Hi. I’d posted a few days ago about mother,77, getting off Norco and on suboxone for her chronic back pain. It’s been rough.Her new PCP kept just saying her increased pain was opiate withdrawal. But over last weekend she became just about unable to walk. The PCP had seen this in his office On Friday. Her 02 sat in there was 88-90. He has no comment about that.Sunday evening I went to check her. She’d been a little confused. Her sat was 86, I said enough of this. They admitted her.Did back MRIs. They suspect osteomyelitis at L4-5, plus all the usual degenerative changes. Atypical pneumonia. So far the plan is for 6 weeks of IV antibiotics for the bone infection. Her urine and blood cultures are so far negative, but that happens sometimes is what Google says. But her pain is already a little better .
They were going to set up outpatient IVs. I told the dr about her hoarded house, that it’s unsafe for maintaining a PICC line. It can’t be kept clean and dry with how she lives. She’s a rolling disaster and will have that dressing ruined in a heartbeat. I told the doctor I had pictures to prove it. He didn’t bat and eye and said we will set it up for a facility.i’m still a bit on pins and needles that they are going to decide this is not the problem and send her home. They told me they were looking at her other labs for correlation. And so far her other labs don’t look bad. But the MRI report looks bad. she also had an episode of urinary retention her first day in there which seems to match up with this. I know a long facility stay is not good for her in the long-term. She’s getting delirium. But I cannot manage this at her home. Also of know is that her house is 10 miles away from mine. So to get her to the infusion center for a daily med, which is here where I live, it would end up being 40 miles of driving for me. Every single day for six weeks. But the true driver in the facility decision is her living conditions. I question whether she’ll ever live at home after this. She is walking a bit better just in these few days. So they might get her walking to a point where she could live at home again. But I see a long facility stay as very bad for her mental status.
Well done on getting the doc to get her placed for the best care possible in this terrible situation and well done for your advocacy getting her to the hospital to get a diagnosis. Neither of those are easy to do in situations like this. So, WELL DONE!
My understanding is that bone infection is terribly painful, I am happy that you fought for her right to medical care, now things can move forward, whatever that might look like.
May The Lord give your mom healing mercies and give you strength, guidance and wisdom for this new crisis.
Your mom really does need to go to SNF or something like that for this.
Hang in there.
At this point and without adequate pain medications for certain, this spinal condition means that any life left to her is going to be sheer torture and torment. No move, including breathing, is possible without pain when there is this sort of spinal condition. Many who have it do VSED (Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking) in order to have a final exit, and in the New York Times some years ago a daughter wrote of her mother's journey ending her own life in this manner.
Living in this constant pain is agony; I don't quite see the reason for worrying about addiction to pain medications at this point. I honestly don't.
I would explore palliative care at the least, and Hospice as soon as possible.
I just am so sorry for all this for your mom.
Please DO NOT allow the hospital or any rehab facility send your mom home ever again. She now requires 24/7 care in a facility where she will be kept safe and looked after, and where you can just be her loving child and advocate and not her overwhelmed caregiver.
This is now what I like to call a no brainer. Your mom will adjust over time.
It's time now to do what is best for your mom and her well being, and you already know in your heart of hearts that placing her in a facility is what is best.