Hi everyone
On Tuesday my husband was again admitted to hospital. He suddenly became unwell after lunch having been out shopping with me in the morning. I called the doctor who had me taken in within the hour. Luckily our stay in the main A&E dept wasn't too long as our hospital has a dedicated elderly persons area which is much quieter and more comfortable. During the time we were there he became steadily worse and more agitated in part due to his chronic back pain which sent helped by lying on a hospital trolley. Eventually they have permission for him to have his stronger painkillers which helped to calm him assessments pain so that he slept for a short time. Then began the long wait for a suitable bed in the acute medical unit. He was moved into there at 11pm and it was a relief to get him into a more comfortable place. By this time they had him on oxygen, had an intravenous like in with fluids to dehydrate him and had catheters him and done chest x-ray and blood tests.
I had to go home to try to sleep because I was exhausted. Leaving him in the care of others in that state was difficult. At 2am I received a phone call to say they were moving him to intensive care because he needed more intervention than they could give. His blood pressure had dropped and his heart wasn't working very well. They didn't need me to go.
When I saw him next morning he looked dreadful though was able to talk to me quite rationally. He was very ill, pneumonia. They were giving him various intravenous medication and a very high concentration of oxygen. Of course he doesn't understand how I'll be is. He was very tired having had very little sleep but I did manage to get him to doze for a while.
The big and most worrying change came the next day. I arrived to a barrage of abuse because he's wanted neither earlier. He was shouting at anyone who wanted him to do things he didn't want to. Trying to get out of bed, fiddling with the various wires and tubes, totally confused, agitated and hallucinating. I stayed for a couple of hours trying to calm him as get him to sleep because he's been awake all night. Eventually it became too much for me and I got upset because I couldn't help him and was constantly being shouted at. The nurse told me to take a break and they would deal with him which I did. I think it just reminded me of the abuse I used to get before his diagnosis and medication. Eventually they had to sedate him and he slept. I queried whether he was getting his antidepressant medication which was what helped to keep him calm, it seems he hadn't had it since he was admitted so I suggested that might help.
Yesterday totally different again I think mainly because he had slept Much calmer but still terribly confused and hallucinating. Constantly mumbling to himself and finding it difficult to get his words out. Physically extremely weak, can hold a cup but his grip keeps slipping. Medically he's improving so they are now moving him to respiratory high dependency unit.
My biggest worry now is what extent he is going to recover from this. I fear this whole episode could have progressed his dementia to the point of no return. The way he is at the moment makes me think of people I've seen who have much later stage dementia. I know his recovery is going to be a long haul but I wonder if he will even be well enough together home and what sort of care he will need if he does. So many questions that I doubt can be answered yet. I know that medical emergencies can cause people with dementia to lose ground very rapidly and I worry this could be th case this time. I think I will certainly bed to make a case for more help or a care home but I know he won't want that. I will certainly need some respite which is something I've had difficulty considering since his last admission for a chest infection in April.
Has anyone had a similar experience and can offer any advice please?
On Tuesday my husband was again admitted to hospital. He suddenly became unwell after lunch having been out shopping with me in the morning. I called the doctor who had me taken in within the hour. Luckily our stay in the main A&E dept wasn't too long as our hospital has a dedicated elderly persons area which is much quieter and more comfortable. During the time we were there he became steadily worse and more agitated in part due to his chronic back pain which sent helped by lying on a hospital trolley. Eventually they have permission for him to have his stronger painkillers which helped to calm him assessments pain so that he slept for a short time. Then began the long wait for a suitable bed in the acute medical unit. He was moved into there at 11pm and it was a relief to get him into a more comfortable place. By this time they had him on oxygen, had an intravenous like in with fluids to dehydrate him and had catheters him and done chest x-ray and blood tests.
I had to go home to try to sleep because I was exhausted. Leaving him in the care of others in that state was difficult. At 2am I received a phone call to say they were moving him to intensive care because he needed more intervention than they could give. His blood pressure had dropped and his heart wasn't working very well. They didn't need me to go.
When I saw him next morning he looked dreadful though was able to talk to me quite rationally. He was very ill, pneumonia. They were giving him various intravenous medication and a very high concentration of oxygen. Of course he doesn't understand how I'll be is. He was very tired having had very little sleep but I did manage to get him to doze for a while.
The big and most worrying change came the next day. I arrived to a barrage of abuse because he's wanted neither earlier. He was shouting at anyone who wanted him to do things he didn't want to. Trying to get out of bed, fiddling with the various wires and tubes, totally confused, agitated and hallucinating. I stayed for a couple of hours trying to calm him as get him to sleep because he's been awake all night. Eventually it became too much for me and I got upset because I couldn't help him and was constantly being shouted at. The nurse told me to take a break and they would deal with him which I did. I think it just reminded me of the abuse I used to get before his diagnosis and medication. Eventually they had to sedate him and he slept. I queried whether he was getting his antidepressant medication which was what helped to keep him calm, it seems he hadn't had it since he was admitted so I suggested that might help.
Yesterday totally different again I think mainly because he had slept Much calmer but still terribly confused and hallucinating. Constantly mumbling to himself and finding it difficult to get his words out. Physically extremely weak, can hold a cup but his grip keeps slipping. Medically he's improving so they are now moving him to respiratory high dependency unit.
My biggest worry now is what extent he is going to recover from this. I fear this whole episode could have progressed his dementia to the point of no return. The way he is at the moment makes me think of people I've seen who have much later stage dementia. I know his recovery is going to be a long haul but I wonder if he will even be well enough together home and what sort of care he will need if he does. So many questions that I doubt can be answered yet. I know that medical emergencies can cause people with dementia to lose ground very rapidly and I worry this could be th case this time. I think I will certainly bed to make a case for more help or a care home but I know he won't want that. I will certainly need some respite which is something I've had difficulty considering since his last admission for a chest infection in April.
Has anyone had a similar experience and can offer any advice please?