow and hopefully they will give her a transfusion there and not make her go to another facility to get it. She will get a small cast put on Tuesday. Wednesday Visiting Nurse will come again (they came yesterday). She has an ENT, neurologist, and a diabetic doctor appointment. Her blood sugar is too unstable for her to continue just having her primary manage it. This morning it was 48, then after eating it was 243.

Hope I didn't ramble too much. If anyone has any information on if you can have a reaction to the plastic (or whatever it's made of), please let me know. 
 

[Sluff]

  hoping she feels better soon.

[paris]

ODAT, I can't believe how much you poor Mom has been going through.  I'll keep praying they can figure the meds out.  It must be very hard to see her like that.  Sending you hugs 

[ODAT]

mom went to orthopedic today - her wrist is broken! The ER nurse said the xray looked like it was fractured - seriously I didn't think nurses were supposed to tell you anything. Anyway, the ER doc said fracture also. The doc in EOU said no fracture. Then a few hours later in a conversation he holds his pointer and thumb to indicate "a tiny, tiny fracture." Wow, I know when I took my son to that ER they told me it was fractured. Got to the ortho next day and they said just a very bad sprain.

[ODAT]

And now my sister said it looks like mom's mouth is droopy and she is lisping her S's??!! Haven't heard from her neph yet about taking Neutrotin. She is taking 600 mg a day. 2 capsules 100 mg three times a day. Then my husband tells me of a news article regarding Pernicious Anemia. Sounds like what mom's going through. Although mom does get b12 shots usually every 3 weeks, she had been without one for almost 6 weeks. I don't know if those conditions would show up after that amount of time. I'm tired of being the doctor. We have to seriously take her to another hospital if she has to go again. She's been at the same one three times and it seems she gets worse with every visit.

[annabanana]

ODAT, my sister had pernicious anemia. She had many many problems that she masked with painkillers and sleeping pills and antidepressants. I hope your mom got her b12 shot asap, regardless. Sending good thoughts to you. 

[ODAT]

Yes, annabanana, mom got her aranesp and b12 shot yesterday. She should have gotten it a month ago, but that's when we started with the ER trips - total of 3. Not very happy with how things when there and if mom has to go again, we may take her to a different hospital. thanks for the hug

I finally got my question answered by the neph. He said she should only take 300mg daily not 600! I pray that mom does as well on half the dosage she was taking. I have been trying all day to see what the psychiatrist prescribed and even talked to her but she didn't have any notes and the chart info 'wasn't on the computer yet.' I still want to know. If they psyc said total 300 and the PA wrote it for 600 - that's a problem that needs to be addressed. I even see in my 9/28 post in this thread (4th paragraph - last sentence) that it was 300 because that's what the nurse told me.

My sister and mom gave the hospital a bad review. They call to see how your stay was. I told my sis, what did they just keep saying 'uh huh' ?? She said they were going to send it to the manager. I don't know if I posted anywhere that one night they gave my mom xanax and my sister told nurse she wasn't supposed to have it. Nurse gave it to her anyway. that was the night nurse. I talked to day nurse and she said 'they took her off ativan.' I said 'ya, AFTER they took her off xanax.'

Will the fun ever end. I still have to get going on the Plavix suit that caused the lesion. Not going to let that go.