I came home from work on Sunday morning,and Myhubby58 was sitting up in a chair with eyes half open and mouth open..I was so startled, I just knew that was the end.. I kept calling him and shaking him and no response.. I called hospice Nurse and She immediately came over.. She kept shaking him and calling his name and he finally woke up.. he said he thought he was in bed, but he wasn’t..later on that day he began to talk to dead people, and didn’t realize that other family members were surrounding him.. We really thought that was the end for Myhubby58..Hospice Nurse told me to go ahead and take off work for the rest of the week and I did.On Monday there was no change, still did not know anyone..On Tuesday morning My brother called and I had him on speakerphone, Myhubby58 heard his voice and sat straight up on the bed. And said, I am good Baby.. I can’t tell you how shocked I was and so was hospice Nurse.. Our family is praising God right now.. but I think it was only temporary because now he keep saying that he is afraid to go to sleep in fear of not waking up.. Thoughts Please..
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What you described about your husbands altered mental state is known as Delirium. This can be caused by many different things such as change in electrolytes, infection or acute change in his disease. Delirium is a fluctuating state.. where a person goes into confused, disoriented state ..only to return back to normal mental state devoid of confusion. This can happen from day to day or even hour to hour in severe cases. Delirium is not a good sign as studies have stated that once delirium sets in in a seriously ill person. .the life span is likely to be less than 6 months. Sending good wishes to you and your hubby for a long, clear state of mind for as long as possible.
My father told me that several Polish doctors had come to examine him (he was from Poland). He didn't seem much perturbed by the hallucination, so I just held his hand until he fell asleep. you can waste a lot of precious time and energy fighting against delusions like that or you can just let them pass.
This must be excruciating. I don’t know your religion or spiritual inclination, but it’s possible that your husband is transitioning in his own way to the afterlife, especially if he is seeing deceased family members. In any case, there is no point in trying to reason with someone who is delusional; if nothing else, you risk provoking an angry reaction that could potentially be dangerous. I don’t know that there’s much more that you can do except listen to the hospice nurse and support your husband the best that you can, especially with calm, loving gestures. I’m so sorry that you are going through this.
I’ve had experience with several family members and friends at the end of their lives. Hospice nurses told me that it’s not unusual for a person to have incidents of clarity and being themselves as they get closer to the end. It’s definitely startling after hours and days of confabulation or near coma states.My Mum reminisced about the barn she built in the yard for her horse.
No such thing ever happened. We just smiled and agreed we were lucky to have such a beautiful horse.
My brother-in-law described a car trip to a place none of us had been. He laughed at the time he and I went singing on street corners. None of that happened.
Both of them came back to themselves briefly but I think it was within a week of their deaths.
I hope and pray that you get more quality time with your husband. Hospice, in my several experiences, was a great resource and I’m glad you have that in place. Hugs to you💗
Thank You so much for that.. I really think You are right about death is near .. his voice is high pitched now and his breathing is changing.. God help us
I remember my mother telling me all these stories of going out for a ride and playing golf. Had a great time. It took me the longest time to figure out it was the commercials on the TV she was hearing and then thinking she was doing these things. But she was so happy.
My father in law, I remember vividly talking to his army buddies from decades before, Lear as day as if they were standing there. Unfortunately, it wasn't long thereafter that he had passed on.
I'm thinking of you and sending all the good vibes I can your way, thoughts and prayers included!
I had similar experience last year. I blacked out and fell from a ladder, hitting my head on a hard tile floor. I lost consciousness for about a day and a half. I was much as your hubby for that period. I cannot remember a thing for that period. I don't think I talked to dead people but I had similar delirium. I recovered completely, and still try to understand what happened. It may be irrelevant to your hubby's case but it seems my problem was drug-related. Best I can figure is that I overdosed on my heart medicine, Metroporol. I also had a brain bleed which stopped when I stopped taking Plavix, a blood thinner.
I have done some research lately on the subject and it turns out there was an epidemic back in the 1917-1927 period in which hundreds of people "fell asleep" and did not wake up for decades. There was a movie about it called "Awakenings" which starred Robin Williams. A doctor discovered the cure in 1986 and actually cured a man who had slept for decades.
It turns out that the "sleeping disease" was caused by a shortage of dopamine production by the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that is created in the brain and kidneys. If not enough is created, the person loses motivation entirely, and falls asleep. The cure was a medicine called L Dopa.
Many many cases of abrupt onset delirium are due to unpredictable effects of multiple medications. If he is not yet severely compromised from the underlying disease, then removing the offending medication(s) can often quickly improve status. Requires careful consideration for iatrogenic delirium. Good luck and love him.
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