My mother has been in decline the past two years due to a couple of falls and loosing her husband of over 50 years. She was always very dependant on him and now me though we clash at times. I try to be patient but she has manic depression and due to kidney disease can not take medication for it. Add on top of that allergies to almost everything, and daily pain from degenerative disc disease. Now she's been battling what seems to be chronic nausea that will not allow her to eat. She's gone almost a month now on nothing but water, ginger ale and weak tea. I managed to get her to the emergency room once, they gave her fluids and a cat scan and found nothing but mild colitis. They sent her back home since she was able to keep small amount of water down. We are about two weeks out from that and the nausea is still extreme. She manages small sips and tries to get liquids down but ends up vomiting about 1/4 of what she takes in. She refuses to go back to the hospital because she bruises easy, gets skin tears easy and had so many allergies they end up making her worse more often than not. I can't blame her but I don't know what to do about the nausea. It's preventing her from enjoying any kind of life. All meds she's tried don't seem to help. Benedryl does but mostly because it makes her sleep. She's had blood tests, x-rays, urinalysis and the cat scan. So far nothing found except the colitis. Now the Dr is wanting a GI specialist to look at her but she's bed bound. I don't know how I'll get her there even if I can get her to go. I have found a lot of it is her nervous system. When she talks, thinks, gets upset or exerts herself trying to move in bed or use bedside potty it makes the nausea flare up. If she sits still and just sleeps it's mostly controlled. How long can a person go on like this? I'm at a loss on what to do. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Also please be careful giving your mother Benadryl, as that has been linked to causing dementia in the elderly. You certainly don't want that on top of everything else.
Another thought is that it may be time to get hospice involved. They will do their best to keep her comfortable, and supply all needed equipment, supplies and medications, all covered 100% under your mothers Medicare. Just because you get them involved, doesn't mean that she will be dying soon. My husband was under hospice care in our home for the last 22 months of his life. I wish you and your mother the very best.
If you get her to a GI specialist what then? Will she want any procedure done IF something is found that is correctable? If not is there a reason for the testing she would have to endure to determine what is wrong?
If she does not want any procedures done I would contact the Hospice of your choice and ask that they evaluate her.
There are in essence 2 types of Hospice. There is Not for profit and For profit. Just as you would check out any medical professional check out Hospice.