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Anyone dealt with this in an elderly parent? MIL is late eighties and I took her to the Dr recently when she complained of shortness of breath. They are dealing with it (diuretic), and ordering more tests and specialists, but the info I get from Google is worrisome.
Yes with several relatives. Can go away quickly. Can be pneumonia / require antibiotics. Good luck!
I don’t think it’s pneumonia. More related to her heart, as they are sending her for cardio stuff.
Ignore Dr Google if you can (I know, not always easy). Even if it's heart-related, there are lots of possibilities and the important thing is to figure out which it is. Lots of heart issues can be managed. Make sure, if you can, that all the doctors are communicating with each other, and that they all know about all the meds/supplements etc that she is taking, and that they all know about what other health problems she has. I have several friends and neighbors who have some sort of heart disease that is well controlled and doesn't cause them a lot of limitations.Quote:
Originally Posted by robinsmommy
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I’ll try to hold off on the panic and any more Googling. Hopefully she improves with the diuretics that she starts in the morning. Eldercare is rather humbling. It’s more like parenting than I want to admit, with guilt, worry, and dealing with new things you know nothing about.
Thanks for the support, I will try to update when we know more.
MIL (and all that side of the family) has the handy "flyer" that SIL1 created that lists all major surgeries/events with brief explanation and date; all current medications (type, frequency, strength); contact info; insurance info; (eta: allergic reactions to medications and any other known allergies) and whatever else she thought was useful. MIL takes this to all her doctor's appointments and the offices tend to copy it with her medical card for her records. DH has one SIL1 made for him as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by NCGrandma
eta: good wishes for OP, meant to start with that!
My father (age 86) has Congestive Heart Failure, which sounds like what they are working towards as a diagnosis for your mother. He was diagnosed in Feb 2016 after a massive heart attack, and has only been hospitalized once, for 5 days, after the initial hospitalization. It is a serious condition, and is treated with multiple medications to help the heart beat stronger, and to keep the fluid out of the lungs that gets there due to the heart not pumping well.
Many people live fairly normal lives, just need to monitor their diet more (as with many diseases)
Thank you. If you look only at the diagnosis part it can look rather grim. Knowing that it is serious but may be manageable really helps.Quote:
Originally Posted by pharmjenn
Didn’t hear from specialists today, so I will be calling tomorrow. I will update when we have news, if nothing else so when someone hears “shortness of breath” from a parent, they know more than we did.
I work in geriatric rehab, in nursing homes, and what you are describing is pretty common, especially at that age. CHF, Copd, and many other illnesses can sound very scary, but can be completely manageable. Ask lots of questions and I like what someone else mentioned, start keeping a diary with the names of doctors, what tests have been run, medications etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by robinsmommy
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