Hi all
hope everyone’s doing well xx
have posted a few times about my situ - dad been offered respite to give mum and I a break but refused.
since then he had a vagal episode which ended with him on a perch chair my arms around him convulsing going unconscious and gasping - I thought he was dying. Called ambulance and he came too started vomiting and lost control of bowels
off to A&E and been in hospital since. We’ve lost our renablement package which will be reinstated (4 times a day carer) no rehab - he’s not a candidate, no cure for postural hypotension so may happen again.
offered respite but initially would have lost our social worker who is fab so we sat on the fence and fought for rehab which was a firm no. SW has now said she’s going to keep our case so respite back in table but 10 days isolation and hospital says it’s not great for dad to go to a home.
prior to episode he was sleeping 22 hours a day and refusing food. The doc at hospital agreed with me that it sounded like he was shutting down.
mum is distraught - doesn’t know what to do.
do any of you have experience with these episodes? What treatment do they do in the us? I’m in the uk
(dad is 87, catheter, just has a UTI - which cold have been the sleeping etc - kidneys were stage 4 but after IV drip better than ever! AAA of around 6cm so lots going on
any advice appreciated xxx
thank you x
in the uk they are pushing people out of hospital another OT saw us yesterday and said my mum shouldn’t be visiting in case she catches covid. My dad was told he was coming home yesterday by a doctor. Our social worker had said he’s not to be moved out of hospital till after the weekend,
its fight fight fight all the time for answers and if I’m honest I’m listening more and more to the voices of experience here. I told dad on Friday i was so glad he was ok and he didn’t even know what had happened I said you had some sort of turn and it was scary he said I think they’ll be a few more of them girl
thank you for all your advice xxx
You describe what is a classic for vagal involved or just classic hypotension due to orthostatic (positional changes). There is, while the patient struggles to stay conscious, what looks like classic seizure activity.
Wishing you luck. This will likely be a problem ongoing though may improve after other things are addressed.
Again, be certain hydration is OK. Discuss with MD as overhydrating a problem if heart cannot take fluid overload. You don't want to go from this to congestive heart failure.
They are nothing to mess around with, as they can be fatal. My husband was put on 3 different seizure medicines at very high doses to try and keep them under control, but towards the end of his life he did have more break through seizures.
Might want to get him in with a neurologist that specializes in seizures.
Bets wishes in getting things figured out for your dad.
Agree with Tchamp, that was no vasovagal.