This morning my husband would just not get up. No amount of pleading or whatever would get him to put his feet on the floor. Moaning, groaning, but not behaving in any unusual fashion except refusing to stand up - remember his leg hurts all the time, and lately I haven't gotten much in the way of analgesic down him bec. he's suddenly in applesauce mode.
It's now noon and I don't know what to do. I did manage to get everything wet off and get a dry depends on him.. I called the visiting nurses who had been coming out for a few weeks, but they had discharged him and his usual nurse is on vacation. He's finally eating a little food and I gave him some Aleve in applesauce, which may help. Yesterday he was walking around as usual. He says he doesn't want to go to the hospital, and I don't want him to, but I can't handle him by myself. Andrew's not due to come until Friday.
briegull its fullmoon in a day or two. it could be its messing with yours too but just in case not can you put in a call to his dr's nurse? tell her whats going on and see what she recommends. its rainy and wet and super nasty and i know my artheritic bones ache more when its wet? you could try later after the aleve takes effect to swing his legs off the bed and try that way i do this. its why now i want a hospital bed, backs cant take much of this action:)=other than these i would suggest you let him be and just let him in repose til hes up to moving again? feed him -push fluids -stuff snacks in bed if need be. hope its better this pm. divvi and stay alert to signs of uti -ugh but it happens like this too.
Sundowning has been worse here the last 2 days. Going to ask the Hospice Nurse for a med change tomorrow. I am looking forward to having a few days respite at the Hospice Hospital every 90 days.
Hoping things are easing off for you, but because you have posted since early morning, I'm beginning to think they haven't. Wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you, but can't come up with any more practical advice than Divvi has already offered. With everything else apparently normal, it's a puzzle. Please let us know when you are able.
I was curious, too, if things had gotten any better. I am hoping that it has, but I do remember that one day my husband could walk and after lunch that day he no longer could figure out how to get his legs to move. After that he was wheelchair/bed bound.....I do hope this is not the case and maybe it was just a bad day.
Last night was horrible. I let him stay in bed all day, then suggested he get up and come downstairs for dinner (including sherry and ice cream!!) He was willing to try but then could not stand up. We finally got him attached to his walker but he went about 3 feet and just couldn't do it. SO I tried to get him back into bed and THAT was awful. Yelling and screaming, collapsed face down partially on the bed and partially on the floor. I called my daughter (who was fixing dinner) and with much noise and yelling - and even cursing her for the first time ever, which was a blow - we got him back on the bed and managed to get his sopping depends off and a dry one on, more or less, got him lying on the bed. I raised it (it's a hospital bed) so he could eat and he ate a few bites of dinner, me feeding him.
He does not seem to be paralyzed, he does seem to have trouble eating/swallowing - this has been coming on for a few days and I've started crushing his pills in applesauce, which I did manage to get down him. It's like his whole body is painful, or his skin is hypersensitive.. but his bad leg does NOT appear to be swollen as it sometimes is.
scs, who lives in town and is a nurse, is coming over later this morning. Where we go from here I have no idea. I'm thinking I'll call the neuro now that his office should be opening and see if he has any med to reduce anxiety. And then I'll have to see if he's any better. The room is getting pretty smelly!
I'm thinking the ER may be in order. It may be progression or it could be something you haven't thought of. I'm not a fan of ER's but a Dr. can make an evaluation.If it's nothing serious you go home. If it's something else you're in the right place. Good luck and let us know. xox cs
i agree briegull. you should take him in to ER it could be a uti or somethinng easy to treat - if hes unable to walk and in pain he needs some evaluation from a qualified dr not just a nurse. infarct, stroke, should be ruled out at least- like CS says if not serious and only arthritic pain then you can bring him home and treat accordingly. while there you may want to ask his dr about hospice too if hes unable to move, dress himself, and incontinent. thats enough to qualify him and would get you alot of inhome help.. so sorry hope he/you are in better situations soon! divvi
Realize the only way to get him to the ER would have been via the EMTs. He was upstairs, I couldn't even get him into a wheelchair much less transfer from that to the stair chair to the wheelchair at the bottom and then down the few steps into the car. And to bring him home again would have entailed the same.
He's still moaning about his leg this morning but I did get two Aleve down him and he managed to get downstairs, etc, as usual. Behaving as usual, in other words. Said he wanted to go down and listen to music but seems to be satisfied with the morning shows, eating as usual. I'm going to ask the doctor for some kind of anti-anxiety med but not sure what - is there anything that is fast-acting? Stuff like zoloft and paxil take time; maybe he should take them but if I need something quickly?
briegull, that was quite a scare. It's so good to know he's moving about today. It does seem like you might need a plan of action in case this happens again. When will he next be seen by a doctor? Lots of ((((hugs))).
We even went out in the car today, to Walmart, and I got a pill crusher (had been using my big cook's mortar and pestle!) and some UTI strips which I'll run on him tonight before we get him to bed. It is amazing how well he's done, completely forgotten yesterday. Only problem has been that he wanted to go sit in the living room and listen to Mozart, and chose to sit in the recliner he doesn't know how to use and then to keep trying to get up and reach things and cursing (alone), so I must have gone to him ten times in ten minutes before he settled down. Now he's fine.
Briegull, what kind of pill crusher did you get? Does it work well? I wasn't too happy with the little plastic screw-thing I bought and am very glad I didn't have to use it much but I have put a small mortar and pestle on my Christmas list. I do like the little plastic jobbie to have in my purse in case I have to administer a stealthy Risperdal in a candy bar while travelling.
Dear Friends...need to add my 2 cents worth! Divvi....yes I am only a nurse...but what everyone needs is thoughtful assessment prior to using ED as health care providers. To rush a dementia patient to a large busy ED for assessment is not only detrimental to the patient but also contributes to the rediculous spiriling of health care costs. Obama listen please! What my dear friend Clare needed was a call to make sure she and her beloved DH were safe. We talked, he was sleeping comfortably, no fever, leg assessment by his caring, knowledgable wife did not demonstrate a problem. Neuro assessment okay except for "acting out". As Clare reflected, Divvi said could be full moon! We decided to wait the night and reassess in the morning. This morning all was relatively back to normal and I reminded Clare to inform her doc of what had transpired.
Guess my message is....as the caring, competent caregiver, you often know the right thing to do you just need support to reaffirm your decision. In a true emergency you just dial 911. I have been so upset to see folks bring a demented patient or a terminal patient to he ED to be assessed which has caused a tremendous set back in their loved one's behavior.
Thanks, Sandy. You're more than "just" a nurse! I'm glad I didn't rush to the ER. Thanks for the support!
I got one of those little pill crushers, Jeanette, and it doesn't work nearly as well as the good mortar and pestle.. but then THAT has lots of garlic-and-salt crushed into it, I'm sure, from when I make tzadziki.
Although all is well now, and he's cleaning his plate in anticipation of "ice cream" = Bridgham's rasperry frozen yogurt which we both love - I realize that if he really becomes immobile, I will have to place him. He was adjudged a couple of months ago to not be in "hospice" mode yet. I will have to have him admitted to a facility, presumably nursing home rather than "assisted living AZ unit" .
My question (hello, Jane!): if I have him admitted, and go through the medicaid hoops, and he then becomes hospice, or is so unhappy I can't in conscience leave him - can I bring him home, and then return him if needed, and still have him in medicaid?
Haven't used it for meds yet, but got a nice littler mortar/pestle in the housewares dept. for less than $10. Ceramic. Using it to grind up fish flakes. Big flakes--little fish.
Just an FYI: in a true emergency patients can be taken down the stairs on a backboard. I have taken patients who were unable to use a stair chair down stairs using straps to create a foothold. I've helped slide a patient down the stairs as well as carried some down. Don't ever let an EMT or Paramedic tell you they can't do it. It is time consuming but worth it for the comfort of the patient. Oh, and I've been the patient too!
from briegull's description of how/where;location/ and how difficult getting DH down into a vehicle without EMT on board would be and almost impossible to do on her own- i can see why she'd rather have an evaluation by a nurse instead. if she is comfortable with that assessment that should be enough. each person decides the course of action appropriate for their loved one in any given circumstance. my point was sometimes losing valuable time can also be detrimental to the patient as well was all. i have due respect for all nurses both here as friends and because my family is almost all RN's or physicians including mother and sister and son is a dr. its good to hear your DH is doing well again clare. divvi
FWIW, I think it's terribly difficult for any of us to assess someone else's situation via cyber space. We can suggest what has worked for us in the past, what we think we might do in the same circumstance, but each of us has to trudge ahead in our own shoes. In some instances those shoes may well require a trip to the ER with our spouse, other times we get to avoid that. Bottom line, all's well that ends well. Good know things are looking up, briegull.
Bluedaze, you've led a deprived life if you don't know about fish flakes. They can be dauntingly large for some of the little fishes. (-:
He felt much better yesterday and when I went to Walmart I picked up a UTI test kit. BOY, within a second of putting it under the stream this morning both patches turned pink and purple! I'll call the doctor at nine!
It explains why he was so frantic - it was as if touching him at all hurt him, so he screamed away! Today he's muttering in the shower as usual, but a happy muttering. Whew!