We had hopes of helping Dad regain some of his mobility by reinstating a drug he'd used early last year. But his neurologist checked him out yesterday and decided there was great risk with little expectation of reward.
The Doctor said the drug carried too much psychotropic risk for someone in Dad's condition. And that it could set him spiraling into the red zone. On top of that, the Doc didn't think it would, in fact, help him walk at this point. Too much risk, pretty much no reward. In the end Dad said, "Not what I wanted to hear, but we'll go with what you say, Doctor." Ever stoic. Until the next time he wants to walk which was about 10 minutes after we left the doctor's office. ;-)
Soo, we tried. Now we know what we need to plan for, at least in the near term. The Doc said our main objective needs to be keeping Dad safe and off his feet, unless he has assistance, and carrying on with the drugs he does have as (infections aside) the seem to be doing a pretty good job of managing sleep and the red zone.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 02, 2009
Live and Learn
Well, we found out the hard way last week that simple infections can have a terrible psychological effect on the elderly. This is apparently especially true for seniors given to dementia.
Poor Dad went down a very rocky road for a few days, becoming paranoid about everyone around him and seeing danger in once-familiar people and things. Apparently the infection prevents his meds from working the way they should. Happily a good round of antibiotics brought things back to “new normal” in a few days.
But Dad remembered his quixotic battles with those around him and was sure his next stop was going to be the hoosgow. He felt tremendous shame and remorse. He even wanted to know if I’d gotten him a lawyer. Imagine his overwhelming relief at learning no one was pressing charges. He didn’t quite understand why they weren’t, but he didn't much care.
Believing prevention is worth a pound of cure, I hope to have him tested more regularly from now on, so things don’t have to go so far before they get fixed next time. Live and learn.
Poor Dad went down a very rocky road for a few days, becoming paranoid about everyone around him and seeing danger in once-familiar people and things. Apparently the infection prevents his meds from working the way they should. Happily a good round of antibiotics brought things back to “new normal” in a few days.
But Dad remembered his quixotic battles with those around him and was sure his next stop was going to be the hoosgow. He felt tremendous shame and remorse. He even wanted to know if I’d gotten him a lawyer. Imagine his overwhelming relief at learning no one was pressing charges. He didn’t quite understand why they weren’t, but he didn't much care.
Believing prevention is worth a pound of cure, I hope to have him tested more regularly from now on, so things don’t have to go so far before they get fixed next time. Live and learn.
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