Re: How to know when a dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

[Guest guest]

Keli, dear, I don't recall what medications your Mom is on, what the

doctors tried on her, and how much. All of this has a bearing. They could have

used

the Antipschotic meds on her in the hospital, and made the situation worse.

can attest to that problem.

I'll see what others have to say, and poor precious girl, please let us know

what the doctor says tomorrow.

Love a bunch,

Imogene

In a message dated 10/15/2007 2:23:33 PM Central Daylight Time,

keli_hawthorne@... writes:

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com

[Guest guest]

Keli,

Can you describe how your Mom is acting/her symptoms right now?

" keli_hawthorne "

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

Sent by: LBDcaregivers

LBDcaregivers@yah cc

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Subject

How to know when a

10/15/2007 03:23 dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

PM

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

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[Guest guest]

I also meant to ask: Has anything changed in the past few weeks?

" keli_hawthorne "

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

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Subject

How to know when a

10/15/2007 03:24 dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

PM

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

[Guest guest]

Oh, yes, in the past few days she has been very lethargic and drowsy. This isn't

like her. She usually is full of energy and doesn't sit down very much. Last

night she slept from about 6 PM until noon and I had to wake her. She has not

changed meds or anything. Her voice has gotten very weak in the past couple of

days too. So I'm going to take her to her doctor but like I was saying I used to

know when she needed to go based mostly on her behavior but now I don't know how

to know when she needs to go. Thanks, Keli

Normal@... wrote:

I also meant to ask: Has anything changed in the past few weeks?

" keli_hawthorne "

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

Sent by: LBDcaregivers

LBDcaregivers@yah cc

oogroups.com

Subject

How to know when a

10/15/2007 03:24 dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

PM

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

[Guest guest]

Keli,

I agree with you that she needs to go. Sleeping excessively and being

lethargic could be a sign of something going on.

keli hawthorne

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

Sent by: LBDcaregivers

LBDcaregivers@yah cc

oogroups.com

Subject

Re: How to know

10/15/2007 03:58 when a dr. visit in

PM necessary(long)(sorry)

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Oh, yes, in the past few days she has been very lethargic and drowsy. This

isn't like her. She usually is full of energy and doesn't sit down very

much. Last night she slept from about 6 PM until noon and I had to wake

her. She has not changed meds or anything. Her voice has gotten very weak

in the past couple of days too. So I'm going to take her to her doctor but

like I was saying I used to know when she needed to go based mostly on her

behavior but now I don't know how to know when she needs to go. Thanks,

Keli

Normal@... wrote:

I also meant to ask: Has anything changed in the past few weeks?

" keli_hawthorne "

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

Sent by: LBDcaregivers

LBDcaregivers@yah cc

oogroups.com

Subject

How to know when a

10/15/2007 03:24 dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

PM

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

[Guest guest]

Oh, sorry about answering the other letter first but for some reason my yahoo.

mail is weird. Other than what I said in the other letter, she has become

increasingly frightened (of everything!). She is becoming increasingly paranoid,

having delusions and hallucinations that are more detailed and vivid. Her meds

don't seem to help AT ALL. She has rapidly declined in the past 6-8 weeks and

quite a bit just this week. Thanks for your help and sorry about the mix up with

mail.

Take good care of yourself,

Keli

Normal@... wrote:

Keli,

Can you describe how your Mom is acting/her symptoms right now?

" keli_hawthorne "

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

Sent by: LBDcaregivers

LBDcaregivers@yah cc

oogroups.com

Subject

How to know when a

10/15/2007 03:23 dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

PM

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

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Recent Activity

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New Members

2

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10

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Visit Your Group

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to share and learn

about healthy eating.

Yahoo! 360°

Get Started

Create your page

Share your life

Yoga Resources

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Take the stress

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[Guest guest]

I would really look at what drugs is she taking Keli. Or what else is going on.

There are lots of ways I would know if I should take Mom to the MD. It depended

on how crazy I felt. The more crazed I was, the quicker I got her an

appointment. Or if I forgot I would call the MD and tell him what was happening

and he would tell me to bring her in. Or take her off meds. Or whatever was

happening.

When ever there is that much change, something is happening. And if not, so

what? Maybe the MD has some good ideas.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year in

a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

How to know when a dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

[Guest guest]

Here's a roundabout answer that's not really definite. I always ask what my mom

expects the doctor to do for dad when she wants to go. It makes her determine

if there is truly a medical problem or if she's just frustrated and looking for

someone to wave a magic wand to make life normal. His former psych thought she

had to give a new prescription every time dad visited. She even changed his BP

med. He ended up in the hospital a few weeks later and the doctors took him

off the stuff the psych gave him and changed back to his old HB med. A similar

thing happened when he went to a nursing home. They changed his medications

without our knowledge, he ended up in the hospital, the docs there changed back

to what he was on before entering the nursing home.

Most of dad's medical problems were from medications so we stopped going to the

docs that want to give lots of pills. The ones that don't throw pills at every

problem usually suggest supplements, exercise and dietary changes. Since we can

find a lot of that kind of info online, we don't go to the doctors as much.

I agree with Donna. That's a lotta stuff your mom takes. Is it all from the

same doctor or several doctors? Did your mom have anesthesia in the hospital?

It seems to make dementia patients worse. Did they give your mom Ativan or

anything else to calm or make her sleep in the hospital? It takes weeks to get

my father back to 'normal' after heavy doses of Ativan and there's always a new

twist or dimension of the illness that develops after a hospital stay. I've

begged my mom not to send him to the psych ward several times because I knew

we'd have to deal with more problems when he came home. She finally realized

that a few months ago. I'm sure dad's condition wouldn't be as bad if mom

didn't run to the doctor and hospital so frequently in the past.

Donna Mido wrote: I would

really look at what drugs is she taking Keli. Or what else is going on. There

are lots of ways I would know if I should take Mom to the MD. It depended on

how crazy I felt. The more crazed I was, the quicker I got her an appointment.

Or if I forgot I would call the MD and tell him what was happening and he would

tell me to bring her in. Or take her off meds. Or whatever was happening.

When ever there is that much change, something is happening. And if not, so

what? Maybe the MD has some good ideas.

Hugs,

Donna R

Caregave for Mom (after I brought her from WI to MI) for 3 years and 4th year

in a nh.

She was almost 89 when she died in '02. No dx other than mine.

How to know when a dr. visit in necessary(long)(sorry)

Oh Dear Group! I know I must be wearing you all out! I've got so many

questions! Okay, this one should probably be something I should just

know but I don't. Mom has really gone downhill fast and seems to be

just getting worse every day. Keep in mind that mom lived alone with

help from me up until about a month ago. She did pretty well, and was

still able to make most of her own calls and keep her finances. Most

of the time the dementia showed up when she was ill or either her

sodium, electrolytes (dehydration), or maybe she had an infection or

something. Then about 2 months ago she started having severe

delusions and hallucinations. Her doctors tried many different things

before finally admitting her to the hospital. At the hospital her

state of mind continued to deteriorate as her health improved. They

finally got her completely physically as well as she could be and

sent her home to live with me. She has seen her primary care dr once

and her neuro once since leaving the hospital. She has appointments

with them again next month.

Well my question is, how would I know when she needs to see the

doctor ahead of time? I mean I constantly worry that maybe her levels

are low or that she has another infection because her behavior is

getting progressively worse. How do you know when it's the LDB or

something else?

I hope someone has some idea. I have made her an early appt. tomorrow

and will ask the doctor this question as well. Somehow though I think

you guys know more about this than her doctor and would like to know

what yall think.

Thanks ahead of time,

Keli

[Guest guest]

HI Keli,

Have you checked your mom for a UTI?

Courage

[Guest guest]

Dear Courage,

My thoughts exactly!!! We went to the doctor yesterday and he sent us to the

lab. And she has an appt. in 2 weeks. I am going to call and see what the lab

results are beforehand because he doesn't usually check them until the day of

the appt.

The appt yesterday didn't go as well as I would have liked. I took mom in

there and she is REALLY not doing good. She can barely walk, barely talk (you

can't hear her), she is terrified (she almost walked out of the waiting room

like 10 times), etc... she is getting worse every day. Anyway the doctor seems

to think that this is all due to dementia (which he doesn't even give a name

for). He prescribed " Risperdal " .25mg daily to start out. I know this is the

horrid, terrible medicine . I didn't know it when he prescribed it. He told me

that he had tried her on Seroquel while in the hospital and that it had made her

extremely agitated and that she didn't tolerate it at all. She was on it for 2

days and he took her off of it. I gave mom a Risperdol yesterday and 1 today.

I'll keep you all posted, I've got to go for now, mom is acting strange and I

need to talk with her.

Take good care,

Keli

gaat wrote:

HI Keli,

Have you checked your mom for a UTI?

Courage

[Guest guest]

Keli,

Remind me please. Is your Mom on Aricept, Reminyl or Exelon? Namenda?

Sinemet?

keli hawthorne

<keli_hawthorne@y

ahoo.com> To

Sent by: LBDcaregivers

LBDcaregivers@yah cc

oogroups.com

Subject

Re: How to know

10/17/2007 11:37 when a dr. visit in

AM necessary(long)(sorry)

Please respond to

LBDcaregivers@yah

oogroups.com

Dear Courage,

My thoughts exactly!!! We went to the doctor yesterday and he sent us to

the lab. And she has an appt. in 2 weeks. I am going to call and see what

the lab results are beforehand because he doesn't usually check them until

the day of the appt.

The appt yesterday didn't go as well as I would have liked. I took mom in

there and she is REALLY not doing good. She can barely walk, barely talk

(you can't hear her), she is terrified (she almost walked out of the

waiting room like 10 times), etc... she is getting worse every day. Anyway

the doctor seems to think that this is all due to dementia (which he

doesn't even give a name for). He prescribed " Risperdal " .25mg daily to

start out. I know this is the horrid, terrible medicine . I didn't know it

when he prescribed it. He told me that he had tried her on Seroquel while

in the hospital and that it had made her extremely agitated and that she

didn't tolerate it at all. She was on it for 2 days and he took her off of

it. I gave mom a Risperdol yesterday and 1 today. I'll keep you all posted,

I've got to go for now, mom is acting strange and I need to talk with her.

Take good care,

Keli

gaat wrote:

HI Keli,

Have you checked your mom for a UTI?

Courage