Mom Still Passing Out

[Janet]

Tomorrow I'm taking Mom back to her heart Dr. We were there May 5 and not suppose to go back for 3 months. She has been passing out quite frequently....2, 3, 5 times a day or more.

When she sits up in bed....she'll pass out. Then be fine. Then stand up and pass out...not totally where she'll fall, but if I yell "Mom" or "Focus Mom" she comes right back. Also...when she is sitting in her recliner, when she scoots to the edge of the seat....she'll pass out and again when she stands.

The nurse was here today and took a sitting and standing blood pressure. When she stood.....her BP dropped 15 points. She has been making fists before she gets up (suppose to help) but it's not helping much.

The other times she passes out is right after she has a bowel movement. Something called a Vagal Response. She is soooo weak afterwards that it's all I can do to get her off the toilet and into the wheelchair. Once she sits for awhile and gets her strength back...she does better and then can even use her walker.

So tomorrow we go to the heart Dr. and then on the 20th we go to a neurologist. Hope I spelled that right. I just hope we can find out if there is something that can be done. It's getting harder for me to lift her off the toilet because she is so weak. Hopefully it can be taken care of....sometimes it can be a little scary.

[gja1000]

Passing out on the toilet from the vagal response is caused by bearing down to pass the bowel movement. Bearing down triggers the vagal response which slows the heart rate way down and causes her to pass out and I imagine the slow heart rate is lasting for a while which is causing the extreme weakness afterwards. She should try not to bear down so hard or so long to pass the stool.

Hopefully the doc can give her something for the orthostatic hypotension (passing out from the blood pressure drop when sitting or standing up). I think she may be invoking the vagal response when she is scooting up in the chair.

[judy]

Good luck at the doctor! I hope they can find an easy treatment.

[Janet]

Dr visit went well. He wants to try and raise her BP top number to around 140. There were 4 days last week that she didn't pass out....did get lightheaded, but didn't pass out. He's thinking she (like some older people) do better with ther BP a little higher.

I'll try to do that first by changing the dialysis fluid and see if that helps. It's what he suggested so we'll see. Plus she needs to eat or drink something salty when she gets light headed. Anxious to see if the adjusting the fluid will help.

She was really weak today. We went to the heart dr. and then to the kidney center for some iron then home. Also the PT came so Mom is really wore now. She didn't so any of the walking exersices...just too weak for those, but she did do the others sitting in the chair.

[DianaB]

I'm glad to hear that yur dr. visit went well. There should be something that can be done for her low blood pressure.

Once when Glen's Mom was in the hospital her blood pressure was measuring too low.......so Brenda (Glen's sister....and clown!!) takes a step and then starts yelling that she had turned her ankle......then she told the nurse to take her blood pressure again.......and sure enough it wasn't low any more!!!!

You could try that before you life her off of the toilet!!!!

[gja1000]

Janet, that sounds like a really good idea to keep her BP a little higher - that way when it drops 15 points when she stands, etc, she will still have enough pressure to get blood to her brain and she may get a bit light headed, but hopefully won't pass out. I sure hope the modifications and medication change help. Also remind her to not bear down so hard when she is on the toilet.

[Janet]

She's having a hard time this evening. I'm pretty sure the C-Diff is back. I can always tell because of the smell. So in the morning we will start back on the vancomycin. It took two times to wean her off of it, but she has to have it. I'll check with the Dr. first thing in the morning to find out for sure, but I know that's what it is not only by the smell, but the visual.

The med she takes to help raise her BP is Midodrine . She is taking the lowest dose 3 times a day. With her leaky valve, he's not sure she could take a higher dose right now. It's going to be a rough few days....she'll be on the toilet a lot and complaining of hemorrhoid pain. Not going to be fun for her or for me. I feel so sorry for her.

I'm suppose to get my hair cut tomorrow and Mom was getting a manicure at the same time. It was her birthday present back in February. The 2 appts we had scheduled she got sick and had to cancel....looks like we may be canceling another one.

[judy]

Maybe you will be able to go for hair and manicures next week.

Poor Mom, and poor you! This is hard, but her doctor sounds like he is very involved in her care, and knows what to do and what not to do. Thank goodness for that! He sounds like a great support person for you, the caretaker.

[DianaB]

Here's a big hug for you AND your Mom......

[Janet]

Mom felt much better this morning. As the day goes on she tires. Dr. agreed to put her back on the vancomycin. So hopefully this will take care of it and will be easier to get her off when the time comes. He wants her to stay on it for 2 weeks and then gradually decrease again.

[gja1000]

I'm glad she got back on vanc - hopefully she won't have to be on it very long! And I'm really glad she felt better today!

[Janet]

I tried to call the GI Dr. again. I don't know what to do.......I'm not a Dr or nurse. Just about everytime Mom gets up....she fills her pants/diaper. I'm so tired of it and so is she. This goes on 3-6 times a day. I'm making sure she drinks plenty of fluid so she doesn't get dehydrated, but I don't know how much longer I can take this part of it. This is the only part that gets to me real bad. Other than this....she's been feeling decent as long as she doesn't overdo it.

[gja1000]

Can she eat yogurt? It has to be yogurt with live cultures. It might not help but it is worth a try because it might. Gary had diarrhea for 5 months and we finally got it stopped with yogurt. It's worth a try anyway.

[judy]

That is rough on you Janet! My Dad had to do that for my Grandmother.

[Janet]

Mother doesn't like yogurt. She won't even try any kind of it. So...since having her back on the vanco, she's doing a little better. Also...her BP has gone up to around 130 to 140...just like the Dr. wanted.