third seizure

Personal Finances Taking Care of Parents
21

"Then there are food/poison/environmental/medical contributors to seizure/catatonic behavior.

Very low blood sugars can trigger seizures.

FWIW,

IP "

My mother came very close to diabetic coma from low blood sugars - I seem to recall the level was
45… She responded to questions asked of her and made sense - but was not herself by any means. She
actively argued against drinking orange juice - which was the go-to at that time to recover from
low sugar - orange juice with a bit of sugar dissolved in the liquid.
They now have many more options - they gave me a mango-flavoured shot of some liquid when my sugar
level dropped in the low 60s while on a no-liquid/no IV “diet”.

Howie52
While in the hospital I found low hemoglobin levels can cause fainting spells.
I strongly recommend not fainting when in hospital.
People get upset and you find yourself in very strange and confusing situations - plus IV stands
are quite heavy and difficult to move.
Doubly so if you are half-way under the hospital bed.

1 Like
22

Thx.

End of day wrap up. Hah–almost.

He ate very little Chinese takeout. Not a bite of his fave (pot stickers). Not a bite of veg. Slowly ate a spare rib and the big section of a chicken wing. That’s it. And wiped his hands on the tablecloth. Serves me right for eating in the dining room.

Backing up. I cut his lunch pills and mixed them into Fage blueberry yogurt for snack. He ate most but not all so I can’t be sure how much if any pills he got. I fed it to him as he wasn’t enthused enough to eat it himself. Unlike his oatmeal & craisins breakfast, which he snarfed up. Ditto his homemade miso, tofu & watercress soup lunch.

Better luck after dinner. It took a few tries, but I got him to take his pills.

I was gonna report he’s in bed and going to sleep, but alas, didn’t last so long. He’s been examining the floors (esp the large ceramic tile in the bathroom with very visible grout lines, which he traces with his fingers). Sitting on the living room sofa, mostly sitting on the edge of the tub, and crouching, crawling, adn sitting in various places on the floor, mostly in the bathroom. I forced him onto the toilet but nothing happened there except I cut off the stinky Depends (from an earlier poop slick) and cleaned his bum (but he still smells). But now he’s just in pj bottoms, nothing underneath. I am unable to cajole, slyly walk, or drag him to bed. And all that standing left my back aching so I broke down and took ibuprofen. Whew. No wonder they drug 'em to keep 'em sleepy at night (and often in the daytime, too) in facilities.

I sure hope this is seizure aftermath and not the new normal :-/

23

I finally got him into bed. He fell asleep in about a minute.

2 Likes
24

I finally got him into bed. He fell asleep in about a minute.

Cannot believe what you are going through. Hope it’s a reasonably calm night. And that he’s a lot more his usual self by morning.

But I suspect that this is a kind of glimpse into the future—but hopefully a good ways off.

=sheila

1 Like
25

He slept 2 1/2 hours. Then started climbing out of bed so I helped him right onto the toilet. Nope–did nothing. Crossed his legs, fiddling with his pj bottoms, finally ending up with bare bottom on the cold floor. Then fingering the grout lines and baseboards. And then peed (a lot) on the floor. I cleaned him, it & me up (note to self–buy stock in paper towel companies, bleach, and windex-).

Alas, stepped in the pee with my slippers before I saw it. Washable slippers, at least. Tossed them into the washer.

Helped him back almost to bed (easier than it sounds, he was quite bent over), when he decided to go no further and is sitting on the floor by his bedside, bare bum on the floor (at least I washed it). I can’t pick him up from the floor, but can if he’s kneeling or holding onto something so I have to wait till he does something like that.

OK he’s kneeling and holding his guard rai, but refuses/cannot help me pull him up into bed.

I wish our aide could come today–I’d like to try moving the commode chair into the house since he refuses to use the toilet or pee in Depends. Not that I have much hope for the chair. Maybe I can move it up from the far end of the garage and up the stairs. More awkward than heavy IIRC.

Last time I decluttered the bathroom, I threw out the hospital pee-bottle (“urinal”). He wouldn’t/couldn’t use it successfully even with help, even when he was in better shape than now, which is why I ditched it after thinking about it.

Success! Back in bed w/pj bottoms on! The process from waking to now? An hour. Although It was really hard for me to wake up for it out of a s0und sleep, I’m wide awake now. He’s asleep though :slight_smile:

26

All better???

He woke at 4. Normal gait returned (not shuffling, bent over, or s-l-o-w), he walked purposefully to the bathroom wastebasket (solid plastic-), pulled down his pants, peed neatly into it, pulled up his pants, walked back into bed and promptly went back to sleep.

Who thought I’d be giving three cheers for peeing in a wastebasket?! All I had to do was dump and rnse it.

3 Likes
27

He got up at 7, wandered around the master suite till I took him to the toilet, where he peed. Then turned around, sat on the toilet, and had a normal poop (I mean really normal, like the middle poop in an illustration of the contipation to diarrhea continuum :slight_smile: He didn’t wipe himself though, so I did.

We normally eat breakfast in the den, sitting in our recliners (coz I’m too tired to sit at table this early, and my back prefers it).

I’m seated and started eating (fruit salad w/walnuts), but…he’s just standing there and my encouragement to sit is not working. Normally he’d grab at his coffee immediately, but he just looked at it.

I was also unable to get him to put on his slippers or let me put them on him. Floor is cold even though the heat was at 68 overnight and I turned it up to 70 when I got up.

I just repeated, “Eat your breakfast.”

He looked me in the eye and said, “Right…good-good-good.” He hasn’t spoken that much comprehensible English in a long time!!

But he still isn’t sitting down or eating. Ah! Spoke to soon–he sat down. Not eating or drinking, though. I have never seen this at breakfast–he’s usually hungry when he gets up and snarfs it all up as soon as available.

So I handed him his coffee. He took a sip, gibbered, put it down. It’s too hot for me to drink, but he normally drinks it this soon–Nespresso coffee isn’t terribly hot.

He forgot to put his glasses on when he got up, and I was busy and kept forgetting to do it, too. So I got them and handed them to him. “what-what-what” he says. He didn’t know what to do with them so I put them on him. I sat back down, looked at him, and he smiled at me and nodded yes.

But still not eating. And now falling asleep in his recliner. Maybe too tired to eat.

We love morning naps, but since he skipped breakfast he also skipped morning meds & supplements. Well, it can wait.

1 Like
28

My mother came very close to diabetic coma from low blood sugars - I seem to recall the level was
45… She responded to questions asked of her and made sense - but was not herself by any means. She
actively argued against drinking orange juice - which was the go-to at that time to recover from
low sugar - orange juice with a bit of sugar dissolved in the liquid.

DH is a type 1 diabetic who has problems with high blood sugars when he wakes up. Many do. His doctor put him on a med that suppresses release of glucose from the liver which, combined with a cardio workout the night before, left him seizing in bed next to me at about 2 AM. I was about 7 months pregnant with Youngest at the time.

Not all dangerous seizures are violent. He was simply moving his hands back and forth, twitching really. It was barely enough to wake me up, though with a toddler in the house, I woke very easily.

I could not wake him. I got some honey and put some on my finger, rubbed it on the gums, cheek side, and called 911. He woke in the hospital with a glucose drip 90 minutes later and of course yelled at me for “over reacting” for his having been out “only a few minutes.” He was surprised to hear how long he had been out. Since that time we have an injection that can be used for these type of emergencies. They of course are not cheap and need replacing every year. Happily I have not had to use it, being hyper vigilant to avoid super lows. I made DH set the alarm to test his sugars at 2 AM for months after that. Now he wears a CGM, (constant glucose monitor,) and insulin pump, which alerts him to high and low sugars. Technology is amazing.

High sugars are critical over time. Low sugars can be deadly. Youngest is now 24 and we have never experienced another event, but it is traumatizing. Very sorry to hear this piled up on top of an already full plate for Alstro.

IP

3 Likes
29

"Not all dangerous seizures are violent. He was simply moving his hands back and forth, twitching really. "

DW’s father had seizures where he just zoned out - sitting at the kitchen table up in Ohio and
he stared off - no response, no activity, nothing. The boys at birth had a rhythmic pattern to
movement - not exactly the same for each - one had a head movement and one had an arm movement.
My mother had a different situation where she responded slowly and in a manner which was unlike
her normal speech and inflection. Someone not familiar with her would not have picked up on the
differences - and I don’t choose to think about what might have been the result.

Taking care of others is stressful to the max even if everything is going smoothly. When things
go off-track to the point where predictability is not in the cards, it takes a remarkable
person to maintain care and sanity simultaneously. The lady is quite amazing and provides a
model for others which can only be aimed for and never done as well.

Howie52

5 Likes
30

He’s never been diabetic. I don’t think it’s low blood glucose as he tends to have fasting glucose in the high 90s–high normal readings.

Yesterday he had a big bowl of oatmeal & craisins for breakfast, soba noodles in his Japanese soup for lunch, not much carbs for dinner (sweetness on the spare rib and fried crust on the half chicken wing) plus his snacks have sugar (commercial fruit yogurt & kefir, homemade smoothies with fruit and sometimes honey or maple syrup, and I’ve been giving him bakery treats too often.

While he slept this morning I took a shower. He was nyet on a shower (only 3 days since last one–that’s starting to feel A-OK-) and even getting dressed. I managed to get his old long-sleeve tee off, sort of wash his pits (smelly) & put on deodorant, and hand him a fresh t-shirt (he wouldn’t let me help put it on). I couldn’t get his pj bottoms off or get him to do it. But his bum was washed twice yesterday. He brushed his teeth (but spat out on the floor-). Well, he never brushed yesterday so I’ll take it. THen he shaved and let me brush his hair. He put on his socks & slip-on shoes by himself.

He is still uninterested in eating or drinking this morning. And of course no sertraline or olanzapine yet (or BP pill, but I’m less concerned about that–he takes a low dose and I bet it’s not needed every day, but he doesn’t cooperatie with getting a reading so hard to say).

He refused to go down the steps to the car, so no trip to the lab (for now). Aide might come between her 9-3 and 5-8 clients so I can at least pick up the urine sample cup. But without him there, no blood test. If I could get him to go and sit still for a stab, bro has BG testing materials as he’s T2D.

After standing around staring out the floor, he’s now in the den with me, sitting in the desk chair instead of his recliner, with one leg crossed over the other–something he hasn’t done for years. Perhaps the seizure re-routed a few connections??? He just smiled back at me and lifted his eyebrows as if to mean, “What?” He actually looks very like his old self, thinking.

=alstor, playing whack-a-mole, if not all that well

1 Like
31

For those thinking I should put him in a facility coz they’d get him to eat. Er, no. Mom’s can’t get her to eat much (and nothing she doesn’t like), and she has almost all her marbles. And for those unaware, many (most??) people lose weight–often quite a lot of it–in nursing homes/memory care, even assisted living sometimes–and hospitals.

Darn it–I’m trying to remember to wash his hands & face every morning he doesn;t shower, but forgot today. He used to have gorgeous skin, but not so much now thst his face isn’t cleaned often. And even when I wash it, it’s just warm water ona wash cloth.

I was thinking if he wore sweat pants night and day, I’d be less concerned about his changing pants morning and evening. I bought him a pair of “lounge pants”–like sweat pants but much lighter weight and nicer (not so baggy, but not clingy like yoga pants either) and with a one-button fly. He won’t wear them.

1 Like
32

For those thinking I should put him in a facility coz they’d get him to eat.

That’s not the only reason most of us think that…

5 Likes
33

That’s not the only reason most of us think that…

I know.

Meanwhile…Success!!!

At 11 I got him out the door and into the lab. Where he gave a urine sample. Yay! Concentrated from lack of eating and drinking much last night or any this morning.

While we were walking down the hall toward the lab, he said No and started pulling away from me. (Effect of no zoloft or olanzapine this morning?) But he was only weakly defiant.

And when we got home, he ate a serving of shrimp egg fu yung and a little rice. He didn’t eat his sparerib.

He took his breakfast and lunch pills :slight_smile:

A neighbor came over and asked to look around our yard for her escaped indoor cat. We started chatting. Her husband has medical problems, including Parksinsons, and has been in a couple of facilities for several years. They are dissatisfied with the care he gets (especially for the cost and givne that he’s mostly compos mentis). So she’s bringing him home, first making a few modifications to the house and hiring aides (she’s 81 but looks at least 10 years younger and acts at least 30 years younger–strong, fit, energetic, mentally sharp. What a woman! Retired frpm the NSA IIRC.).

huh. The hubster is gibbering in a somewhat more English-like way than he has for a couple of years and not just staring into space (or at the floor-). Whatever that means.

Peeing is so much easier for him while wearing flannel pajama bottoms (with a fly) and no underpants. Perhaps this is how he should dress most of the time, day or night, given that he won’t pee in Depends (for now).

Gotta run–he’s in the kitchen by himself…

…and it kinda went downhill from there while I did the breakfast & lunch dishes. He rattled the front door so I took him for a walk (that signal is not a good one and I went out coz I SO craved a walk myself). And he wasn’t wearing his tracking device (coz no belt to hang it on…but I could’ve put it in a parka pocket).

~3/4 of the way along the walk, he started saying no-no-no and wanted to turn around (perhaps to escape the neighborhood like he did on Keppra last year but this time no Keppra–but also much less defiance). By the time we got close to home, he crouched down in the across-the-st driveway and wouldn’t get up. Frank from up the st–a delightful old gentleman who’s always very friendly to Jerry on walks, came and gave me a hand to manhandle him into the house. Where we discovered he’d cut the top of his middle finger and was bleeding on everything he touched. Since I cleaned up the blood on the floor he’s been poking around the edges of rugs. Frank stayed quite a while and we had a nice chat. His wife used to run a psych ward in San Francisco so he knows about dementia. Anyhow, so far he won;t let me bandage the cut, but he’s hardly bleeding now. At the moment he;s plauing with putting his socks and shoes on and off.

I have a headache.

1 Like
34

He’s calm now (medications kicked in?? food in his body kicked in??). Eating his (breakfast) fruit salad and drank some kefir. Let me bandage his finger. Stopped playing with the wine rack/bottles, tablecloth, rugs, his shoes & socks. Just sitting at the dining table.

Got the results–no infection in his urine.

Neuro hesitant to give him any seizure meds due to previous sensitivity. I certainly don’t want him taking anything to make him more “irritable” (a tthe very least).

GRATITUDE JOURNAL
Glad I got to take a shower today.
Glad I got to take a walk today.
Glad I got the hubster to get a urine test today.
Glad he took his meds today.
Glad I have more leftovers and no need to cook dinner.
Glad I finished cleaning the fridge yesterday.
Glad I got to talk to 2 neighbors today–that doesn’t happen often let alone 2 in one day.

8 Likes
35

Maybe the seizure affected his speech center. A seizure is basically an electrical storm in the brain. It may have stimulated something. How long it will last, who knows.

Facilities are a trade-off, to some extent. Really, everything is a trade-off. Maloshi is thrilled with her facility, based on what she’s posted on the boards. But, yeah, you don’t want to go cheap. The cheap ones are horrible (I toured one or two). And you hear news stories about the really bad ones (where residents lay in bed in their own excrement for extended periods). Lots of horror stories to go around. Because the stories of “this place is great” isn’t interesting news. Neighbor should probably shop around more.

It seems you have a 6’ toddler that is stronger than you. And instead of maturing, he’s regressing. I don’t know when, but at some point you will not be able to manage him despite your heroic and commendable efforts. What if he’d been more forceful at the lab today? My guess is that he wouldn’t have had labs today.

1poorguy

2 Likes
36

Maybe the seizure affected his speech center.

Maybe. He just said, “Thank-thank-thank” when I gave him a banana for dessert. He hasn’t done that for quite a while.

Facilities are a trade-off, to some extent. Really, everything is a trade-off.

No args here. [Just a reminder–in sickness & in health & all that jazz–never promised that to my parents, just my husband and my children]

Maloshi is thrilled with her facility

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love their independent living community, although Maryanne’s is truly exceptional and a perfect fit for her and her husband. Even my brother when he was in IL loved it…the friends, the parties, the food (he wasn’t into enrichment activities or even their little movie theatre).

It seems you have a 6’ toddler that is stronger than you. And instead of maturing, he’s regressing. I don’t know when, but at some point you will not be able to manage him

I have always known this. Perhaps I have a stronger devotion to my husband than most. And a higher tolerance for emotional pain :wink: (not physical pain tho’–I’m a real wuss with physical pain)

What if he’d been more forceful at the lab today? My guess is that he wouldn’t have had labs today.

Yes, and this has happened. He never got his last scheduled colonoscopy because I could not make him understand/remember fasting all day (let alone the clean-out process–we never got that far). He never did his urine sample a couple weeks ago.

To be honest, I wouldn’t worry about that. He doesn’t seem to get infections of any kind–doesn’t get sick, doesn’t get infected cuts, weird rashes… Takes poor to mediocre care of his teeth and doesn’t get gum disease or even much plaque.

The problem on the walk was entirely my error. I know not to take him out when he’s ‘off’ (which includes rattling the door lever). He was horrible on both walks the week after his first seizure. Didn;t take one so soon after his second seizure.

btw, he napped in his recliner this afternoon. He also put the shoe with the spot of blood in the waste basket :wink:

PS–5’11" and shrinking. He’s got something like a widow’s hump now.

1 Like
37

Forgot to mention he’s scheduled for an EEG next week. (Good luck…)

38

Who thought I’d be giving three cheers for peeing in a wastebasket?! All I had to do was dump and rnse it.

Humor is your friend in the face of such trials. You had me snorting in laughter over this one.

IP

1 Like
39

I have a headache.

Understatement.

IP

1 Like
40

Who thought I’d be giving three cheers for peeing in a wastebasket?!</>

Yeah — perspective does change! :wink:

=sheila