Good day yesterday

carol

Registered User
Jun 24, 2004
196
0
Surrey/Hampshire
Hi all,

I would just like to share with you our best day for the last 5 months. M in law was diagnosed 5 months ago with a UTI which required hospital admission, she was discharged after 1 week, only to be readmitted l day later with clostridium difficile (diarroah superbug) after a few days she was isolated for 7 weeks, during which time the bug supposedly went and she became reinfected. After 8 weeks in hospital, she was discharged directly into a nursing home, by this time she had lost all mobility, couldn't feed or drink without 100% help (this was a huge deterioration in her health - when she was admitted to hospital they had trouble keeping her on the ward because she wandered)

After two days in the nursing home, she came down again with clostridium difficile, she has been extremely poorly, but her husband and sons/wives have been going in every day to feed her lunch and tea, and get as much liquid into her as we can. The staff cannot spend up to 1.5 hours feeding her, although in the last couple of weeks this has got better. Well after 10 weeks isolated in her bedroom in the nursing home, yesterday we had the good news that she was now clear of clostridium difficile. We immediately got her into a wheelchair, and wheeled her up the corridor, she sat at the dining table in her wheelchair and we fed her lunch and tea, today we are going to take her out for a walk in the wheelchair. It seems like a huge step, she hasn't been outside for 5 months. Her husband aged 87 is looking forward to it, (it is as much for his benefit as hers) actually I don't suppose she will even notice, but it will boost us all up.

She has currently been diagnosed with another UTI two weeks ago, but after it was cultured it came back as being resistant to all oral antibiotics, they have taken another sample but say that they will talk with the family when this result comes back, as they think she will have to be hospitalised to receive antiobiotics by drip, which is our worst nightmare to be back in hospital again, and antiobiotics could set off the c. diff again.

But hey, we'll savour the moment of taking our first wheelchair ride out today.

All for now. Have a good day one and all.

Carolx
 

Amy

Registered User
Jan 4, 2006
3,454
0
Hiya Carol,
The sun is shining here - so I hope it is where you are.
Enjoy your walk.
Love Helen
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
0
SW Scotland
Hello Carol

Congratulations on your excellent care of your MIL. I'm sure it's thanks to you and the rest of the family that she has got over C. diff. As you say, the staff just don't have the time to give her the attention you gave her.

Let's hope her UTI clears up and she doesn't have to go back to hospital'

Enjoy your walk, you all deserve a celebration.

Love,
 

Grannie G

Volunteer Moderator
Apr 3, 2006
81,445
0
Kent
Well done Carol, and good for you, remaining so positive, even though your MIL still has another UTI to contend with. I could do with rubbing shoulders with you.
Love Sylvia x
 

Lynne

Registered User
Jun 3, 2005
3,433
0
Suffolk,England
Wow, what a tale of woe! Well done on seeing her through it & out the other side, and I hope she continues to improve.

A suggestion:
I give my mum a multivitamin pill each day (along with her prescribed Aricept, of course) and I also give her a cranberry juice extract pill, in the belief that it may help ward off UTIs. I was having kittens when she had to fitted with a urinary catheter during an overnight stay in hospital recently, but she managed to come through that with no ill effect. I ran the cranberry supplement past her memory clinic consultant, & he saw no harm in it.

Regards
 

carol

Registered User
Jun 24, 2004
196
0
Surrey/Hampshire
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. Just to say to Grannie G that I have not remained positive throughout this whole ordeal, I just did not want her to die! The family would do anything to keep her going, but nature will take its course when the time arrives, but I don't want it to be just yet. Other people have tragic stories to tell re: c. diff and at the moment we have been one of the lucky ones.

I will seek out cranberry juice extract pills, thanks for that information. We do give her cranberry juice, and a daily probiotic yoghurt drink to encourage good bacteria back into her gut. Mother in law is on Aricept and Ebixa together, I am not sure they are serving any purpose, but if they are stopped we may well see a further decline.

We went for the walk, we were all upbeat, only stayed out for an hour, father in law pushed the wheelchair, he nearly tipped her out a couple of times, luckily we were on hand, I am sure mother in law had no idea she had been out into the wide open world, we have made him promise that he won't venture out with her on his own. Then when we arrived back in the nursing home my husband (her son) fed her dinner, well today it took nearly 2 hours, I fed another resident, gosh that was easy, dinner and pud. within 15 mins. easy peasy!

Once again, thanks everyone.

Kind regards.

Carolx
 

Tender Face

Account Closed
Mar 14, 2006
5,379
0
NW England
carol said:
Other people have tragic stories to tell re: c. diff and at the moment we have been one of the lucky ones.

Carol, want to thank you for sharing such uplifting news - and especially for having the grace to remain sensitive to others .....

Well done on all counts!!!!

Love Karen, x
 

Skye

Registered User
Aug 29, 2006
17,000
0
SW Scotland
Dear Wendy

I'm sorry if my reply to Carol came across as insensitive to you. Believe me, it was not meant to.

Carol's situation is different in that her MIL is in a NH. I know that it is impossible to spend so much time helping out in hospital.

I also know how devoted you were to your Mum.

Please accept my apologies if I caused you any distress.

Love,
 

mel

Registered User
Apr 30, 2006
1,656
0
66
Sheffield
Dear Hazel
Absolutely no offence taken at all.........
I will explain here what was given on the death certificate
1. pneumonia.....( brought on by immobility brought on by hip fracture)

2.(other factors listed)dementia, urinary tract infection, clostridium difficile diarrhoea.


So in fact it wasn't the c.diff that got her in the end........it was pneumonia(which I had no idea she had....)
The c.diff did not help.!


Carol I have found this website very useful......I discovered it after mum's death
www.cdiff-support.co.uk

I do hope that your mum in law continues to improve
Love Wendy xx
 

carol

Registered User
Jun 24, 2004
196
0
Surrey/Hampshire
Dear Wendy,

Thanks for the info. re: c. diff support website. I have been an avid reader of that site since October, 06. My members name is Thomasina on that site. I have only posted maybe 3 times. I try and get as much information about each nightmare we are faced with regarding my mother in law. Don't know if it helps, but I feel much more prepared when I understand things.

My very best wishes to you.

Carolx
 

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