Re: Another question (re pneumonia treatment and recent events)/Tania

[Guest guest]

" When we were visiting him at the hospital last night (his second night

there) he was lying in bed and then all of a sudden his whole body

shuddered and he kind of gritted his teeth, as though he was freezing "

Hi Tania,

Just thinking out loud here, but it could be possible that your dad has a UTI.

Even though he is on antibiotics, it is a different kind for a UTI.

My husband had both Pneumonia and a UTI and was put on different kinds of

antibiotics for each one. The way you describe your dad's behavior above before

being taken to the toilet is similar to my husband's behavior, because the UTI

causes some pain and he would grit his teeth. Has your dad been tested for a

UTI? It would also cause him to urinate uncontrollably. Sometimes it is hard to

get a urine sample if they are urinating before you can catch it. At times my

husband would have to be catheterized to get a sample.

 

It might also be your dad's confusion too. He was used to the routine of going

to the toilet before going to the hospital and that routine was broken.

In his confusion, he does not know how to push the button for help to get to the

bathroom and the nurses don't hear him in the room if he is asking for help. His

routine got thrown off, since they did not take him to the toilet frequently.

________________________________

To: LBDcaregivers

Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2011 3:36 AM

Subject: Another question (re pneumonia treatment and recent

events)

Thanks to everyone who responded regarding my father's recent trip to

the hospital and his bout of pneumonia. I've taken everything everyone

has kindly gone to the trouble of sending on-board and am more than

grateful.

Dad was released today - a bit of a shock considering we were led to

believe it was something very serious but apparently now it's a 'minor

chest infection'. Dad spent a grand total of two nights in hospital. He

was on IV antibiotics (a combination of two: a penicillin-based one and

erythromycin) and these were then changed to different antibiotics which

he is still taking orally (clarithromycin and amoxycillin). I'm not sure

but I think it was just the erythromycin that was changed. Aside from

these, there has been no other change in medication. We were told Dad

did have two falls with 'apparently' no injury. One was when the physio

let him walk on his own (they were told he needed to have an aide at all

times) and another when the nurse " left the room for one minute " and Dad

apparently got out of his chair on his own and fell.

I now have a couple more questions relating to behavioural changes since

Dad was hospitalised:

* Dad has never been incontinent and wasn't on his first night in

hospital. After the first night though, when we went to visit him the

following morning, he had wet his bed. We fixed everything up and got

him changed into new pyjamas and thought it was just a one-off and that

it probably happened due to the fact that he needs to be walked to the

toilet and was too afraid to make a fuss and ask for assistance. To cut

a long story short, he went through three pairs of pyjamas in two nights

with incontinence. We then put that down to him being in unfamiliar

surrounding and again, not wanting to ask for help.

* He was also very disorientated today and had absolutely no idea he was

in his hometown hospital. This is so unlike Dad, I can't even begin to

explain. He has memory lapses but never anything like that.  Then, after

we'd got him settled back in at home, he wet himself in the living room.

Mum said just prior to that happening he had asked to be walked to the

bathroom but then when Mum told him he'd soiled himself, he didn't even

realise he had.

*

cold. Then it happened again and then he said he needed the toilet so we

helped get him up and a nurse took him to the bathroom.All of these behaviours

are completely out of the norm for my father. I

have never seen him wet himself, nor has he ever been so disorientated,

even with LBD/PDD.

Could it be: the antibiotics?  The chest infection/pneumonia?  It

couldn't be the change of scenery because he's had several hospital

visits in the last 12 months with nothing like this. Plus, aside from

the infection and obvious lack of wellness, cognitively he was quite

" normal " (for his condition) when he went in. These changes are obvious

to us all and very sudden. There is no question that something in the

last two days has set this off.

I feel like Dad has taken many backward steps and am now worried he

won't ever come back to how he was pre-hospitalisation.

Sorry if this is rambling but it is pretty much stream of consciousness.

Thanking you in advance.

Tania.

(daughter and co-caregiver of Barry, dx with Parkinson's in 2009, then

LBD May 2011 and then changed to probable PDD December 2011)

[Guest guest]

Hi Janet.

For some reason, a UTI did cross my mind but I never thought to ask the doctors

about it. I guess the stress of this new experience messed me up a little.

We may have to get Dad to his GP tomorrow (it's nighttime here now) to see if we

can get him tested for that. If Dad's as cognizant tomorrow as he was today, he

should understand to give a sample. I'd hate to think he's in any pain. He's not

one to say if he is.

And yes, I'm forever showing him which button to press for assistance but it

could be that he forgets as soon as I walk out of the room. Very little

short-term memory unfortunately.

Thanks,

Tania....

>

> " When we were visiting him at the hospital last night (his second night

> there) he was lying in bed and then all of a sudden his whole body

> shuddered and he kind of gritted his teeth, as though he was freezing "

>

> Hi Tania,

> Just thinking out loud here, but it could be possible that your dad has a UTI.

Even though he is on antibiotics, it is a different kind for a UTI.

> My husband had both Pneumonia and a UTI and was put on different kinds of

antibiotics for each one. The way you describe your dad's behavior above before

being taken to the toilet is similar to my husband's behavior, because the UTI

causes some pain and he would grit his teeth. Has your dad been tested for a

UTI? It would also cause him to urinate uncontrollably. Sometimes it is hard to

get a urine sample if they are urinating before you can catch it. At times my

husband would have to be catheterized to get a sample.

>  

> It might also be your dad's confusion too. He was used to the routine of going

to the toilet before going to the hospital and that routine was broken.

> In his confusion, he does not know how to push the button for help to get to

the bathroom and the nurses don't hear him in the room if he is asking for help.

His routine got thrown off, since they did not take him to the toilet

frequently.

>

>

> ________________________________

>

> To: LBDcaregivers

> Sent: Thursday, December 22, 2011 3:36 AM

> Subject: Another question (re pneumonia treatment and recent

events)

>

> Thanks to everyone who responded regarding my father's recent trip to

> the hospital and his bout of pneumonia. I've taken everything everyone

> has kindly gone to the trouble of sending on-board and am more than

> grateful.

>

> Dad was released today - a bit of a shock considering we were led to

> believe it was something very serious but apparently now it's a 'minor

> chest infection'. Dad spent a grand total of two nights in hospital. He

> was on IV antibiotics (a combination of two: a penicillin-based one and

> erythromycin) and these were then changed to different antibiotics which

> he is still taking orally (clarithromycin and amoxycillin). I'm not sure

> but I think it was just the erythromycin that was changed. Aside from

> these, there has been no other change in medication. We were told Dad

> did have two falls with 'apparently' no injury. One was when the physio

> let him walk on his own (they were told he needed to have an aide at all

> times) and another when the nurse " left the room for one minute " and Dad

> apparently got out of his chair on his own and fell.

>

> I now have a couple more questions relating to behavioural changes since

> Dad was hospitalised:

>

> * Dad has never been incontinent and wasn't on his first night in

> hospital. After the first night though, when we went to visit him the

> following morning, he had wet his bed. We fixed everything up and got

> him changed into new pyjamas and thought it was just a one-off and that

> it probably happened due to the fact that he needs to be walked to the

> toilet and was too afraid to make a fuss and ask for assistance. To cut

> a long story short, he went through three pairs of pyjamas in two nights

> with incontinence. We then put that down to him being in unfamiliar

> surrounding and again, not wanting to ask for help.

>

> * He was also very disorientated today and had absolutely no idea he was

> in his hometown hospital. This is so unlike Dad, I can't even begin to

> explain. He has memory lapses but never anything like that.  Then, after

> we'd got him settled back in at home, he wet himself in the living room.

> Mum said just prior to that happening he had asked to be walked to the

> bathroom but then when Mum told him he'd soiled himself, he didn't even

> realise he had.

>

> *

> cold. Then it happened again and then he said he needed the toilet so we

> helped get him up and a nurse took him to the bathroom.All of these behaviours

are completely out of the norm for my father. I

> have never seen him wet himself, nor has he ever been so disorientated,

> even with LBD/PDD.

>

> Could it be: the antibiotics?  The chest infection/pneumonia?  It

> couldn't be the change of scenery because he's had several hospital

> visits in the last 12 months with nothing like this. Plus, aside from

> the infection and obvious lack of wellness, cognitively he was quite

> " normal " (for his condition) when he went in. These changes are obvious

> to us all and very sudden. There is no question that something in the

> last two days has set this off.

>

> I feel like Dad has taken many backward steps and am now worried he

> won't ever come back to how he was pre-hospitalisation.

>

> Sorry if this is rambling but it is pretty much stream of consciousness.

>

> Thanking you in advance.

>

> Tania.

>

> (daughter and co-caregiver of Barry, dx with Parkinson's in 2009, then

> LBD May 2011 and then changed to probable PDD December 2011)

>

>

>

>