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My Mum

Posted , 2 users are following.

Colleen_Frances
Colleen_Frances

Hello

My mum who is 71years young,is in hospital at the moment and has been for one week now. For the last nearly seven weeks she has had continuous Diarrhoea. Even when she starves herself she has still had the same problem. Her GP in my opinion has been totally useless. To cut a long story short. I got her into hospital via Casualty last Friday. It took the ambulance five hours to get to her. She had become very badly dehydrated and her blood pressure had dropped dangerously low. When they managed to get a blood sample, they had a lot of difficulty because of her dehydration, they found that her potassium level was also very low. I have to admit that she did not help herself out as well, because she constantly told the doctors and nurses in casualty that she was fine and covered up her pain. She will not hear a word against her GP, who she thinks is absolutely wonderful. My opinion is the woman should be struck off. I feel that she neglected my mother. I am not medically trained but I saw immediately that she was dehydrated and needed to be in hospital.

Anyhow, she was on a drip but they needed to change it as it had been in for three days. However, they were unable to get a vein to put a line in. So they have monitored her fluid intake. Today the hospital did a colonoscopy. Yesterday they thought she might have Colitis, which did in fact fit with all her symptoms, today they are tossing around the word diverticulitis. Her bowel problems are exactly the same. There has been no let up in the frequency and indeed sometimes she can not even make it to the toilet. You can imagine that she is very distraught and embarrassed by this. I think that is why she has made such a good job of covering up for the last six weeks. She is hungry and rarely suffers nauseau. Apart from starving her for the colonoscopy she has been allowed to eat normally. But it all comes out still.

Now the hospital have put her back on to the antibiotics that she had four weeks ago. My step father has tried to tell them that they did not work before, but apparently they say they will work this time? We all want her home for Christmas, but obviously would prefer to see her safe in hospital if necessary. We do not want her to get into the state she was previously.

Does anyone out there have any similar experience. I have read the site and her symptoms do not really seem to match at all. We are very worried about her but feel helpless because we do not have any idea what is wrong!

Any thoughts at all would be welcome.

Many thanks

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    I wonder if the antibiotics they are giving her are for C.diff (Clostridium difficile) as that causes something unpleasant called Pseudomembranous Colitis :?
  • Colleen_Frances
    Colleen_Frances

    Posted

    That is quite a coincidence that you said that.

    My ex husband is a leading paramedic and has been in the ambulance service for nearly 25 years. When I rang him for advise about my Mum who said that it sound very much like C. Diff, which apparantely can even be caused by too many antibiotics.

    The consultant has also mentioned that possibility.

    What would you advise would be the best way forward on this.

    Colleen

  • Colleen_Frances
    Colleen_Frances

    Posted

    Hi

    The hospital are sending my mum home today. The diarrhoea has not abated at all. The have put her on Metronidazole oral antibiotic.

    As far as her Colonoscopy went, they did tell her (as she was coming round from sedation), that they had found pus in the ulceration in her colon.

    They have still not given her a definitive diagnosis. She has to go back in the New Year to see the consultant again, so he can explain more fully what the Colonoscopy showed. This is assuming she does not become dehydrated and feverish again, in which case I will not hesitate in getting her to hospital, Christmas or not.

    I'm feeling that she has, as Spook suggeste, Pseudomembranous Colitis.

    But she was not in hospital before becoming very poorly. Is it possible that she did have one of the many stomach bugs that are around at this time of year. Then when the GP treated that with antibiotics (Two different types), she somehow contacted C.Diff. I can only guess that she may have picked this up in one of her many visits to the surgery. Is that possible?

    Am I grasping at straws here. Is it not possible to catch C.diff unless you are in hospital.

    I am trying to become as knowledgeable as I can, so I can feel confident looking after Mum.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    The Metronidazole should kill the C.Diff over the coming week / s, your mum should start to feel a little better in a few days smile

    When the GP prescribed your mum those two antibiotics they killed all your mums good bacteria and left the C.Diff, it was then able to thrive unabated :? No you dont have to catch C.Diff, its in everyones Colon smile

  • Colleen_Frances
    Colleen_Frances

    Posted

    Thank you Spock

    She has apparently had Metronidazole before in the previous few weeks. But lets hope that this time the dose will work for her.

    Many thanks

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    It really should help to make your mum feel better. Itll still take a while for her Colon to recover but I think (lets hope) your mum was caught just in time smile
  • Colleen_Frances
    Colleen_Frances

    Posted

    :D Hi Mum is home now.

    As well as the antibiotics they have also given her medicine, which contains one of the ingridents used in Imodium. Im sorry I cant remember the name. But she had gone several hours without incident since taking one of the pills.

    She is under strict instructions to keep drinking, but other then that, its just a case of wait and see, until January.

    Could you advise what symptoms I should be watching for when she is with me, in case of needing to be readmitted to hospital.

    As an example, if by Sunday evening, she is still having to use the toilet with the same frequency and urgency as now, should she be readmitted.

    I know the test with the elasticity of the skin to see if she is dehydrated, but last time that really did not work as an indicator. What are things do you think I should watch out for.

    Many thanks by the way for your help in this.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Oh yeah the stuff in Imodium its called Loperamide smile

    Due to the Colitis your mum is likely to have loose bowel movements for a while, it wont be cured in a few days :? Didnt they say anything about her diet? Low fibre diet? Anything? smile

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Nothing should go wrong your mum should slowly recover but probably the most serious things to watch out for are heavy internal (or rectal) bleeding and its associated shock, Peritonitis caused by a perforation / s and she could also have some stomach involvement so vomiting blood isnt too far out of the question either. As you see theyll be pretty obvious except for perhaps the shock :?
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hello

    My Mum's medication has seemed to really helped a lot.

    She has been able to eat well, including a christmas dinner, which I cooked, so we're all surprised she survived that.

    She is still having diarroha but with less frequency. Big improvement for her is going through the nights, 8hrs being ther best time yet.

    She as to wait for an outpatients appoitment in January to see the specialist, who wll discuss with her the findings from the colonoscopy.

    She did have pus in there.

    I still have a strong feeling that the main thing here is colitos bought about by the GP's antibiotics.

    However, as long as she keeps improving thats what really matters at the moment.

    Particular thanks to Dr Spook for his good info

    Colleen

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Im glad she's feeling so well, I hope the improvement continues smile
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