My husband and I had just checked into the hotel where we would stay for three nights when one of our sitters called.
“Something’s wrong with your mom,” Joan said. “She couldn’t tell me what she wanted for lunch, and now she’s acting kind of funny.”
“What do you mean funny?” Mom had a neurological condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus. Once a neurosurgeon inserted a shunt to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid, most of the symptoms of the pressure on her brain had dissipated. This didn’t sound like her.
“She stands up, turns around, and sits down. Stands up, turns around, and sits down. Over and over again. When I ask her what’s wrong or what she needs, she doesn’t answer.”
We were five hours from home, and I was supposed to present a workshop at a writers conference the next day. Since it was my birthday weekend, we’d also planned to spend a couple of days enjoying Chattanooga before we returned.
I was about to say we were on our way home when I remembered that the GI doctor had started a new medication on Mom. “Sometimes, it can have unusual side effects,” he’d said.
“Don’t give Mom anymore of that new medicine,” I told Joan. “I’ll call you back as soon as I talk to the doctor’s office.”
A phone call confirmed my suspicions, but the nurse said it might take a few days for the effects to wear off. It looked as though we would be going home after all. My dad did a good job of watching over Mom when the sitters weren’t there, but with health and balance problems of his own, he couldn’t handle this.
When I called Joan back, she wouldn’t hear of cutting our trip short. “I’ll stay tonight, and I’ve already talked to the weekend sitters. They can stay the other nights.”
What a blessing! Mom’s symptoms lasted all weekend, and I stayed in frequent contact. But our wonderful caregivers took excellent care of her.
When we returned home, Mom was mostly back to her old self. She had known what she was doing—kind of like watching herself in a movie—but couldn’t control it. “I just went crazy and lost the weekend,” she said.
So, I have several takeaways for you:
- Be aware that medications can cause rare but bizarre side effects, so don’t assume anything.
- Never start a new medication before you go out of town.
- Stay in close contact with your loved one’s medical providers.
- Be grateful if you have good auxiliary caregivers. They’re worth their weight in gold!
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.
Philippians 1:3 KJV
Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing, 2021). A former intensive care nurse, she cared for her parents and her mother-in-law and understands both the burdens and joys of caregiving. Her devotions have been featured in Guideposts books, The Upper Room, and many other publications, and she has contributed 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books. She also conducts writing workshops, freelance edits, and proofreads for Farmers’ Almanac. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.
This sounds a bit like something that happened to my mom. She’d sit down to dinner and suddenly (but only periodically) get catatonic. By then she was in dementia care and I had hired a geriatric nurse/case manager to check in on mom twice a week for various reasons. I asked the nurse to do a full medication reconciliation … and the nurse found a med that was causing the problem. It was one she should have been on only short-term but for some reason it wasn’t DC’d–and it was interacting with another med. PTL that when the med was stopped, that weirdness never happened again. And PTL for caring, perceptive caregivers!
Sounds like a harrowing experience, Lana. So glad you were watching out for your mom. As many medications as my dad was on, I’m surprised he didn’t have any interactions.
Loved this piece, Tracy. So relatable and reminded me of the years I spent with my dad. Wouldn’t have traded it for the world, but so much uncharted territory. Thanks for your insight.
Thank you, Karen. Caregiving definitely keeps you on your toes!
Oh my! I hear you, Tracy. This has happened with our son a few times–one time while at a camp 5 hours away while we were running another camp. Your nursing background surely helped here. Smart thinking, and glad that time it worked with your mom.
Oh, goodness, Sarah. We never know what may happen, yet sometimes we just have to trust God with our loved ones, don’t we?
My husband’s most recent major episode was caused by a medication he had taken for years. Within two days of going off of it, all his new symptoms disappeared.
We have to be constantly vigilant, don’t we?