Guest guest Posted August 18, 2001 Report Share Posted August 18, 2001 Louise You hang in there girl !! As bad as your other problems are, your nursing homes must be a nightmare. I can't begin to imagine how you are coping with all the problems you have to care for your Jan. Dehydration, as you know can create all sorts of problems for MSA patients. It is one of the biggest battles we had with Elmer because he could no longer be rational about why it was so important to stay hydrated. He only knew that if he drank like we wanted him to, he also had to pee which meant he had to call for help to get up to go and he hated to do that so he took many spills before he could no longer make his legs and feet move. Dehydration can cause, blood pressure to fall even lower than normal, UTI's, rise in body temperature, electrolyte imbalance, seizures, tendency to have hallucinations, worse constipation problems, heart palpitations, more dryness in the eyes and skin which are already are problem, and the list can go on forever. Almost any problem with MSA is made much worse due to dehydration within the system. Medications also may not be broken down and absorbed properly due to the body being dehydrated. Because of the autonomic malfunctions in the first place, the water works within the body is not being given the right information and signals. That starts things moving in the wrong direction to begin with and then when there isn't enough water in the system, things can get really confused. The moral of the story is: Keep the water or liquid of choice pouring into the body at all cost for the safety and health of the patient. Sally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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