Is this possible?

[OAT]

This is not a wind up.

My mother lives in a care home. We found out, by accident, that the doctor prescribed Rispiridone for her without the involvement of her attorneys. We managed to have this stopped before she took the first dose.
To cut a very long story short, (see the post ‘Does anyone know about Safeguarding?’) we were told that If she did not take the meds then she would be kicked out. Reluctantly she was put on the meds.
So Exactly seven days later she was taken to hospital and we were informed that her kidneys were working at 5% and if she did not respond to anti biotic she would not be resuscitated.
I visited the hospital a day later and seen this little old lady asleep in a bed with an intravenous drip in her arm and a colostomy bag attached to the foot of the bed.Fearing the worse I said “hi mum it’s me, xxxxxxx, I’ve come to visit”. Her eyes opened and she said “Hello love, I just need to go to the toilet before we have a chat”. I laughed and said I don’t think you need to worry about that. We then chatted and laughed for about two hours about things that she would only have known about because of the talking I had done in her previous vegetable state at her care home. She asked about my sister (her daughter)and my children, my sisters boyfriend (ok he was her x husband but I had given her loads of photos with names on the back to help her remember weeks before). I had tears in my eyes (but don’t tell anyone) when she said “ I’ve been staying at your sisters home. (my dad had told her that the care home that they had visited and subsequently left my mum at, was a hotel that my sister was going to stay in) She said when we get back home, we need to put all this behind us, and she needs to find two boxes of things to show me.
She said that it was nice how the family had all stuck together and she would like to invite them all around for Christmas dinner this year.
I asked the nurse what medication she was on as she had not spoken this well and for so long in probably a year. She replied nothing we have stopped all her meds and are just rehydrating.
Without a word of a lie my mother had stopped functioning altogether on the Wednesday she could just about talk and when she tried to read aloud she was getting all the words wrong but by Friday she was better than she had been in a long long time. I can’t remember the last time I saw her smile and really laugh like the old days. Her kidneys have now returned to normal and she is ready to be discharged (but to where?)
Has anyone else experienced such a remarkable turn around of symptoms?

 

[Bunpoots]

How wonderful for you @OAT

I remember a similar story on here about a year ago but I can’t remember who it was.

 

[Linbrusco]

Nothing surprises me anymore with Dementia.
Up until March last year Mum had been on meds for Cholesterol, Urinary frequency, Nortriptyline for bladder spasms, Donepezil & low dose Quetiapine for extreme aggression & agitation.
She ended up in hospital with a UTI & delirium.
As she was refusing meds & food, once she returned to her care home we decided along with Mental Health Nurse & Geritrician to take her off everything except Donepezil & Quetiapine, but to monitor for pain.
Within 2 weeks it was like a cloud had lifted.
Mum was eating better, talking better, responding to conversation, engaging with us and staff
Not the least sign of aggression.
This continued for 3 months until another UTI
Back to where we came.
From September last year she was back to not eating, chest infection, shingles. Lost all mobility.
By Dec the decision was made to withdraw Donepezil.
Mum was moved to Hospital Level of care.
Jan/Feb they decided to reduce the Quetiapine , mainly because they thought it was at the point of making her excessively sleepy, which we were wary about, as every time they tried this in Dementia care. it was back to aggression and agitation.
Mums Quetiapine dose is now at 12.5mg from 75mg.
Not one ounce of aggresion or agitation. Very calm and she was much more alert.

In the last 2 weeks she is back to sleeping 23hrs. They have done blood tests and tried a drip for fluids for 2 nights. No change.
They are going to withdraw the last Quetiapine dose.
That only leaves Mum on paracetamol and a low dose anti B to minimise UTI’s.

What a wonderful few hours you had with your Mum

 

[Guzelle]

My mum was like that when she went into hospital after a fall. She had thought I was her sister for a long while and when I visited in hospital she knew who I was and everyone else in the family. It’s very strange!