Re: Health problems since fall

"t2k@xxxxxxxxx" wrote:

Here's the story as it happened.

My 80 yr old dad had a fall between Dec. 10Th and Dec 14Th of 2007. He
tripped over
the curb of a sidewalk. He refused to have himself checked out until
the Dec. 23rd when
the pain at the ribs continued. X-rays at the hospital showed only two
to three ribs are
broken and nothing else. Doctors tell us the ribs should heal by
themselves.

My dad also told the doctors that a few days after the fall one of his
ankle became
"very swollen". This was the ankle of the same foot he had tripped
over the sidewalk.
But the ankle had returned to normal when we were at the hospital.

On Jan 28Th of this year he informs me he's been constipated since
then and now feels
pain because he can't get rid of the stool.

They did some tests on him but found nothing. They did manage to get
the stool out and
gave him something to help.

Bowel movements then return normal. But sometimes he's constipated.

On March 1st, he says he saw blood in his urine! A doctor gave him
Co Trimoxazole DS 800/160. Since then he's urinated a few times with
no blood. On
the morning of March 2Th he says his urine is clear like water. Doctor
gives him an
appointment with specialist.

On May 28Th he felt dizzy after eating breakfast. On May 30Th at 3am
my dad says he
saw "deep red" blood in his urine. He had another blood test which the
doctor says didn't
show anythings wrong other than low iron. He's then scheduled for an
examination on June
13Th and a CT Scan on July 25Th.

By this time he's been given Palafer GSK 300mg, Macrobid 100mg and
Synthroid 100mg.
Most days the urine is clear. Other days, some blood.

On June 5Th, dad is given: Nitrofurantoin 100 MG.

On June 15 there was blood in urine again. The hospital gave him more
Nitrofurantoin. Slight
blood in urine on the morning of June 16Th.

First week of July: my dad tells me that both legs are now swollen! I
was unaware of the
swollen legs thinking that the one swollen ankle he had back in
December was all he had and
had gone away. Instead, it had now spread to the other leg!

He goes to doctor on July 14Th and given a blood test.
The doctor says results of the blood test shows evidence of a blood
cloth
and told to go to hospital for an ultrasound. But the ultrasound
doesn't
find any blood cloths.

For the CT Scan this coming Friday (July 25Th), he's told to take
Mucomyst Acetylcysteine
Solution 2000 mg/10mL (mucolytic and antidotal Agent for acetaminophen
poisoning).
He's to take 3mL of it twice daily "with 15-30 mL of orange juice
starting the day before and day
of test morning and evening".

We can't wait for the result of the CT scan. Hopefully it will tell us
what's going on.

Hi there,
I'm from Canada, ontario.

Constipation can be caused by a tumor, enlarged prostate, poor diet and/
or poor dentures, pain while chewing for some reason, swallowing problems,
hypothyroidism and probably a number of other issues.
I hope you mean 0.100 mg of thyroid replacement. If he's just been
diagnosed with that recently, they slowly increase the dosage. If his
thyroid is enlarged, they increase it until it -unenlarges but stays
within normal ranges.
TSH Normal Range : 0.35 - 5.00 mU/L
Free T4 Normal Range 10-20 pmol/L

There's a number of possible reasons for blood in the urine.
Some are listed here
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003138.htm
They don't mention prostate cancer, but I think that's a ;possible as
well.
Lupus is listed there. My brother "diagnosed" my uncle with it (due to
butterfly rash and other signs and symptoms).
He was a bit younger than your father, at the time. Brother told him to
get to doctor and he did and was taken care of, medically as best possible
from thereon, but died short of 80 years old. I think prostate/rectal
cancer, but can't remember for sure. That was 20'ish years ago.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003139.htm
"Dark brown or clear urine is characteristic of a liver disorder such as
acute viral hepatitis or cirrhosis"

We just lost 2 uncles recently - other side of family, both early 80's
last year uncle fell or tripped and anpped femur near knee, so they
repaired it but analysis showed cancer (unknown primary). They could not
determine which type of where the original was so all they could do is
radiation therapy after repairing the knee (for pain palliation and to
stop progression of that bone area. Later that summer he convinced the
surgeon to re-operate so he could ben his knee, instead of needing help
with showering and hopping from one place to another. He and his wife
wanted less "strangers' in to help. Unfortuately he developed pneumonia
after the 2nd surgery, undetected, no x-ray, no fever, and died in his
sleep.

The 2nd one had some shaking hands in March (this year) so we all thought
parkinson's. While waiting for appointment with neurologist and MRI of
his head, He felll while going to the bathroom and broke his hip.
They repaired that and got his MRI and neurology report in hospital. Mild
stroke, but meantime he'd stopped eating and was sleeping a lot. So they
put a feeding tube in. His wife, my aunt said he suffered a lot. He died
of liver failure, cirrhosis and he was a non-drinker, non-smoker and had
been very active and healthy until then - no known reason for the
cirrhosis, unless he drank some tainted water during some of his travels
to various foreign countries for vacations.

Sorry to be so long-winded.
I have some points.
Your father may be similar situation to this one I describe right above.
If it turns out the same, get hospice to help out at home. Feeding tubes
are cruel if a person will be dying soon.
Better ice cream or whatever he likes (ginger ale, beer, orange juice,
popsicle) and craves for hydration.
There's a limit of how much testing can be done on an older person -
"searching for a blood leak" - discomfort and risks to invasive tests,
often have to stay in hospital for long periods while tests are scheduled,
or one can't be done, until XXX days after another (etc).

I hope they find the problem and it's not too serious, but sometimes it's
hard to "fix" an aging body..
So if they give you bad news or choices and he'd be comfier at home,
visited by friends, neighbors, relatives, his favorite pet and "comforts",
do try to keep him out of hospital.

It's not easy losing our grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts (etc). They
meant the world to me.
Love him while you've got him and accept if nothing more can be done.
I'll be here caring and thinking of you all. please keep us updated.
Sending cyber hugs (assuming there's you and other family).
[[[[[hugs]]]]]]
Do you have family to support each other?
Great hospitals out there (BC?) I hope they'll be supportive of you all.
J


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