• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Grandpa in hospital....

N

niwi7

Golden Member
My grandpa was perfectly coherent and normal two days ago. He then fell down and sprained his ankle so we took him to the hospital. We went to visit him tonight and he was a totally different person. He had a fever and kept telling us all that the FBI was coming and that they were trying to poison him and he was kicking and punching doctors and nurses. When he finally calmed down he still wasn't making sense and he was breathing heavily and his left arm kept shaking. It was sad becuase we never had seen him like that. We thought it was a reaction to the antibiotics he was on. I went home and checked online and read an article on Sepsis which is an infection of the entire body that coudl be 50% fatal and the symptoms are fever, disorientation and usually stem from some type of injury to the body....
i feel kind of helpless right now since its 1215 am and i can't go to the hospital and do anything about it but it just bothers me that the nurses thought he was a crazy old man and didn't take it seriously. If I find out tomorrow that this is the cause I will be very angry and upset.
link to sepsis: http://www.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/sts15452.asp?navbar=

anyne have any experience with this disease?
 
He sprained his ankle so Im guessing they're loading him up on pain meds, he could be hallucinating from them.

Not getting the whole story though, why is he on antibiotics in the first place? You dont get them for just a sprain.


 
they said that the sprain resulted in an infection....in his ankle

thats why I looked up infections on webmd and this type of infection seemed to have the most symptoms...actually all the symptoms that he had

he wasn't on any pain meds except the antibiotics and then once he started going crazy they gave him some calming meds i guess like human tranquilizers or something liek that which didn't help much at all
 
How old is your grandfather?

It is fairly common in the elderly, though I can't tell you why. Give it a few days, I'm sure he'll come out of it just fine.
 
You are thinking worst case scenario. Sepsis is a possibility but more likely is something called delirium. It's extremely common in the elderly in the hospital some research suggests that greater than 50% of elderly will experience it while hospitalized.

And how high was the fever. Could just be from the injury. Not to mention fever in itself can cause delirium.

Otherwise his symptoms sound very much like delirium.

If your grandpa was septic he'd be in the ICU by now. Sepsis can be very deadly but he needs two criteria of SIRS(systemic inflammatory response syndrome)

Heart rate > 90 beats per minute
Body temperature < 96.8 °F or > 100.4 °F
Hyperventilation (high respiratory rate) > 20 breaths per minute
White blood cell count < 4000 or > 12000 or greater than 10% band forms (immature white blood cells).


EDIT: WTF hospital admits for an ankle sprain....unless he had some other medical problems. Not to mention why antibiotics again for a sprain unless he has some other problems you didn't list. Not trying to sound harsh but I'm a slightly confused medical professional cuz I feel like some facts are missing.
 
Don't be a weenie. First of all, old demented coots go batty in the hospital...fact of life. Secondly, if you are not happy with gramps going cookoo in the hospital...then take him home and let his foot fall off. Don't be a dip and blame the people trying to help him because of your ignorance. Grampa is not going to die of sepsis from a broken ankle, or from his delirium. Those poor nurses taking care of him are probably getting their asses kicked by him and 500 other looney gomers and you have the gall to accuse them.

This is why medicine is not a rewarding profession anymore. Self-entitled people like this who think they know it all.
 
Sounds like delerium as DeathBUA pointed out. Delerium can be due to many things including drugs, disorientation in the elderly, infection.

The reason why the nurses seem like they are not taking you seriously is because it is so common in the elderly when they are hospitalized. If you are that concerned you should ask if you can speak with a doctor.

When I did my CCU rotation I'd have nights where an 80yo guy who was perfectly fine all day would suddenly flip out in the middle of the night, demanding to leave and start trying to punch out staff.
 
Originally posted by: DeathBUA
You are thinking worst case scenario. Sepsis is a possibility but more likely is something called delirium. It's extremely common in the elderly in the hospital some research suggests that greater than 50% of elderly will experience it while hospitalized.

And how high was the fever. Could just be from the injury. Not to mention fever in itself can cause delirium.

Otherwise his symptoms sound very much like delirium.

If your grandpa was septic he'd be in the ICU by now. Sepsis can be very deadly but he needs two criteria of SIRS(systemic inflammatory response syndrome)

Heart rate > 90 beats per minute
Body temperature < 96.8 °F or > 100.4 °F
Hyperventilation (high respiratory rate) > 20 breaths per minute
White blood cell count < 4000 or > 12000 or greater than 10% band forms (immature white blood cells).


EDIT: WTF hospital admits for an ankle sprain....unless he had some other medical problems. Not to mention why antibiotics again for a sprain unless he has some other problems you didn't list. Not trying to sound harsh but I'm a slightly confused medical professional cuz I feel like some facts are missing.
Click to expand...

Sounds a bit like delerium to me as well, but tough to make even a semi-certain call with the information provided.

As for the hospital admit, if he's an elderly man deemed to be in fragile health, they possibly might've done it as a precautionary measure...? Especially given the change in mood, maybe they wanted some extra observation time.
 
Originally posted by: CJZ
Sounds like delerium as DeathBUA pointed out. Delerium can be due to many things including drugs, disorientation in the elderly, infection.

The reason why the nurses seem like they are not taking you seriously is because it is so common in the elderly when they are hospitalized. If you are that concerned you should ask if you can speak with a doctor.

When I did my CCU rotation I'd have nights where an 80yo guy who was perfectly fine all day would suddenly flip out in the middle of the night, demanding to leave and start trying to punch out staff.
Click to expand...


Dont you love it. I always get them flipping out 3 miles from the hospital.
 
as of like yesterday the doctors now say that it IS sepsis
so therefore i was right from the beginning
argh
 
Originally posted by: niwi7
as of like yesterday the doctors now say that it IS sepsis
so therefore i was right from the beginning
argh
Click to expand...

I lost my Dad to that almost 4 years ago. I will keep him in my nightly prayers.
 
I've had sepsis, and besides the acute organ failure, I completely lost my mind, I was freaking out and saying some pretty crazy stuff. I had to be strapped to a hospital bed to keep me from hurting myself and others.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top