Brilliant solution @eyeamom but so sorry that you had to resort to that.
Re “Death Conversations”–I read recently about videos that have been made for patients with a terminal illness to watch so they know exactly what it entails when they are in the ICU, on a ventilator, stomach feeding tube, and so forth. Easier for doctors than a “conversation” and the patients are relieved to get the information clearly laid out. They can then decide if they want such end-of-life prolonging measures or just palliative care in a hospice setting or even at home.
@eyemamon, isn’t that the brother who sometimes uses his “giving orders to subordinates” tone with family? Nice he can use it appropriately here.
Yup, that’s the one. If he doesn’t have much use for you he certainly doesn’t mind letting you know.
I’m new to this thread, as am just faced with a first problem. My father had colon surgery at the end of Feb. Physically, he seems to be recovering just fine, but his mental state is terrible. He spent 18 days in the hospital and now has been in a nursing home for rehab, around 18 days. Often times, he can’t tell you where he is, both at the hospital and at the nursing home. It is especially bad at night. Before the surgery, he was fairly sharp. It is so sad and frustrating. Any words of advice?
Oh, he does have an appointment with a neurologist in a couple weeks.
toledo, how old is your father? My dad was pretty grounded in where he was but my stepmother had a terrible time with transitions. We did find that she got back some marbles once she was home for a week or two.
So sorry! It’s very hard!
He is 83. Knowing that it could get better when he gets home makes me feel much better. Thanks.
toledo, maybe not the day he walks (or rolls or whatever) through the door, but it should help at least some.
@toledo have you discussed with the surgeon? Sometimes the effects of anesthesia. Maybe the anesthesia practice can give insight.
Sometimes the social workers at the rehab can be helpful too. And/or the nurses.
My dad had a whopping case of post-anesthesia psychosis after hip replacement surgery–he hallucinated like crazy and it was really scary. One dose of Haldol and a day to sleep it off and he was all better, although for months he asked me about some of the hallucinations that were so real to him that he couldn’t fathom that they were not.
Toledo -sorry for what you are going through with this. So disconcerting, though fairly common. My mother was also very disoriented post major surgeries (anesthesia related for her) or systemic infections (including otherwise asymptomatic UTIs). Some may have “ICU psychosis”. There is something about institutional environments (constant beeps and fluorescent lighting) that may reek havoc. Some don’t tolerate medications or their interactions well. It can take a bit of detective work to determine exactly what is going on.
As others have said, meds may help, sometimes returning home helps, sometimes adjusting ongoing meds works, and sometimes treating a systemic infection resolves it. Physicians with a geriatric expertise can also be a good resource.
Best to your family.
Toledo, my dad was in the hospital for a month after sustaining a brain injury. He was out of his mind for the first two weeks and then the second two weeks thought he was at his old place of employment and was being investigated by the government. I could not believe they were discharging him once he physically recovered.
The moment he walked into his house he was normal! And this was a guy with an actual brain injury! So I imagine being home will help your dad a lot.
Toledo, just echoing what others have said. Being in a different environment often brings about confusion and delerium. It should get better when he gets home, but, he may not go back to “normal.”
This also happened with my dad when he had colon surgery. We didn’t know that this is a fairly common occurance at the time, so it was a scary time for us also.
One morning he called my mom up and said to her that she needed to come get him out of there. of course ,she told him that he could not and he responded that he know that he should have called ‘bookreader’ instead because she’d come and get me! We laugh about this story now, but at the time, my poor mother was very worried!
He will likely get better in this area once he is home.
My 89 year old mom was in the hospital for a hip revision, then a rehab facility for a month, now back home for two weeks and still says she can’t remember everything. She was somewhat scrambled for a while, mainly blanking out on things she should have remembered but it’s getting better all the time. She said her brain wasn’t working right; I said it was like a snow globe that got shaken and is still settling down.
But yes, speak with the available docs now. It could be a particular medication or dosage.
Sadly, I have come to believe that anesthesia may play a role in alzheimers. I hope I’m wrong. I’m not suggesting the immediate after effects of memory impairment after surgery are beginnings of dementia, I’m suggesting in the long run, less may be better for us over our lifetime.
Does anyone have any tips on managing pain perception in seniors? My dad, who has never been a good patient, has spinal stenosis and neuropathy. As I’ve mentioned on here, he also has a brain injury that mostly seems to affect his short term memory.
But he is over the top in how much he complains about his leg. I believe he does have pain. But I also think he’s becoming fixated on it. The other day, after a nice family visit he admitted that it was not hurting too bad. I think he was distracted and enjoying himself. But most days he is stuck at home and can focus on nothing but his aches and pains.
I asked him, while he was walking with his walker to rate it on a scale of 1-10. He looked at me and calmly said, Oh about a 9 or 10.
I told him if I were at a 9-10, I’d be crying, curled up in a fetal position contemplating calling 911!
I really think the brain injury has affected his perception. Any ideas of how to help? He has tried different meds and I was really hoping the placebo effect would help!
Wow. I guess this confusion is really common. I will make sure the surgeon finds out about it. Anesthesia causing dementia has always been a nagging thought with me, as I have heard of people who never seem to recover. Dad did have a UTI, which can cause confusion, but I thought the antibiotics would have cleared it up by now. Thanks for your ideas, everyone.
UTIs can recur at frequent intervals or require treatment adjustments. Did he clear up at all at initial treatment? Did medications change during this time frame? Combining meds, as well as individual side effects can create problems. Being worn out seems to worsen things.
Also, general health may impact re-bound time and how close to prior baseline patients land. The older and frailer my mother became, plus the magnitude of the insult, combined to create a longer process. She was never diagnosed with dementia. My father, with early onset memory deficits and now very little memory but no disorientation at 90, never has displayed any post op or medication reaction confusion.
With the medical issues addressed, I focused on talking with my confused mother about our common histories, daily routines and other grounded things. Didn’t challenge her “crazy” assumptions, just smoothed things over, reassured her and floated over the top of those waves. I didn’t want her to be even more distressed.
Good that you are following up on this. I kept good track of meds mother was on when confused; it can help going forward.
All the best.