UpDate on Dad

April 30, 2012

Hello Dear Friends,

A lot has happened since I wrote about Dad being returned to the hospital.

On April 25, Dad was not doing well at all. We could understand the reason for the way he looked (he was so sick from the infection he contracted at the nursing home) but we were having a hard time wrapping our brains around the insanity he was displaying. "Delusional" is the word the docs used. When we asked why, we got a laundry list of possible causes:

a.) "Sundowners Syndrome". This one was new to us.  It seems to be very common that 'Seniors' who have been uprooted from their daily routines suffer this malady. They become disoriented in the evening hours.

b.) A Urinary Tract Infection.  Did you know that a UTI can cause hallucinations? I didn't.

c.) Prednisone.  OK, this one I knew about.  But the kicker in Dad's case was, they had weaned him off the Prednisone days ago, and a different steroid was now being used...one that doesn't list "off the deep end" as a side effect.

d.) Alcohol Withdrawal.  Wow. Well...it's possible he was experiencing DT's...why didn't WE think of that? Because it took 12 days to show up, maybe?

e.) Alzheimer's.

f.) High Carbon dioxide levels.

OK.  Interesting.  So what can be DONE about it???  Well, first, clear up the UTI.
He was tested, and no Urinary Tract Infection was found.
He was also tested for  CO2...his levels were nearing normal.
The Prednisone idea was scratched, since he was no longer taking it.
And the Shrink ruled out DT's and Alzheimers.

That leaves "Sundowners Syndrome".  Uhhhh...it's 8am --- HARDLY early evening...

We were stumped.  The Trained Physicians were stumped. What now???

"There's nothing we can do for him".

This condition prevailed through Thursday (Apr 26) and into Friday (27th), when the Doctors decided he was "Well Enough" to be moved out of the hospital.  My Sister was called very early on Friday morning, and it was decided to transfer him to "Epoch on Blackstone", a rehab facility on Providence's East Side. He was moved immediately.

Really. IMMEDIATELY.  

By the time any of us were able to shower and get to the hospital, he had been moved.
We appreciate the hospital's efficiency, but MY GOD!  The man is out of his mind, and they uprooted him, again, without benefit of a family member accompanying him???  Needless to say, Sis had a few choice words to say to the hospital staff. And we left.

Sis and her hubby and I make our way to the new facility.  It's an attractive place, easy to get to.
We check in on Dad, and find him totally lethargic. We are told that he was "difficult to handle" when he arrived, so they had to sedate him again.

AGAIN????

Wait a minute...we were unaware that he had been sedated AT ALL, and you are saying again?
Yes...we gave him another dose of Seraquel...
When was his first dose?
Well, let me get his chart, so I can tell you exactly.

While she's checking, the phones and IPad's are accessed, and we're all looking up "Seraquel".  I appears this is a drug given to Schizophrenics and manic depressives, and the list of side effects is HUGE!

Then the nurse returns with his chart, and proceeds to tell us that his first dose was on April 9, in the ICU at Miriam Hospital!!! EIGHTEEN DAYS AGO!!!

At this point, we decide it's time to sit down with this nurse, and find out what the hell is going on.
It turns out that, yes, he had one dose of Seraquel on his arrival at ICU, and that his second dose was on April 20, and it has been administered daily since then.

April 20 was the day he was admitted to the Nursing Home From Hell

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The Good News:

We requested that this drug be discontinued immediately, and the doctor assigned to Dad's case agreed.  The nurses seemed apprehensive, so my Sister and I suggested we take turns staying with Dad 24 hrs/day, to help them "Handle" him until we could determined if the drug was the culprit.

On Saturday morning, Dad was responsive. 

On Saturday evening, he was asking where he was, and why he was there.

On Sunday, he was sitting in a chair, and demanding we furnish him with the TV remote control. 

By Monday, he was joking and flirting with the nurses, doing his physical therapy, and pretty much back to his old self again.

The nurses here love him. They are amazed at the change from when he was first admitted, and so are we.

Ten days ago, we were afraid that we were going to lose him, and today, we are confident that he will return home at the close of his Physical Therapy.