Another fall and I'm angry! What can I do?
Sorry I'm posting again. All the topics are different, so I hope it's ok.
I'm so frustrated! About 2 a.m. l knew Mom was in the bathroom. I was wide awake but didn't hear her go in. I went by the back door to let the cat in and I hear BOOM!
I went running in and my son came flying up the stairs, it was so loud!
My stomach's already in a knot. When I got to her she was sitting on the floor, in front of the bedroom door naked from the waist down. She had her right foot in her pj bottoms. No depends nor regular underwear. Those weren't the pjs she was wearing when she went to bed. She was wearing a clean depends at bedtime too.
Figured she peed through and went to change. She usually doesn't pee fully in her pull ups, there more for leakage.
I pulled her PJs up and help my son get her up. I can't pick her up alone. And she doesn't have the strength in her legs to help.
We got her in bed and asked what happened. She said she went to bathroom yada yada yada.....but as she was talking her lips were...weird. She even asked if she was talking funny. She said she felt like she was.
I slept in her recliner next to her bed. She goes to PCP at 11 this morning anyway
I was fuming, she just don't listen! She's supposed to use her walker all the time. Some mornings I get up and she's on the toilet crying because She can't get up. No walker in there.
Its not that she forget to use it either.
She walks around my house like an eleven month old baby just learning how to walk, yet not having mastered balance . Or better yet, a drunk.
I constantly have a knot in my stomach cause she just gets up and goes, weaving , bouncing off walls, grabbing for air, leaning backwards, sideways, over face down and now her knees just spontaneously give out!
No one took me seriously when I told them about her short term memory issues. Although I don't think she forgets the walker.
Aside from wrapping her in bubble wrap, what can I do?
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First thought: STROKE. I'd take her to the ER now even if she isn't still speaking strangely. It's better to know if she had a stroke than not. And if she herself sensed something was amiss in her speaking....best to get it checked out.
Good luck, and let us know.
As to the fall issues, well, come back and let us know after you've gone to the ER. I don't want to delay you from getting treatment.
Like GA, I will give suggestions about your Mom's falls after you get back from the doctor visit. YOUR FIRST PRIORITY is taking your Mom to see the DOCTOR!
Now for the walker. Your Mom can no longer reason. First thing to go. She probably forgets not long after you tell her "use your walker". They have no idea that they r failing. And there is no conditioning. When she "forgets" to use it just give it to her and say "Mom, here's your walker". When she was at the AL, Mom would park it, literally. The aides would find it in a corner somewhere. Once she was in a NH she was in a wheelchair because she was a fall risk. As someone always posts on this site...their brain is broken.
Well, you'll know soon enough, no need to chastise you--we've all been there and my reasoning at 2 am is poor to say the least....
Oh, the description of the walking!! I swear you've been watching my mother. She thinks walking with the walker makes her look old, but I tell you, watching her weave and lurch around the house makes me wonder what she does think she looks like.
And yes, she falls frequently-always says the same thing "Well, I didn't FALL, I just sort of slid to the floor". In my book that is a FALL.
Good luck--hope all is ok in the end today.
Fortunately, no one chastised me!
When my father had a stroke at church, no one even recognized that his slurred speech and loss of balance might be a stroke. It wasn't until several hours later when I called and heard his changed speech that I thought it might be a stroke.
And there were 2 doctors in that church!
Same thing when he had a heart attack; he stated he was having chest pains after lifting a box he shouldn't have, yet the guy with him never even thought that anything was amiss.
I'm hoping for the best for Pepsee's Mom.
What's your mother's status?
It is because we care, ya know?
I was thinking the same G.A.
I called Dr on the way to ER. She said come in whenever we get out, if Mom leaves there. She did cause she was fine.... woohoo!
Spent an HR and a half at Dr office after ER. That is one awesome Dr. We went over everything.
She's been in contact with the surgeon and neurologist. I think that's great. She assured me we will get to the bottom of Mom's memory issues, once we get these surgeries behind us and Mom does some rehab for legs.
She ordered a transfer wheelchair. Well, after going to two medical Supply pharmacies, I found they don't give them out through insurance because insurance pays less then supplier pays for them. Oh well.
I'm beat, will be back tomorrow. Oh yeah, I use my phone to come to this site and " check out" when I'm stressed or impatient throughout the day. That's what I was doing earlier. I planned to check back in and update after the house calmed down and Mom went to bed.
I wouldn't leave you guys hanging ❤️ Where can we go to get info, care and concern like this? And it's free...lol thank you so much everyone.
I think that one or both of our wheelchairs also might have been ordered by rehab facilities.
Pepsee, you may live in an area which requires competitive bidding. Use the above Medicare link to see if you can find a supplier in your area.
www.walmart.com/ip/Drive-Medical-Silver-Sport-1-Wheelchair-with-Full-Arms-and-Swing-away-Removable-Footrest/15423452
Sorry to read about your Mom’s episode.
I can identify with your belief that your Mom is not forgetting her walker. My Mom’s personality before Dementia was very stubborn and defiant. When Mom began refusing to use her walker she was very good at covering up that she was actually forgetting to use her walker.
Due to the fact that your Mom is having memory issues you may really want to consider that she IS forgetting to use her walker.
Good luck getting this all figured out!
We know Mom has diabetic nerve damage. She has shooting, stabbing pain and restless leg. The worst is from the knees down. Her thigh musles constantly ache as well as her knee caps. Now they just give out and she will collapse.
Dr put her on neorontin before the stroke. And the hospialist upped it to 200 mg 3x daily. But it doesn't seem to work.
There's so much conflicting opinions about the neorontin. The ER Dr that saw her right before the stroke said to take her off it. Then after stroke, hospitalist upped it and her PCP also agreed with the adjustment, add it's also for seizure prevention. Since a seizure preceeded the stroke, it stays.
PCP ordered Doppler series testing. And we see the vascular surgeon this week, for pre surgery exam. The VS emailed PCP to inform her Moms corrotids (spelling?) Are both 70 percent blocked. Not 70/30 like earlier test review reported.
When I picked her up 2 months ago, there was so much wrong with her. She hadn't been to her own Dr in so long that she had insulin from 2015! Since this was a new Dr and mer medical records were so old and illnesses so new, we had to start addressing the biggest problems first, which were, depression, anxiety, UTI and diabetes.
It's horrible of me to say but her lack of hygiene and condition of her house was shocking! I just grabbed her, some personal papers, pics and meds, gave the bldg manager $500.00 bucks and said, " throw everything out."
So as it stands, we're chipping away at the stone. She was finally given some strong pain meds that offers some relief. Thank God.
At 9 am this morning I'm going to meet my brother and bring my 6 yr old nephew here for a week or two. He's one of the children who lost his Mom last August. My Mom is floating on air in anticipation of seeing her baby. Lol. I, on the other hand, just might go insane! 😩
Thank you for asking, 💚
I was on the phone with my brother yesterday, we weighed the pros and cons of a scooter. Seems it would be more trouble then it's worth. Especially since we live in the woods with dirt and gravel roads. She only goes to Walmart, food store and Dr. Stores have scooters and the chair is perfect for Dr visits.
I saw chairs on Amazon starting at $83.00 bucks! But since that would be her main ride, when we're out, I'll invest in a more comfy one at those prices!
I'm definitely picking up a baby monitor today after I get my nephew. Great idea! Also my brother has a bedside commode that also goes over the toilet. She needs the arm supports to get back up. But I will use it with the pot, by her bed at night, so she doesn't have to come out of her room.
And yes, she has open back slippers, those have got to go. If she sh*ts on the commode lid at 2 am, I'm moving out! She can have the house, my son and I'll throw in my hubby...for good measure!
Ok, I'm off to take this 3 hr journey to get the lad. Have a great day guys.
You may have to check in a wider range; expand to hospitals outside of your immediate area. In the past, wheelchairs and things like that were delivered; we never picked them up. So a less local DME might be an option.
I don't recall - did you get a script for the chair? If so, the doctor who wrote the script might have someone on staff (bookkeeper or biller ) who could help you find a source.
Another potential option is to call local rehab facilities, nursing homes or dedicated rehab w/o in-house placement, and ask for recommendations for a DME supplier.
As to the neuropathy, try decreasing sugar and processed foods, including bleached flour, canned food with salt added, etc. I don't know if it would help when diabetes is already present, but it did help with the neuropathic type tingling I had after my stroke. I know of others who've recommended and used this same food change method, including outdoorsy types who've lowered their levels with purer foods.
GardenArtist, tomorrow I'll make some calls. Thanks for the help.
What happened when you had a stroke? We're you alone?
I think that probably was the cause - too much political stress. I told my friends "Trump sent me to the ER!"