The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

mswijiknyc
mswijiknyc Member Posts: 421
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
The Good: MRI and MRA came back clean. Same with all the heart tests and the EEG. Everything is within normal ranges.

The Bad: He's still in the hospital. He is being treated for bacterial sepsis (blood infection) and getting IV antibiotics. He's going nuts from being in the hospital as usual.

The Ugly: for 1) where the hell does sepsis come from?? how did he get it?? and for 2) he is starting to see people that aren't there. Example: today he got my attention and told me "help Michelle" when I asked where she was, he pointed behind him. There was nothing between the wall, the bed, and the curtain.

bartender, hit me again.

Comments

  • 1Teresa
    1Teresa Member Posts: 67
    #2
    Dang Lady!
    I had never heard of sepsis before so I researched it at the Mayo Clinic site http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sepsis/DS01004 It is one of those stupid things people only get in the hospital. My mom got VRE last year in the hospital (another stupid thing only picked up in the hospital) It was explained to me that when the immune system is compromised, especially in a hospital setting, they are subjected to anything. As for his imaginary friend, my mom does wierd stuff like that when she has an infection. When the infection is cleared up her mind returns and Im sure the same will happen with your hubby. (((hugs)))
  • ketziah35
    ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
    #3
    I am sorry that your husband
    I am sorry that your husband is suffering. I pray that his journey becomes easier. For the bar, what do you want? We have everything!.
  • Pennymac02
    Pennymac02 Member Posts: 332 Member
    #4
    Sepsis
    Mike's sepsis came from the dead/dying tumor getting infected due to the necrosis in the tissue. He was on antibiotics to prevent this, but got one of those resistant germs instead. That's my hubby, always being "different".

    Also, the infection contributed to the encephalopathy, so he was slightly psychotic, as well. Have a drink for me, too, will ya?
    Penny
  • ketziah35
    ketziah35 Member Posts: 1,145
    #5
    Pennymac02 said:

    Sepsis
    Mike's sepsis came from the dead/dying tumor getting infected due to the necrosis in the tissue. He was on antibiotics to prevent this, but got one of those resistant germs instead. That's my hubby, always being "different".

    Also, the infection contributed to the encephalopathy, so he was slightly psychotic, as well. Have a drink for me, too, will ya?
    Penny

    Sending you and April "the
    Sending you and April "the bar".
  • mswijiknyc
    mswijiknyc Member Posts: 421
    #6
    so very very ugly
    it took him saying there were radiation beams coming from the windows in maternity ward across the way that were radiating his food and making his food explode little metal bits for the doctors to finally realize there is something very wrong here.

    That and I said the magic words "He is a danger to himself and to others."

    Last check - in the hospital getting treated for the delirium and on antibiotics for the sepsis.

    ANYTHING ELSE?!?!?! CAN THERE POSSIBLY BE MORE?!?!?!

    now that I've said this . . . .
  • karenbeth
    karenbeth Member Posts: 194
    #7
    mswijiknyc said:

    so very very ugly
    it took him saying there were radiation beams coming from the windows in maternity ward across the way that were radiating his food and making his food explode little metal bits for the doctors to finally realize there is something very wrong here.

    That and I said the magic words "He is a danger to himself and to others."

    Last check - in the hospital getting treated for the delirium and on antibiotics for the sepsis.

    ANYTHING ELSE?!?!?! CAN THERE POSSIBLY BE MORE?!?!?!

    now that I've said this . . . .

    seeing things
    When Frank was in the hospital and for a few days after he got out he was seeing things too. He saw numbers and letters on his skin and kept trying to pick at them. He insisted he saw kids in plaid shirts climbing over the fence into the garden when there was no one there. I think it was from the brain lesions but he was also on steroids and had just had a craniotomy, so who knows.
    Yikes. I hope the antibiotics clear up the sepsis quickly and he is himself again. That is the worst...
    stay strong...!

    Karen
  • skipper85
    skipper85 Member Posts: 229
    #8
    mswijiknyc said:

    so very very ugly
    it took him saying there were radiation beams coming from the windows in maternity ward across the way that were radiating his food and making his food explode little metal bits for the doctors to finally realize there is something very wrong here.

    That and I said the magic words "He is a danger to himself and to others."

    Last check - in the hospital getting treated for the delirium and on antibiotics for the sepsis.

    ANYTHING ELSE?!?!?! CAN THERE POSSIBLY BE MORE?!?!?!

    now that I've said this . . . .

    Hallucinations
    April

    Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm just trying to help. Several years ago when my husband had some surgery he had hallucinations when he came home. We took him back to the ER. Turned out to be alcohol withdrawal. You said your husband likes his beer. I don't know how much beer your husband drinks but in his current physical state it may not take much to cause withdrawal symptoms.

    Skipper
  • DrMary
    DrMary Member Posts: 531 Member
    #9
    skipper85 said:

    Hallucinations
    April

    Please don't take this the wrong way. I'm just trying to help. Several years ago when my husband had some surgery he had hallucinations when he came home. We took him back to the ER. Turned out to be alcohol withdrawal. You said your husband likes his beer. I don't know how much beer your husband drinks but in his current physical state it may not take much to cause withdrawal symptoms.

    Skipper

    Drugs, alcohol and visions (oh my)
    Skipper has a point about alcohol withdrawal - even a few beers a day, for a weak system, can be a high enough load to cause symptoms when the beer stops. However, I wouldn't expect that to continue for more than a day or so.

    Some antibiotics cause hallucinations - erythromycin is the most common one to do this, but I know someone who had hallucinations on the IV antibiotic treatment for Lyme Disease (cephasil, I think) - since he had already started having neurological symptoms of the disease, it really freaked everyone out.

    So, it could be the sepsis itself, or the antibiotics, or the lack of beer that (or a combination) causing him to see things. It's scary to have your husband act nuts, but it is almost certainly temporary.

    The good news is he will not be likely to remember any of it - not as good as having him be comfortable right now, but still.

    And yes, good time to hit the bar - hospitals really should have them (we were at a clinic in Switzerland that offered wine with dinner to any patients not on pain meds - lovely!). At one point in Doug's bad times, I came home to check on the kids and update them. . . my daughter greeted me with, "Dinner's almost ready - go get your whiskey and then tell us about your day."

    Cheers.
  • debbieg5
    debbieg5 Member Posts: 167
    #10
    psycho!
    Hey April, sorry to hear that pat's having such a bad time. My hubby is currently fighting a c-diff infection. Really not good, cause they probably won't continue with chemo until they know it is gone.

    My husband also had some "psychotic" episodes the day after the laryngectomy. The surgeon called me at home the next morning and said that he was very "agitated". I could tell the doctor was fumbling for words and finally he came out and asked if my husband drank much. They also thought that he was having alcohol withdrawal. When I arrived at the hospital he was acting very freaky. Eventually, he demanded that his ENT come to his room. I went through about 3 other doctors evaluating him and each one asked me if he was a heavy drinker. Apparently that kind of withdrawal can kill you. My husband was convinced that he was being watched through a transom window at the top of the wall and he told me that he overheard some of the nurses planning to kill him. I can laugh at it now but at the time it brought me to tears to see him in that condition. You are right to insist that they take this seriously.
    deb
  • 1Teresa
    1Teresa Member Posts: 67
    #11
    well hells bells!
    I finally got my mom's medical records and last year when she was hallucinating SHE had sepsis too!
  • mswijiknyc
    mswijiknyc Member Posts: 421
    #12
    1Teresa said:

    well hells bells!
    I finally got my mom's medical records and last year when she was hallucinating SHE had sepsis too!

    I'm glad/sorry I could help
    I'm glad/sorry I could help :)

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