My husband was in the hospital. Again.

tigersmom

I can only write this post because my husband was just released from his second hospitalization in a month. Last Friday,after he had been at memory care for only seven days,I I got a call from the nurse. She said my husband was running into walls and doors deliberately, and if he didn’t stop, she’d have to send him out. An hour later, she called to say that he had indeed fallen and hit his head, and he was going to the hospital. I had hoped he would not stay, but the fall caused his muscle enzymes to be elevated, and he needed IV fluid to bring them down so it would not damage his kidneys. I raced to the hospital, which is an hour from my home, and found my husband in the ER with a huge bump on his head and an enormous shiner. He was connected to IVs, knocked out on Haldol and Ativan, and had mittens on his hands to keep him from pulling out the lines. My heart broke for the thousandth time. They said they would release him when the enzymes trended downward, but for two days they kept going up. Yesterday they finally came down. They wanted to keep him in the hospital to do an ultrasound on his liver, which he would not allow them to do the previous day. When I finally spoke to the doctor, she agreed to cancel that and release him if I could get him to keep drinking. So last night he went back. My poor husband has spent four of the last five weeeks in a hospital bed. This time was worse because he was immobilized and not allowed to walk. He was so bewildered he looked like a deer in the headlights, and I could not wait to get him out of there. We got him back and stayed for several hours to support his walking and get him to sleep. I am off to walk and hydrate him this morning. What a hard, hard journey this has become.

M1

Tigersmom I am so sorry. Makes me wonder if hospice could help. I’m maybe grasping at straws but maybe it doesn’t hurt to ask?

Caro_Lynne

Tigersmom I can only imagine the heartbreak you are going through; so sorry for you and your DH. I agree with M1 re: reaching out to hospice. My LO is still home with me and was recently accepted for hospice. You are in my prayers xo

CampCarol

Tigersmom - just sending you some virtual hugs. This is a hard, hard journey; you are not alone!