What in the world is going on with Mom?

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Ok, guys, I have a question for you. My mom is in her late 80s with all kinds of medical problems from cancer to a loss of over 100 pounds in the last few months to very frequest infestions and a stage four bedsore ulcer, the worst you can get, (Gee thanks, nursing home!). She lives with me now, needing total 24-hour care (which I give with love). The last few mornings she has waked up with violent whole body jerks that resemble tonic-clonic seizures and continue for about a minute, especially if I wake her. These seem to be a new thing. I can't remember her having them before this. They sure aren't a bit like my complex partiel seizures but what in the world are they? Are they likely to be a normal process for an elderly brain dealing with such total physical decline or are they likely to be some type of seizures? If so, how do they treat them in someone so fragile?
 
Hey Chatter-box--

Good for you for taking such close, loving care of your mom. Definitely check with your mom's doctor, since the seizures (and they do sound like seizures) are not "a normal process". They could be due to any number of causes, especially since it sounds like your mom's got a few different health issues right now. The seizures can potentially be treated with meds -- usually for the elderly it's a much smaller dose, and you need to be very careful if she's taking other meds as well.

Best,
Nakamova
 
Chatter-box, what happened to your DM is this: because of the untreated pressure sores (decubitus ulcers), your DM has gotten some infection into her blood stream b/c of the improper attention to the pressure sores. It's more than likely to the inattention your DM didn't get, but needed to have herself turned in different positions in her bed every 2 hrs.

When the body gets an infection which isn't properly treated and with a wound open to the "unsterile" bed linens and her clothing, eventually the infection will make its way through the blood-brain barrier and cause a cerebral infection. This is more than likely what has happened.

I'm not a dr., but I had a neighbour with MS for over 35 yrs. who had the pressure sores as a result of a lack of circulation from one side of her body to the other. Ultimately, she wound up having the same problem with seizures, in spite of her DB's efforts to keep everything as sterile as possible and have a neighbour come in to look after her needs in the morning, as well as alternate the side of the bed on which she laid. I witnessed the first siezure she had, and it was just as you described. My DF was bedridden for 20 yrs. at the time this had happened, so I suspect your DM has been in bed for quite a sustained period of time.

If at all possible, get her taken to the hospital for proper IV treatment with antibiotics, but be careful about contracting the Super Virus!! This is an urgency for your DM; something which shouldn't be dealt with at home. No joke!!

I hope this sheds some light on your DM's situation.
 
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I think

that McGill's idea about getting your Mom into the hospital for some IV antibiotics and some professional care would be the right idea. I know you're probably not so keen on the idea after what happened at the nursing home (and I would be talking to the health boards about that, and maybe a lawyer, too), but at the same time, IV antibiotics WOULD help those sores heal a LOT faster......
 
Meetz, what works best is a combination of Webber's Vitamin E cream and sugar on a sterile bandage. I've seen the results and they're better than the antibiotics for the skin. The skin needs Vitamin E, so this would help in the healing process. (I learned this from my DF's situation. I could go on, but it's beyond the scope of this site.)
 
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Hi Chatterbox,

Sounds like you do have your hands full with taking care of your mother. How kind of you.

Was you mom's 100 lbs. weight loss from the cancer treatment or other illness?
Do you know if her glucose levels are extremely high or low? If so, this could bring on seizures. The reason I ask about the weight loss is because I lost a good amount of weight and was experiencing strange things, although I wasn't in a nursing home, when I was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes.

Since your mom is very fragile and has been through so much, sounds like she does need to be seen by a professional.
 
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