Update on my mom
For those who know my mom, a brief update on her health over the last few weeks.
Around May 15, my mom was admitted to the local hospital in Ohio due to what she described to me as "flu-like symptoms," which I take to mean soreness and dizziness. For about the past month, doctors had been monitoring her creatinine levels and other signs of low-functioning kidneys. Since about 2006, she has had intermittent black- or grey-outs where she briefly loses consciousness and sometimes falls. She has been injured from these incidents on a few occasions. Beginning around December/January 2012, she began having severe pain and immobility in her feet and hands, preventing her from working on jewelry projects and other crafts, and causing emotional distress.
In April, my mom had a few rounds of blood taken and (as I understood it) was waiting for conclusive results; in any event, her kidney function was agreed to be dangerously low, and she was expected to go on dialysis in the near future. Most likely, the dizziness is a result of the lowered kidney function and low blood pressure. Whether there are neurological co-factors has not yet been determined, as far as I know. I spoke with her doctor a few days into her admittance to the hospital, and he explained that the kidney levels were likely low due to overtaxing from her diabetes and high blood pressure. Now, off and on, her BP does dip dangerously low, and it makes mobility more of an issue.
The doctors decided to put her on dialysis using a catheter, giving her three treatments in a row to begin cleansing her blood. Then she would be set on a schedule of dialysis three times per week, and a shank may be placed in her arm for the dialysis (this requires measurements and a custom-made piece), which would be easier to maintain. The doctor told me she would not be a candidate for a kidney transplant because of her general health. My mom was placed on a regime of physical therapy, regular dialysis, and some adjustments to her diet and medications in light of protecting her kidneys.
Just after Memorial Day, she was moved to a rehabilitation facility with the intention of stabilizing her condition and building her strength so that she could go home. Being at home, she would have to go up and down stairs at least once a day, and she is not currently strong enough or stable enough to make that trip safely. She was given a number of exercises to strengthen her heart and her mobility, and was able to walk several feet during sessions.
This past Monday, my mom appears to have fallen while alone at the rehab center. Whether or not she had a concussion or could be confirmed as having had a stroke was not communicated to me. From that time until Wednesday evening, she was in and out of consciousness and coherence, and seems to have had a series of panic attacks either brought on by her mental state or by pain. I did not talk to her during the most severe periods, but it was conveyed to me that she repeated herself and was not able to speak in complete sentences. She seemed semi-aware of her surroundings, sometimes responding to comments, crying, and sometimes withdrawing and responding to thoughts in her own mind.
She was moved back to the hospital, then to the rehab center again on Tuesday (apparently she had been improving) and to the hospital again after her condition deteriorated somewhat again Tuesday evening. When I talked to her on Wednesday, she was able to speak in complete sentences, and was clearly aware of my presence during the entire phone call. She is feeling very alone and afraid (one of her close friends is taking care of her and spends a good deal of time with her every day) and does not understand her condition. She did not remember all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday, but she was able to hold a conversation with me, retain information from earlier in the conversation, and comment on her physical and mental faculties.
Last night, when I talked to her, she said the left side of her face was drooping and that she believes she did have a stroke. I am hoping to speak with her doctor soon; she has so far not been available when I've called. The nurses' prevailing theory is that her "altered mental state" is a result of an adjustment to dialysis and/or not having had dialysis on Monday after her fall. Her CAT scans and enzyme levels were "unremarkable" on Monday, suggesting that she did not have a concussion or stroke, but her urea and creatinine levels were way off on Tuesday when she was brought back in.
I have not been able to get any conclusive read on her prognosis from the doctors. She is seeing a nephrologist and general emergency doctor daily.
Around May 15, my mom was admitted to the local hospital in Ohio due to what she described to me as "flu-like symptoms," which I take to mean soreness and dizziness. For about the past month, doctors had been monitoring her creatinine levels and other signs of low-functioning kidneys. Since about 2006, she has had intermittent black- or grey-outs where she briefly loses consciousness and sometimes falls. She has been injured from these incidents on a few occasions. Beginning around December/January 2012, she began having severe pain and immobility in her feet and hands, preventing her from working on jewelry projects and other crafts, and causing emotional distress.
In April, my mom had a few rounds of blood taken and (as I understood it) was waiting for conclusive results; in any event, her kidney function was agreed to be dangerously low, and she was expected to go on dialysis in the near future. Most likely, the dizziness is a result of the lowered kidney function and low blood pressure. Whether there are neurological co-factors has not yet been determined, as far as I know. I spoke with her doctor a few days into her admittance to the hospital, and he explained that the kidney levels were likely low due to overtaxing from her diabetes and high blood pressure. Now, off and on, her BP does dip dangerously low, and it makes mobility more of an issue.
The doctors decided to put her on dialysis using a catheter, giving her three treatments in a row to begin cleansing her blood. Then she would be set on a schedule of dialysis three times per week, and a shank may be placed in her arm for the dialysis (this requires measurements and a custom-made piece), which would be easier to maintain. The doctor told me she would not be a candidate for a kidney transplant because of her general health. My mom was placed on a regime of physical therapy, regular dialysis, and some adjustments to her diet and medications in light of protecting her kidneys.
Just after Memorial Day, she was moved to a rehabilitation facility with the intention of stabilizing her condition and building her strength so that she could go home. Being at home, she would have to go up and down stairs at least once a day, and she is not currently strong enough or stable enough to make that trip safely. She was given a number of exercises to strengthen her heart and her mobility, and was able to walk several feet during sessions.
This past Monday, my mom appears to have fallen while alone at the rehab center. Whether or not she had a concussion or could be confirmed as having had a stroke was not communicated to me. From that time until Wednesday evening, she was in and out of consciousness and coherence, and seems to have had a series of panic attacks either brought on by her mental state or by pain. I did not talk to her during the most severe periods, but it was conveyed to me that she repeated herself and was not able to speak in complete sentences. She seemed semi-aware of her surroundings, sometimes responding to comments, crying, and sometimes withdrawing and responding to thoughts in her own mind.
She was moved back to the hospital, then to the rehab center again on Tuesday (apparently she had been improving) and to the hospital again after her condition deteriorated somewhat again Tuesday evening. When I talked to her on Wednesday, she was able to speak in complete sentences, and was clearly aware of my presence during the entire phone call. She is feeling very alone and afraid (one of her close friends is taking care of her and spends a good deal of time with her every day) and does not understand her condition. She did not remember all of Tuesday and part of Wednesday, but she was able to hold a conversation with me, retain information from earlier in the conversation, and comment on her physical and mental faculties.
Last night, when I talked to her, she said the left side of her face was drooping and that she believes she did have a stroke. I am hoping to speak with her doctor soon; she has so far not been available when I've called. The nurses' prevailing theory is that her "altered mental state" is a result of an adjustment to dialysis and/or not having had dialysis on Monday after her fall. Her CAT scans and enzyme levels were "unremarkable" on Monday, suggesting that she did not have a concussion or stroke, but her urea and creatinine levels were way off on Tuesday when she was brought back in.
I have not been able to get any conclusive read on her prognosis from the doctors. She is seeing a nephrologist and general emergency doctor daily.