Mom has elevated white blood cell count but has not complained of feeling ill. She does seem tired most of the time what could it be?

The difficulty breathing while eating sounds just like my dad. Several months ago I started noticing him coughing every time he ate or drank. 2 weeks ago he had high white count with no real reason why. Making long story short, 3 ER trips later he was admitted to hospital for observation. Chest x-ray showed "some" pneumonia. Because he had also had hiccups for 8 days, hospital did a "Barium Swallow test". It was then determined he had dysphasia (swallowing difficulty), and pneumonia was caused by aspirating his food/liquid. He was treated with IV antibiotics and now in skilled nursing rehab. His liquids all have to be thickened to "nectar" thickness now to prevent him from aspirating, and has just gone from baby food consistency to soft food diet. Good luck with your Mom.

As a nurse, I can tell you she has an infection going on somewhere in her body. Her EKG won't show anything wrong. But it is vital she go for more testing since it could lead to pericarditis (infection around the sac of the heart) or something else. Tell her to die on her own time, but not on your watch! This could be pneumonia which is surely going to lead to hospitalization and death. Pneumonia is known as the "silent killer" of the elderly as well as high blood pressure. So what if she complains about the testing. Have her doctor prescribe an antidepressant so she won't feel so depressed. Her infection (whatever it is) is also making her feel so tired and depressed I am sure. Best wishes.

Raven You have done all the right things. Your mother is in a hospital ICU and is being treated for her unknown infection and her heart condition which could turn out to be a heart attack or undiagnosed atrial fibrillation (Afibb). The heart attack they will confirm with a blood test and they are already treating the heart beat irregularities. The mental deterioration may be due to the hospital environment or an unexpected reaction to needed drugs she has never had before. Elderly people often react in the opposite way when given a sedative as your mother clearly did. no way of predicting it happens. Please respect your mother's wish to die, she has expressed it many times. You have done everything that is necessary or expected this time and I know you are beside yourself with worry. Tell your Mom quietly how much you love her and that she will be missed but it is OK to go if this is the right time. reassure her that the family will be alright when she is gone and tell her you will take care of everything including animals.If she is religious call her priest or minister or request the hospital chaplain. Put a photo of your father at her bedside. Give her something soft to hold like a tiny soft toy. the hospital probably has a gift shop. Now take care of yourself. Take your Zanax and get something to eat and drink then find a quiet corner away from the ICU waiting room, there is too much nervous energy there from other relatives. Sit out side in the sun or walk around. Give the ICU staff your cell phone number and check back every so often, some places even have pagers. The Drs may not be communicating but remember their first priority is you Mom not you and it sounds as though they are doing the right things. Good luck and god bless you and your mother and sister. Keep in touch.

Raven - YOU are still alive! You did the correct action by calling 911, and you and your sister are to be commended for your quick actions. Now, relax, take a deep breath, and let the professionals take care of your mother. Her symptoms are probably a result of the meds she is getting to stabilize her irregular heartbeats and it is not uncommon for doctors to disagree with treatment. If you have your mother's Medical Power of Attorney just show it and the doctors have to discuss her case with you (or your sister). Have all her affairs in order should she not survive this, but know you did the correct thing by calling 911. At least she is safe, being cared for, and you can get some rest yourself. Best wishes.

She's probably dehydrated too.

In older women the usual signs of a UTI are not the same.Often the only outward symptom would be they just feel a general malaise,not much energy,complain of just not feeling good with no specific reason.They may not feel any burning or other discomfort when urinating.They just need a urine sample which can be done at the doctor's office.

I have never heard of "in geriatrics the rule of thumb is...". One tests to rule out more things, and a short-term antibiotic for an infection is better than hospitalization. Granted, if the tests show extensive illness, then at least you know what you are dealing with and make a more informed decision.

Elderly people often have what is called hospital psychosis...a deterioration while in hospital. They often regain more balanced mental health when they get back to their usual environment. You need to find the doctor who IS on call.

It CAN mean that. Like I stated before, I had to learn that my GM would get UTIs and show no discomfort/pain, but her urine would look cloudy, not clear like yellow water, like it should look. If I saw evidence of this, I got her tested for UTI.

A very smart geriatrician told me several years ago " if you know you're not going to do the treatment, don't do the test" . We had a similar situation with my mom a few years back. She had a pleural effusion ( a build up of fluid around her lung). They tapped it and upon analysis, saw some " a typical cells" so they wanted to do a bone marrow biopsy. We said no to that, but they had just done a full body CAT scan, so we were fairly certain there was no cancer. Might they do that?

Ask for a hospice evaluation while she's in the hospital. Certainly rehab at a SNF sounds like a good idea. You might find she enjoys it there!