Hi @Bunpoots
Hi @Bunpoots
Psychiatrist called and apparently my mums sodium levels are extremely low. They can’t find what’s causing it so they’re stopping one of her medications, They think the sodium has exasperated her dementia. They said it could explain why she suddenly went in to a spiralling decline and became so anxious and frightened. Hopefully they can find the cause and fix it x
@Palerider did you see my last post? Apparently mums sodium levels are extremely low which could be causing her symptoms particularly as they came on suddenly. They are thinking of getting sodium levels back up and trying risperidrone?I just want to support this, mum was the same in the end, frightened and anxious at home alone.
@Palerider did you see my last post? Apparently mums sodium levels are extremely low which could be causing her symptoms particularly as they came on suddenly. They are thinking of getting sodium levels back up and trying risperidrone?
Hi hospital just called after I switched my phone on they said she was medically fit and wanted to go home. I said well she needs sectioning and they said they get the mental health team to see her. She’s been there since 7pm last night in A&E and hasn’t been seen by mental health team! I’m at my wits end she must be really distressed I don’t know what to do! X
yes saw it and replied. A low sodium can be corrected quickly if not chronic. They will hopefully give her IV fluid (sodium chloride) to bring it back up, but there has to be caution, quickly rectifying sodium can also be risky so it depends if it was an acute low sodium or a chronic one. Acute drop in sodium means a quick remedy, a chronic drop means they have to go more slowly as correcting it too quickly can also have problems. But yes a really low sodium probably explains some of the behaviour, the question is why was it so low?
I never thought about that but you’re right. I am fast losing patience with these people. It really is difficult to find anyone who knows what they’re doing!And another question is how come on Tuesday the hospital reckoned your mum was medically fit to go home when as you now know she has very low sodium levels possibly causing the acute delirium she went into hospital because of!!! I am so glad you found the strength not to give in. I do hope things greatly improve now once this is properly investigated & treated.
Thank you hopefully they will find what’s causing the low sodium and when it’s sorted she’ll be a little more settled xI’m glad they’ve found something treatable @Rosserk . Fingers crossed it does the trick.
Hi thank you! You’re not going to believe this but here goes anyway!18 months ago my mum was fully functioning although a bit forgetful she was completely independent and always in the go. She fell and broke her hip and was taken to hospital. The night before they operated on her I received a phone call telling me she’d walked off the ward. I said that’s not possible she’s broken her hip!i raced down to the hospital and as I got out of my car in the car park I heard screaming when I looked up my mum was standing on a window ledge trying ing to climb out and shouting run run they are going to shoot you! I ran up to the ward got her off the window ledge and settled her down. Over the next 48 hours she saw dogs in washing machines, ninjas running around with guns, bees flying around her head, she was actually swotting the air.@Rosserk all the hairs on my body stood up and I got a chill when I read your post about low sodium. I told you that my Mum had what they called a 'psychotic break' while in hospital in 2012.
What I didn't say was that she was in hospital because her sodium was depleted and her electrolytes were out of whack due to her having a lingering UTI, being on 3 different courses of antibiotics and throwing up from them while eating very little and drinking large amounts of cranberry juice and water. After 2 days on high sodium drip that she had the episode. She had delusions and believed there was a conspiracy in the hospital, and that her Korean heart specialist was the leader of a drug cartel. She thought the hospital were using dead bodies to turn into hospital food, so wouldn't eat or drink anything unless I gave it to her, and that all of the people around her were actors in a huge coverup. She actually escaped from the ICU and wandered the hospital holding a large flashlight that she was planning to use to escape. When I arrived she wanted me to kill the nurse on duty so we could escape. She seemed to calm down and be ok , but then I realized that for the next 3 days she was 'acting normal' but still in the midst of the delusion. It was not long after these events that the first real symptoms of dementia started. Her gerontologist believes that the fast replacement of sodium caused a 'vascular event' which may have contributed to the rapid decline into dementia (@Palerider it sounds like you are also familiar with this issue) So please be very careful in dealing with your Mum's situation. Find out why they didn't know the sodium was low when they released her and watch very closely for signs of continuing delusional behaviour. Make sure you question them about what steps they will take to rectify the sodium. Sadly, I have found that the medical world will be much more careful in the treatment of the elderly , particularly PWD if there is someone asking questions.
OMG I can't believe it. This is the first time I have heard a history that is the same as my Mums ! Have you ever heard of anyone else experiencing something similar? I think the delusions my Mum was having were related to the fact that she used to read crime and mystery novels often at a rate of one a day and loved espionage and shoot em up movies lol She was in a straight jacket when I arrived and had a scary gleam in her eyes which lasted for the 3 days. She had hidden her jewelry around the room and was sending me signals by squeezing my hand 3 times if she was saying something that was not true. You literally know how I felt!
Do you know if your Mum had low sodium levels when she was in the hospital with the broken hip ? After that event my Mum's CT scans had a dark shadow in an area of the brain that cause some of the same symptoms as a stroke, even though she has never had one. Sadly, as you say, she was never quite the same after that. Within a year she was diagnosed with Vascular Dementia which was later changed to Mixed Dementia, now 6 years later she is also in the advanced late stages.
I am so glad to hear they are restricting the amount of sodium they are replacing at a time, it sounds like they are aware of the risk for the elderly in replacing sodium too aggressively. Apparently there have been some studies about it. They have had my Mum on different meds for the delusions and hallucinations she experiences particularly during Sundown, including risperidone, but I have found that the gentle delusions and hallucinations she has are preferable to the rigid, zombie like person she became when taking the meds.
Anyway, thank you for sharing your story, it somehow makes me feel better (?) I am very glad to hear your Mum is back to her 'normal' state.