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nanc512 Asked April 2013

Paranoia and delusional after UTI and antibiotics. I need direction.

Mom went to the ER on Friday, this is Monday. She was hallucinating and paranoid. First UA showed clear, second showed some white cells and last showed white and red. She was hallucinating, confused and really not coherent about her surroundings. They started her on IV antibiotics and the resident team just thought she came out of it remarkably. They released her today, back to the nursing home. She was acting strange while we waited for discharge and then would correct herself. By the time she got back to the home, she was totally off in her thoughts. She was upset I didn't leave her money for her supper. She thinks she is in her home. She has alarms, because she is a fall risk and impulsive. Constantly getting up without help tonight. She got really upset with the nurses. I just went there and she insists that is her business, the girls are in her office. She kept saying things like they don't have a ticket. She got very mad at me, when I tried to reason with her. I tried to make her promise not to get up without help.


They originally were going to do an MRI on her head, but since they felt like she was better, they cancelled it. The nursing staff did a great job trying to respond to her tonight and they are upset, because this is so out of character for her.


I am at my wits end, her doctor is too laid back and the attending that was on this weekend, is just as bad. They are calling her doc, he is only in that office two days a week, tomorrow and asking about doing an MRI.


Anyone have thoughts and ideas? I am the POA and only child here. I do have some moral support from my siblings. I talked to 3 of the 4 tonight and we want her to switch doctors, but I don't think she will. She has had the same one for a long time and thinks he does no wrong.


I am praying she sleeps tonight and quits getting out of bed without help. She told me her vision was worse, blurry and double. She has macular degeneration, very advanced, and told the nurse tonight she only sees white.


Any thoughts? I can't sleep worrying about her and how bad I feel since she thinks we are against her.


Nancy

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nanc512 Apr 2013
When the nursing home called her doctor to see what he could do and also ask about why the head MRI was cancelled, they were told nothing could be done til her doctor is in on Thursday. The nursing home has a very competent internist that comes there and his nurse practitioner is there several times a week, so he saw mom today. He said this is hospital delirium and a horrible case of it, he said it could be meds, but he feels like it was hospital delirium since this was set off again when she got back to the nursing home. He prescribed a low dose of haldol to keep her calm, because she is so worked up. We are all worried about her falling, heart attack, etc.... so the med will calm her down and then we can see how she does and take her off it as soon as possible. He also wants to evaluate all her lab work, compare to last hospitalization, her meds, maybe take her off effexor and try something else. I never wanted her medicated, but at least she will be safer and not so upset. I was back there again today to talk to him and her, she seemed to calm down. She thinks I sold the house and she owns the nursing home, it's a mess. Between haldol and the antibiotic, hopefully we can get her back to her old self. I hurt so bad for her.
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anonymous167617 Apr 2013
I'm no expert. I just found this post because my Mum is going through similar. Same advice for you as for my Dad, don't panic. My Mum had heart surgery several months ago. She then picked up an infection. It took quite a long time for her to get over it. For a while we thought that she had dementia. Even though the medics were saying the symptoms were common with an infection, we didn't quite believe them. Why should a leg infection affect her brain? But it did. She got better just like they said she would. And when she got ov the infection and they stopped pumping her up on antibiotics etc, her faculties returned and I got my Mum back.

But now she's back in hospital. She had a stomachs infection. With the catheter they fitted it is very likely she has a Urinary Tract Infection. I found this site looking for the symptoms of UTIs and reading the list was very reassuring. ALL her current symptoms are listed, delirium, confusion, hallucinations, aggression, dizziness, etc. They say that it is often confused with the early stages of dementia. But the good news is, she is going to come back from it. The infection is going to go, the antibiotics will clear her body and she will get better again.

What you describe is very, very similar to what my Dad has described today. I am sure that our Mums are suffering from more or less the same thing and that they are BOTH going to get better. Please, read up on the effects of UTIs on the elderly, I ink you will find it reassuring.
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nanc512 Apr 2013
she didn't have a fever, no burning or pain while urinating. We figured it was a UTI, because of her confusion. It's worse today, she is mad at me and going to hire a lawyer because I gave her house to those girls. She said she is home in her bedroom with her own furniture. I am exhausted, I can't fix this and she depends on me. She can see well enough to call the house and keeps calling telling me to come in there. I thought about picking her up and having extra people in my van and driving by the house so she can see, but I don't think that will help. She has mental issues, like depression and anxiety. I feel like she has had a breakdown of some sort. She is speaking very clearly, just beyond delusional. They are calling her doctor and I pray we get this resolved, I hate seeing her like this. I am afraid the stress is going to give her a heart attack.
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terrim Apr 2013
Nancy, did she by any chance have a high fever? This sounds a bit like brain damage that can occur from a high fever. Is it possible she had an allergic reaction to something they gave her or did they accidentally give her the wrong meds? This sounds like brain damage. I think an MRI is a great idea. This needs to be looked into. Dementia or Alzheimer's wouldn't just come on instantly like this. One of my aunts, my favorite aunt, was a diabetic who went into the hospital to have a foot amputated. She came through the surgery just fine but a nurse was careless and gave her a medicine meant for someone else and she had a hard reaction to it and died. People don't realize that this is something that is common in hospitals which we found out only it often gets covered up so the nurse and hospital don't get sued. My uncle on the other side of the family went in for a heart attack and the doctor, a resident, gave him a medicine that could have killed him. He only found this out when he went to fill it and the pharmacist who knew of his condition noticed.
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