Infection

[Jodi999]

I posted here a couple of weeks ago wondering how much worse it can get. Thank you for all the replies on that. My mother in law is currently in hospital, she stopped responding to anyone and wasn't eating. She's being treated for an infection but she's still not talking and eating. Has anyone experienced this? Will she be able to recover and talk and eat again or is this another decline in her health? They haven't specified what kind of infection she's being treated for. She also said she couldn't see for the last 2-3 weeks (before she stopped speaking).

[Zerachiel]

Hi, My wife spent a few months with infections last year and was hospitalised twice with pneumonia; during this time her PSP symptoms increased dramatically.

We were told by a neurologist that other the next few months things would start to improve but would not return to the same level she was at before the infections, she did get a lot back but not everything, it is her new base level.

[Jodi999 in reply to Zerachiel]

Thank you for your reply, I'm sorry your wife as this horrible disease. It gives a bit of hope she will be able to recover from this although she won't be like she was before. It's her first serious infection so very fearful

[Sun-flowerwearer]

Hi Jody

The questions you have resonate with me. Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to really know. In October last year my 63 year old husband was rushed into hospital in an ambulance as he had lost consciousness and I thought he was dying. They treated him for sepsis as he’d contracted an infection from a ruptured urethra and difficult catheter insertion a couple of weeks prior. He was in hospital for 9 nights but during that time in the first few days he wasn’t able to eat or drink or speak or move and had drips attached. I thought the worst and I think the doctors did too.

He was discharged home and he had deteriorated a lot in those 9 days. We had a hospital bed delivered and more equipment ..a Sara Steady and a commode as he had lost his mobility, his speech, any ability to do anything for himself. We had to get help for mornings as he can’t even adjust his position without help .. I feed him puréed food and even help him to drink as he can’t lift a cup to his mouth but he’s still with me … 3 months later

And every day I think how much worse can it get xxxx It’s hard but you have to just live day to day xxx

[LARWLSN]

Hi. This sounds familiar. My mom had a UTI about a year ago that went undetected for what must have been a long time. She had stopped communicating entirely months before, so it is simply impossible to know what is wrong, when it is wrong. She wound up in hospital, more or less unresponsive ... she was in kidney failure by the time we got her help. She recovered, miraculously, from the kidney failure, and has been home with a feeding tube ever since. My advice would be -- don't assume something new that is going wrong is simply a progression of this horrible disease. We did, and nearly lost her to something that was completely fixable.

[redyi]

Hi I am so sorry for what you are going through this is a terrible illness. I lost my husband 1 year ago yesterday. There were so many ups and downs and he did say before he lost his speech that he wanted to die as there was no quality of life left. He stopped speaking and stopped eating and the PSP quickly progressed. However, PSP is a roller coaster one day is good and another bad, they recover from one infection and then face another. My heart goes out to you.

[Jodi999]

Thank you so much for sharing your stories, I'm sorry you all have to go through this. My mother in law is currently still not eating or speaking, the doctor is considering a peg tube but said its not without risk. Hoping to see some improved soon, she never really wanted a peg tube but might not have a choice at this point