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Wishinggood Asked November 2018

My mother (81) has back pain and she can't sit or stand. Doctor gave her injections but nothing is helping. Any advice?

Then she got a pressure sore, her eating ability became too weak and she lost a lot of weight, they started giving her IC and now after around 30 days she got low sodium and doctor started adding for her.  


She still can't eat, maybe a small piece of Apple for whole day, please suggest what to do, what food we have to give her?


Just 2 days ago a nurse come to our home and he let her sit but after long she suffered from pain, so I believe if we can help her to sit she can do that. Please advise if there is any good way to start encouraging her ability to eat, and what foods are good for her situation. What about the low sodium happening to her? Thanks

Countrymouse Nov 2018
Wishinggood where is your mother living? Is she in the USA?

BarbBrooklyn Nov 2018
Who is your mom's caregiver?

Low sodium is often a product of kidney dysfunction and not easily treated with adjusting fluid intake. I would urge you to ask whomever is caring for your mom to discuss her food and fluid intake with her primary doctor.

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mollymoose Nov 2018
My 80 year old MIL had two bouts of critically low sodium in Aug. with hospital stays totaling around 13 days. She had recently started on Zoloft (can cause low sodium in elderly) and she was also not eating good. Her husband had recently died. We were told poor kidney function could contribute to low sodium, but hers were okay. Took her off Zoloft and she takes three sodium pills a day. She’s eating a bit better, and is drinking ensure. So far, her sodium seems to be okay. Is your mom drinking enough to keep her from getting dehydrated, which will cause low sodium?
Wishinggood Nov 2018
Thank you for your answer, the thing is when the nurse adding the sodium to Intravenous Therapy her sodium getting better back, and when he is removing it the sodium dropping, but your point about drinking the water i believe it is important to ask my mom today( because i live faraway from her)
and could you please tell me if i will ask her to drink less is that can be fine?, maybe her body needs the water because she is not eating much, but thanks God yesterday she ate better.
cwillie Nov 2018
Your post isn't clear to me, is she at end of life? the goal then would be to treat her pain and keep her comfortable, loss of appetite is a natural part of the body shutting down and although it is distressing to the caregiver she isn't suffering from hunger. Offer tiny bites and sips of her favourites if she will take them.
If she isn't on hospice then I would be taking her to the hospital for x-rays to figure out what has happened and for treatment, it sounds as though she may have had a spontaneous spinal fracture or some other injury and is likely in too much pain to eat.

Countrymouse Nov 2018
Wishinggood I'm very sorry for what you and your family are going through.

I don't quite understand what has been happening, though.

Your mother got a serious pain in her back. How long ago did all this begin?
Then she got a pressure - do you mean a pressure sore, from not being able to sit or stand but having to lie in bed all the time?
She became too weak to eat, lost a lot of weight.
They started giving her ICU - do you mean she was in hospital, receiving intensive care?

But now, more than a month later, she's back home, with visiting nurses.
Is your mother on hospice care? How much support are you getting with looking after her?

Just to be going on with, anything she has always really enjoyed eating will tempt her appetite and is fine. If she likes banana milkshakes, you could try that - but anything that gets calories into her is good. Is she able to swallow properly?

The low sodium is quite a technical issue. If it's worrying you and you want advice about how to improve that, you must ask her doctor.
Wishinggood Nov 2018
Thank you for your answer, my mom was doing something in the kitchen and she slides and fall, the thing is doctor came to her home and started giving her injection wishing that will help her to treat her big back pain , and from that time more than 30days ago until now her back still too much paining, and eating ability became very weak and the symptoms i mentioned like low sodium, blood pressure high, with big lost of weight, most of her days she was on treatment with injections and
Intravenous Therapy which the doctor adding the sodium and some medicines.
Three days ago the nurse who care about her, tried hardly to let her sit and he succeeded but after big suffer from pain, and about 5 min he put her back to bed.

we took her two days ago to hospital and doctors asked to do scan but they didn't make it because their rules are they cant do immediately ( it is really unfair policy in this hospital) i am not sure yet is it x-ray or ultrasound and on monday we would take her again to the hospital to the scan.

thank you for the suggestion for the suggestion of banana milkshakes i was also wondering about if banana can be given to her, because we trying apple, orange fruit
Phogiveness Nov 2018
You could try CBD oil, it helps with pain. For her appetite maybe you could slip some supplement type of powder into her drinks. I have to do that for my sister because she rejecst food daily but she'll gladly drink a protein smoothie

Shell38314 Nov 2018
What came first the pain or not eatting?
Do you know how and why back is hurting?
Did she fall?
Is the Dr treating the low sodium? If so with what?
Is she taking any other medications?

Trying to figure out is the pain causing her to not want to eat.
Or is there something more going on that is causing her to not want to eat (primary), and the pain is (secondary)? Or the other way round? Or is there another cause?

Try yogurts, eggs, chicken noodle soup is a good one. There is something about chicken broth that wakes up the senses of people. If she is being treated for low sodium than you have to be careful about putting salt into her food. Her favorite ice cream. Try to think of some of her favorite foods/meals.

I hope this helps. I might be able to help you more with more information.

Good Luck.

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