So this past week has been extremely stressful and life changing. Saturday April 24th started off like any other Saturday. Dan and I ran errands to Costco and Albertsons like we normally do. Hannah, Sophie and I went to moms about 1030am. It was shower day for mom and all went well. We has sushi for lunch. Mom enjoyed the tempura shrimp and soft shell crab. We were watching a movie when she laid down on the couch and dozed off. All typical things she does. When I woke her around 2pm to help her back to her bedroom she was fine and even started to sit up and get in a standing position. Everything after that became scary.
She sat limp to the right side and was unresponsive. She was looking right at me but couldn't speak. She grabbed my hand and kept squeezing all the while with her eyes open looking at me. I called the Kaiser advice line and the nurse advised to call 911. Mom started to talk and tell me she has a hard time catching her breath and ended up losing her bowels in the process. I checked her temperature and blood pressure. Temp was normal. BP was 134/104.
The fire department and paramedics arrived and coded her stroke. She was taken to Sharp Grossmont. They performed a CT scan and advised no stoke, brain bleed or blood clot. She was diagnosed with a severe UTI. They started her on IV antibiotics. She was later transferred to Kaiser Zion for observation.
On Sunday she had an MRI. Results showed moderate dementia. The doctor advised there are no medications to slow the spread at the stage she is at. We will need to monitor her and adjust. I arrived around 130pm at the hospital. She was disoriented and confused still. The nurse advised she didn't eat any breakfast and to bring something for her. Late Sunday and she was transferred to a lower floor for further observation.
On Monday she was anxious to go home when I arrived at 830am. All was going well. She ate breakfast and lunch. She wasn't going to be discharged because her urine culture wasn't received from Grossmknt. I let her know that I was leaving for the day and will be back in the morning. As I was leaving she became unresponsive again. The nurse called for a rapid response team comprised of ICU staff to triage until her doctor came. Again they coded her as stroke. She was immediately brought down for a CT. The doctors advised it could be a stroke or seizure. Later that night the doctor called and advised it was not a stroke nor seizure but was a cause of the UTI infection. The body was pulling strength from the brain to fight the infection thus the unresponsiveness. She was transferred back to the 5th floor to be monitored more closely.
On Tuesday she was in a better mood. We received news that her urine culture was received and she would be sent home with cipro and culturelle. She was discharged around 2pm.
We are now taking the next steps to determine the level of her dementia so we can figure out a plan for her care.
After the doctor told me her diagnosis of dementia and the tell tale signs it made more sense to me and I wish I would have known earlier so I could get her help earlier. The falls, the confusion, the inability to make a decision and the inability to express pain all fit the characteristics of a dementia patient. Her BP and temp were in the normal range so there wasn't a way for me to know there was something wrong. I attributed her actions to depression.
6 years ago we were in the hospital with dad due to complications of his prostate cancer. The uneasy and helpless feelings are back again....for my mom this time... I pray for no to minimal suffering.
