I feel like mom is starving to death. I've made arrangements for a tube to be inserted. Am I doing the right thing?



I need some advice. My mother is 87 years old...has some dementia at times...has had quad-drouple bypass....stents...and a pace maker. Up until Feb 20th...she could do everything for herself...eat anything she wanted....didn't have any problems at all. (She lives with me). My sister exposed her to the flu...two days later I had to put her in the hospital....this was Feb 20th. While in the hospital...she developed C Diff. She has been on antibiotics since...couldn't get over it until this last week. During this time...she lost her appetite...nothing tasted good to her anymore. She has lost about 15 to 20 lbs in the past 2 1/2 months. She can't walk or even stand up any more...she is so weak. If she eats 2 spoons of food a day the last couple of weeks...that's a lot. She is literally starving to death. I feel if I can get some nutrition into her...she will overcome this. I've tried ensure...boost...she won't drink them. I have made arrangements to have a peg tube inserted this coming Monday. Am I doing the right thing? I feel it is the only chance she has. She says she doesn't want to die....I've begged her to eat and her reply is that she is eating...but she's not. Has anyone else experienced this with their parent?
I feel not. Let her go in peace forcing food is not peace. This is your Mothers Journey not yours. She's 87 years old . What life really lies ahead for her other than more suffering. Does she not have a living will. I would never want to be force fed nor my Daddy (who himself was a Doctor) or My Husband also a Doctor. This is just my opinion. If you must then give her Ensure. Mix the Ensure with ice cream . Without it nobody would drink its. its awful. My Mummy takes it but we Doctor it up and she thinks its a milk shake just for her. Now that she's in a group home , we still make it for her there and she loves it. But she would not drink it just plain right from the can. Good Luck on whatever your path shall be. But remember 87 is a nice Life . Why let her suffer , when need not be.
she might be depressed. judicious low dose treatment might help her.... and you. see a geriatrician. A.  I’m sorry that this is happening to you. I have worked with many families who have faced a similar situation. Your predicament is fairly common. As you noted, the law prohibits forcing someone into treatment unless a case can be made that they are a danger to themselves or to others. Imminent danger standards, make it very difficult for many people to receive help until something happens.


I would recommend becoming educated about your potential options. Start by googling “Georgia and involuntary commitment laws.” You should be able to find good information about civil commitment options in your state. According to my research, for inpatient treatment, an individual would have to meet the following criteria:


1. pose an imminent danger to self/others, evidenced by recent overt acts or expressed threats of violence OR are
2. unable to care for their own physical health and safety so as to create an imminently life endangering crisis and in need of involuntary treatment.



For outpatient treatment, a person must meet the following criteria:


1. based on treatment history or current mental status, requires outpatient treatment in order to avoid imminently becoming an impatient AND
2. is unable to voluntary seek or comply with outpatient treatment.


You might try contacting your local mental health crisis team. They may be willing to come to the home, evaluate your mother’s condition and assist her in obtaining treatment.


You should also explore guardianship laws in your state. If possible, consult a guardianship attorney to determine if anything can be done to assist your mother. At 71, it’s possible that she’s experiencing a mix of [mania](https://psychcentral.com/disorders/manic-episode/) and potentially dementia. Guardianship may be an option.


I would also recommend consulting the local National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) groups in your state. Here is a [link](https://namiga.org/) to the NAMI organization for your state. NAMI offers free support groups in communities across the country for individuals caring for loved ones with serious mental illness. They can help you to navigate the mental health system. Contact them for support and assistance.


I hope these ideas assist you in helping your mother. Please write again if you have additional questions.


Dr. Kristina Randle



How Do We Get My [Bipolar](https://psychcentral.com/disorders/bipolar/) Mania Mom to Go Get Help? congratulations on your third baby! i did not have the test but at my 20 week ultrasound we found out that our daughter had spina bifidia! i do know that a good percentage of those test are a false positive so i know it is hard to not freak out! try to wait till you have all the test done! spina bifidia/ neural tube defect is not a death sentence, it has a set of challenges but my daughter is a very happy normal almost 7 year old! we were apart of the moms study and had inutero surgery at 25 weeks! there are a few groups on facebook that are all people with sb or parents of kids with sb! feel free to check them out and ask any more questions! they are united by spina bifida and spinia bifida fetal surgery! i can add you to the group if you are interested! i will be praying for you and your baby! i had a teacher space out while teaching. she was like 80 years old (no exaggeration) and i was freaked out. i thought she was going to die or something. and i was 30 and in college; i really was freaked.

turns out she had a weird illness and had to go to the er that night and spent 3 days in icu! she told us about it the next time she came to class. Hi Nur,



  

Thank you for asking HealthReplies.com.











Maybe you mean TB lymphadenitis (tuberculosis).



  

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can indeed infect a variety of organ systems, including the lymph nodes. These bacteria usually enter through the respiratory tract, especially in people who come in close contact with other TB sufferers, children, the elderly, and people with poor immune system. Under normal conditions, this lymph node functions as a haven and proliferation of white blood cells in warding off infections, including TB infection. However, along with its development, this lymph node itself can actually become infected, so that arises lymphadenitis. Clinically, TB lymphadenitis sufferers will experience lumps (often in the neck, armpits, or groin) that are round, smooth, springy, and often feel painful, especially when pressed. Not only that, TB lymphadenitis can also make sufferers experience fever, excessive sweating, weight gain is difficult to rise, weakness, fatigue, and various other complaints.



  

Handling TB lymphadenitis is done by giving OAT (anti-TB drugs) that must be consumed by sufferers for at least 6 consecutive months. Every month, the patient will be re-evaluated by a doctor to assess his responsiveness to the treatment given. After more than 2 months of treatment, complaints will generally improve slowly.



  

However, you need to know, that the treatment of TB lymphadenitis must also be accompanied by appropriate natural treatments, including those related to diet, regulation of activities, and also lifestyle modification. This inadequate treatment is likely to make your mother appear to be undergoing improvement despite long-term treatment. It could also, the slow healing process occurs due to the non-optimal resistance of your mother's body, resistance (immunity) of bacteria to the treatment given, as well as a variety of other factors. Compared with other complaints. lumps in lymph nodes due to TB lymphadenitis often will indeed not disappear completely, even though the patient's status has recovered from illness.



  

The itching that your mother is experiencing right now could be a side effect of the OAT she is taking. It could also, this itching occurs due to other reasons, for example allergies, skin irritation, infections, disorders of liver function, disorders of the thyroid gland, dry skin, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and so on.



  

Our advice, you check your mother back to the doctor or a specialist in internal medicine in order to get the right treatment. Meanwhile, at home, help your mother do the following steps:







Take OAT as recommended by your doctor  

Give your mother healthy and nutritious food, containing rich calories and protein  

Give him too much to drink  

Let your mother take a break from exhausting activities  

Accompany him to exercise  

Create a clean, well-ventilated and well-lit environment  

If you or someone else around your mother shows symptoms of TB infection, see your doctor directly to treat them properly



Hope this helps ... hello,
welcome to icliniq.com.
i understand your concern.
see as you said, your mother is suffering from active tb (tuberculosis), tb in the child should also be ruled out first.
it may be just pneumonia, but tb should be ruled out with some more investigations mentioned below.
is the child gaining weight adequately? what is her present weight?
was bcg (bacillus calmette-guerin) given at birth? when was your mother diagnosed and when tb treatment started? Hello Rahma,



The condition of your mother who experienced the complaints as mentioned should not be taken lightly, especially if accompanied by blurred vision. These complaints can be caused by various medical conditions including:



Inflammation of the cornea or part of the eyeball that is black due to infection with fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc. Glaucoma or damage to the nerves in the eye due to increased eye pressure



Because it can be caused by various medical conditions, direct examination by a doctor is necessary. The doctor will examine especially your mother's eyes and perform additional examinations if needed. Treatment will adjust to the underlying cause, which can be eye drops containing antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, etc.



Some tips that can be done regarding your mother's condition:



Do not rub the eyes Warm compresses on the swollen parts of the eye Do not use eye drops without doctor's instructions Consume nutritious food and get enough rest



If the complaints that your mother is experiencing are getting worse, then it's a good idea to immediately visit an eye doctor to get the right treatment



May be useful



dr. M. Rizki hi i was just wondering if you ever figured out anything with your daughters fear of vomit. i am going through this now and your daughter sounds just like mine.. same age and all. it's bad for her at school and at bedtime.. she thinks about it all the time.. it has even affected her eating. if you get this can you please email me at lrechnitzer@sbcglobal.net. it's terrible to see your child go through this. i hope your daughter is better. go and see him, it can be fatal. infections can lead to septicaemia... having had surgery his immunity will be weak, you really should go and see him if you want to. i don't want to be pessimistic, but at the age of 80 he's not going to bounce back. Hi Karina,



Brain hemorrhage can cause various disorders, usually severe because the brain is the center of control of all functions of the human body. Symptoms vary, depending on which part of the brain is affected and its severity. Usually people who experience it will experience disturbance of consciousness.



People whose consciousness is not perfectly aware cannot be given food directly by mouth because they can choke. Food or fluids can enter the lungs and can cause shortness of breath, infection and even death. Brain hemorrhage can also cause swallowing muscles. Usually when treatment will be given liquid nutrition through the hose, and nutrition has been adjusted to age, weight and other disorders that require adjustments to nutritional needs. Usually an IV will be given as an addition to fluids, electrolytes, minerals and as a way to put drugs.



The sound that arises may be the sound of motion of the digestive tract, or it could be because in the digestive tract there is a pile of air, usually people who lie down long and do not move prone to bloating. If there are no other complaints about this and food can enter according to instructions without vomiting up, you don't need to worry.



Brain hemorrhage is a severe disorder, especially if it is suffered by the elderly. Even so keep positive thinking and follow the instructions of the treating doctor because of course he is most aware of the condition of your relatives.



Read the article: Brain Bleeding



Regards,