Mom vomiting

[sooty]

I have heard on the news here in Canada about this British vomiting epidemic and now Mom has it and they have closed the nursing home to visitors as it is so bad. She is fairly ill and very depressed,lost a lot of weight, filling pads a lot too etc. Everyone has to stay in their room. My phone call tonight was not good,she could barely speak . The nurse said that they are concerned with how fast it is spreading. I wonder if anyone else has it or there relatives on TP and how long it lasts. Sooty

 

[Mameeskye]

HI

It is supposedly a 48 hour bug but it can leave you feeling very rough for a while longer and really depends upon how fit you are when you start off.

I had it when my twin sons were about 7 weeks old. It was not fun, but even with quite a heavily depressed immune system I was eating and drinking agin within about 12 hours of receiving an anti emetic from the GP although I needed the loo for quite a while longer. However I was still relatively young and fit. MY GPS concern was to ensure I could get rehyrdated as much as possible to continue breastfeeding my sons and providing antibodies to prevent such young children getting it (who do not have a lot of fluid in them). Happily they didn't!

They will keep dementia patients to their rooms if possible to try and prevent spread and some are not aware of the feeling of sickness and being sick (I have had this graphically described to me by one of the Nurses in Mum's home who has nursed when it has happened in another dementia unit)

It is very difficult to stop the spread as if someone vomits the droplets spread rapidly.

The basic care is to ensure that you do not become seriously dehyrdated as this and the imbalance in your system is what makes you feel so ill. You have to drink eventhough you do not feel like it. It is a virus so antibiotics do not help. The Gps may prescribe anti-emetics or anti diaorhea drugs but not both as the body has to have a means of fluching itself through. (Sorry if too much info)

I do hope that your Mum is feeling better soon. It is so scarey when they are ill and you are so far away.

((((hugs))))

 

[sooty]

Thank you for fiiling me in. You are right about dementia patients not realizing they have it. Mom is agitated because she doesn't know what is happening to her really. To quote her "why all this on my bot' 'why no food for me' She says she has been in her room 3 years!! Hopefully it will be over soon and doesn't come to Canada!! Sooty

 

[connie]

Dear Sooty, unfortunately they have the virus in Lionel's care home.

It is very hard to keep 'dementia' patients in their rooms, but whilst they have the sickness they usually do not feel like wandering too much.

The residential side of the home is quite easy to isolate. Everyone keeping to their rooms and all meals being served in rooms.

On the EMI unit slightly different. People unaffected are seated in just one dining area. Anyone ill has a tray of sustaining fluids and toast in their own room.

Staff walking around with sterile wipes - for door handles etc.

Do hope your mum is feeling better soon.

 

[sooty]

Thanks for your kind words Connie but today Saturday Mom still has the diareahha and still is very depressed this is now two weeks and the doctor has been and says it has to take its course.
The nurses say it is hard to get the fluids in her as she will only take tea when offered-no water,always available if she could remember. She is back to telling me she wants out and the place is killing her after 2 good months. All very emotional. The home is excellent telling me that she has had 8 pad changes today already and a bed bath etc. I am wondering at what point a home may consider hospitalization for fluids etc. Sooty

 

[Grannie G]

I do sympathize sooty, it must be terrible for you being so far away.

Perhaps you can ask next time you phone whether hospitalization will be considered if your mother continues to reject water.

 

[Skye]

Sooty, I'm afraid the problem is that hospitals have the bug too, and many are closed to new admissions.

It's a terrible thing, and especially so for old people and those with dementia.

All they can do is keep on pumping fluids into your mum and waiting for it to run its course. It must be so difficult for you, being so far away, though as the home is closed to visitors, there's not much you could do anyway.

I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed that John's home doesn't get it.

Love and sympathy,

 

[sooty]

Thank you Skye and Connie. I have been busy phoning her old friends who do visit(some infirm themselves) telling them not to go as the home is closed. Protecting them from it too, as they are old and at risk if they went to see her. Hopefully my next post will bring good news. Sooty

 

[connie]

Sooty, do hope things are a little more settled now with your dear mum.

The infection has now been ceared at Lionel's home, although visitors are only just drifting back. Good thing too.

The home have done an excellent job in containing the virus.
Hope you can give us better news on mum next time.

 

[Skye]

Connie, good news that Lionel's home has been cleared. They've done very well to have cleared it so quickly.

I bet you feel relieved!

Love,

 

[sooty]

Good and bad news. The home is open again but things have gone downhill with Mom. Her stool was tested to see if she still had the virus and it was clear and she is well but she is now obsessed with going or thinks she is going to the toilet in her pads. She is not but thinks she is going all the time. When I rung her she had to go she to do it, but she has a pad on. She said because "it is coming now". This happened twice on the phone. The staff told me this agitation is a new development for her, that they are managing, and not to worry. Nothing is happening at all apart from a normal bowel movement which she is not now properly aware of. The staff say it is very difficult to get her out of her room because she thinks she is going to do it again and again and won't leave. Its hard to write about this to convey what is happening but I am wondering if this dilusion about continuous bowel movements is just part of the dementia as she has been free of the virus for some time. The staff think so and have noticed like me another decline in her generally. They have planned a sigmoidoscapy in Feb to check there is nothing else going on. Has anyone else had this happening as part of the progression of dementia. Sooty

 

[jenniferpa]

Could she possible have haemerroids? I'm thinking that if she did she might feel, if they were protruding, as if there was a stool coming all the time? Just an idea.

 

[Taffy]

Hi sooty,

Ruling out all possible medical causes it could just be that because the diarrhoea lasted so long and that your mum got into the routine of frequent changing over the two week so period that now it may just be she needs time to readjust. Just a thought! I hope that it is nothing medical and she settles again. Take Care, Taffy.

 

[sooty]

Thanks Jennifer and Taffy. These are two good points I had not really considered and of course she is really only a weekor so into solid regular food and meals again. The staff say also she enjoys having her pads changed. She told me they are "lovely" Hopefully it will sort itself out. Sooty

 

[Margarita]

but she is now obsessed with going or thinks she is going to the toilet in her pads. She is not but thinks she is going all the time.

That use to happen with my mother , but with vomiting .


agitation yes , but more so anxious, worried that it going to happen again I would say seeing your mother had 2 weeks of it every one around her must of been worried , she must of pick up on that , so that all her mind, thought , thinking been thinking about for the last 2 weeks . so now its all over she just worried anxious about it , that just in case feeling .

just my observation of when it happen to my mother , she was just like your mother thinking it was going to happen again , me running for bowl nothing would happen she was fine . went on for about 3 weeks of on .

 

[sooty]

Thank you Margarita. I think you are right. I remember now last year she had a little tummy upset and thought it would happen again and wouldn't eat for a while just in case it came back up. She was anxious rather than agitiated then. It is hard for me to tell whether it is anxiousnes or agitation over the phone. Now I just hope the sigmoidoscopy in Feb doesn't bother her too much. Sooty

 

[Nell]

Dear Sooty,

From what I recall, sigmoidoscopies are quite painful if done without aneasthetic. I would check with the doctor to see what provisions are made to avoid pain as far as possible. Best of luck.