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anon263313
Post 42           

My mother is three weeks shy of her 50th birthday and has been in the hospital for just over a month. She is an alcoholic who has been in the hospital several times for infections (usually pancreatitis) coupled with general self-neglect. This time she went to the hospital where it was found she had a severe urinary tract infection and her condition was aggravated due to malnutrition and being in such a state of self neglect. From day one, she was completely delirious.

After a week or so, she was discharged to physical rehab. A few days later she went to the ER for a blood transfusion, was sent to physical rehab again, and was sent back to the hospital after spiking a fever. She was given antibiotics, which paved the way for C. Diff to wreak havoc on her intestine. A couple days after she was moved back to the hospital, she was transferred to CCU/ICU.

For the first couple of days she was in CCU, she was actually lucid. She went in for surgery six days ago, on a Tuesday, and was totally lucid the whole time we were with her before the surgery. The day after she was sleeping when I visited so I didn't wake her, but the day after that she was awake and lucid. The third day she was sleeping. On the fourth day - Saturday, two days ago - she was moved out of CCU and was delirious again. My aunt and godmother had gone to visit her two hours before my father and I did. She didn't remember they'd been there.

She also seemed to think she was going to London to go to school. Not just any school, mind you, but Hogwarts. Yes. The school from the Harry Potter books.

The CCU nurse we spoke to seemed convinced it was ICU psychosis. She said she's seen it so many times, as an effect of the constant light and sleep deprivation and general sensory deprivation, patients often exhibit symptoms like my mom. She said give it a few days, maybe she'll improve with sleep. Well, today, Monday, she has not improved. Spoke to a different nurse who agreed with the ICU/hospital psychosis, said it was fairly common, should be a temporary thing and should go away when she leaves the hospital.

The only other explanation -- since every test they did came up clean -- was an effect of long term heavy drinking. I guess time will tell.