After suffering from a flu for a week, my mother has dementia today?

A change in mental status should be reported to her doctor, immediately. Call right now.

What Barb said. Do it now.

Check for a uti...if she was taking antibiotics for the flu, this could have exacerbated a urinary tract infection.

Delirium and dementia are often hard to distinguish from each other, but dementia is usually gradual in onset and delirium is an "all of a sudden" thing.  Think of mom's delirium as a "symptom" and report it to the doc right away.    (((((hugs))))))).

And from the Mayo Clinic website, causes of delirium:
(as you can see, some of these need to be dealt with immediately; don't let the doctor put you off.  If you need to, call the EMTs)

Causes
Delirium occurs when the normal sending and receiving of signals in the brain become impaired. This impairment is most likely caused by a combination of factors that make the brain vulnerable and trigger a malfunction in brain activity.

Delirium may have a single cause or more than one cause, such as a medical condition and medication toxicity. Sometimes no cause can be identified. Possible causes include:

Certain medications or drug toxicity
Alcohol or drug abuse or withdrawal
A medical condition
Metabolic imbalances, such as low sodium or low calcium
Severe, chronic or terminal illness
Fever and acute infection, particularly in children
Exposure to a toxin
Malnutrition or dehydration
Sleep deprivation or severe emotional distress
Pain
Surgery or other medical procedures that include anesthesia

Don't check, don't look it up on the internet, don't mess about - get professional medical advice from a qualified practitioner. Do it now.

I had this flu a month, and are just now able to eat and there was virulent diarrhea. I’m 64 years old and are chronically ill. The end of the first week I was delirious, very delirious says my hubby. I remember being ‘unable to talk’ meaning I was out of it, and annoyed about that.

That didn’t happen again during the next three weeks. I’m trying to gain weight now. Oh and I do not have dementia.

HiBPguy, what did the doctor recommend?

I will get her to her doctor today.

Call the doctor and ASK what you should do. You don't want to schlep her to the doctor's office when he might want her taken to the ER via ambulance.

Was the Nyquil suggested by the doctor. There r very few meds that don't interact with BP medication. She may be dehydrated.

My mother's doctor said it might be delirium from not eating much for 5 days. All she had during that period was water, juice, and a little protein drink. She could not eat solid foods. I have to take her to a specialist later. She seemed to be alert at the doctor's office and answered some of the questions without problems. Her eyesight has become very impaired that she cannot see who is in front of her at all. She did have a period of clear thinking today at home, recounting how to deal with her death. I'll report back here when things settle down a bit. This flu has been very severe on her. Possibly the meds too, we gave her what we had in the cabinet that had worked before.

Did the dr test for dehydration? UTI? Make sure she is drinking a lot.
Have the visual disturbances stopped? My mom had an optic nerve stroke after a bout of shingles which severely affected her vision and gave her what I also called visual disturbances. A checkup at the eye dr could rule out if something physically is going on with her eyes.
What kind of specialist will you be seeing?

I'm so glad you got her to the doctor! Please let us know how you are both doing in coming days. We care!

Hello again. Much thanks to all of you who gave your concerns. I took my mother to the emergency ward of a hospital today. They discovered she had pneumonia in one lung and she was low in sodium and yes, dehydrated. They put her on IV fluids. There were CAT scans made on her head and xrays on her chest. Body life signs on the electronic monitor were below normal and she is very weak in movements. Her mental state is still in question. She will be alert for a few seconds and then become incoherent. Being the agent in mother's advance health directive and holding my promise to her on not letting her die in a hospital, I will be bringing her home in a couple of days. I will take care of her till her end, which seems to be near. I have been caring for her for many years, good health and bad, that it is not that difficult to do. She still calls out my name in her weakened state.  I love her very much.

You're bringing her home once she is stable, right?

Let them give her all the IV antibiotics and fluids that they can. It works quicker that way.

I'm sure you're a great "nurse" and we can tell that you love her very much. But let them do everything they can for her while she's there.

Bless you both.

Good on ya for posting this, and same to all the posts here. Hang in there, HiBPguy. Sometimes these events happen so quickly, its really hard to determine what is what.
Sending good vibes/wishes your way, and for your Mom. Your level of strength and continuity is admirable, HiBPguy.
Its a very difficult time to go through. Super-hard.

Maybe she qualifies for Hospice.
The extra staff and support they offer is amazing...it's changed a lot since "death bed" days.
Take good care of yourself, too....and Love to Mom!!

Blessings to you for taking care of your mama.

My mom (84) had cataract surgery. One of her meds didn't mix with the anesthesia and she started seeing people in her room and under the carpet. She said a woman was sleeping with her and her foot was cut off and it was bleeding and the blood was running onto the floor. I took her to the doctor, and he said it was age related dementia. He gave her a low dose of Seroquel to help her sleep. I didn't give it to her for awhile. She didn't have an UTI. All her blood work was fine! It was the anesthesia that caused it. She is fine now. I did finally give her the medicine, and it was like a miracle. She sleeps better and feels better all day long because of a small dose at night.

Sounds like a medicine reaction to me. Contact her physician - as in Yesterday!

If this is a medicine reaction, it will take time to get out of her system but maybe there is an antidote that will help.

You should see me if they slip me any sulfa medications; delusional doesn't even come close.

Also, there might be a possible TIA, which isn't easily detected but can cause changes in vision, hallucinations--which she may or may not get over. Another thought is that when my grandmother was in the hospital years ago they gave her Vistaril--turns out this is not a good choice for the elderly. who metabolize many drugs differently than younger folks.

Your mom is very Blessed to have you and your love. Please call in hospice while she is in hospital, they will come to you and make sure mom has everything she needs at home to be comfortable. They will also be a great help to you during this time.

May God grant you many grieving mercies and walk with you and family so this passing is as gentle as possible. Hugs 2 u and mom.

Many ((((HUGS)))) to you. Thank you for keeping us in the loop, because we do care.

HiBPguy: I see by your profile that your mother suffered a STROKE. I would get her to her physician immediately. And remember, influenza kills!

The side effects of Nyquil and your mother’s Blood Pressure Medicine both list Confusion. Also the Nyquil list Hallucinations as a side effect. You can research her drugs on WebMD or DrugRx. I might suggest you have a consult with a Geriatric Internal Medicine Doctor as the Medications May need to be reduced in strength and or removed altogether. Also your Pharmacist can help you in talking with the doctor! With the elderly it should be a Team Approach, as the clinicians do not see her on a day to day basis, you do! Do not be afraid to ask questions.

HiBPguy: I see that you took your mother to the emergency room. What did the doctor say about her stroke? Much love and hugs for being such a wonderful son. Will pray for mom.

A UTI or dehydration can quickly change mental status. They can turn around quickly with IV hydration..

I believe your mom will bounce back once they get her hydrated, eating, and you stop the Nyquil. Do keep her in the hospital until they get her stabilized. Thanks for keeping us posted and please continue to do so. We care!

HiBPGuy,

I write my response before I read all the post, which the majority are spot on in dirrerent areas: Hydration extremely important. Has she lost weight? Have you tried the “Shakes” trick? Many variations: One I used was Premeir Vanilla Protein shakes 3oz, small scoop ice cream, honey, fresh fruit. One caregiver also has used the shakes to run through food processor with Spinach for my Dad. With spinach she added 1/3 pack Carnation Instant Breakfast to give more flavor. But we had to stop after 8 weeks as Dad put on 8 pounds!

Also has the doctor tested her potassium levels. I put Mom on 99mg Potassium Pills (Sams/Costco) morning and dinner time. The doctor tested and approved after reading the blood test showing still in low normal range for potassium.

In writing this I realized that if my memory serves me correct your mother’s BP Med is a version of an Angiotensice Ace II inhibitor. I am no doctor, but memory tells me it can also play with the renal function, which dehydration can exasperate drug side effects and reduced urine output may also cause memory issues!

Again!!!! Talk with the doctor, or even better if the doctor has a Doctor of Nursing PHD, or a PA, I find they mull over information more carefully and then brainstorm, or rather make the doctor brainstorm with them to come up with a short term strategy, and if they find significant improvement then they come up with long term changes due to the sudden altered mind state.

Bob (WV)

THE OP WRITES IN HIS PROFILE THAT HE CARES FOR HIS MOTHER FROM HEART/STROKE!!