My mother is only 62 years old. She had a unexpected rapid decline over the last 4 months. She has moments where she talks and is herself, and then it is just like she fades away and is in an almost catatonic state. The last two days she has not eaten or had anything to drink. The hospital has run a ton of test, and everything has come back normal except that her liver is not working properly. They tell me there is no medical reason for it and this must be psychiatric. They asked me today to consider a feeding tube. A month ago my mother could talk and she told me she does not want it. She said "don’t let them do that". My family thinks I’m being selfish and I’m just going to let my mom die. The one thing she was always proud of was her mind. Should I go against her wishes and install it to keep her alive? She is aware of what is going on even if she can’t respond, and I fear if I do it she will be upset and decline faster. What makes all of this harder is we don’t have an answer as to the cause so I have no idea if this is something she can snap out of :( any advice or stories would help me tremendously.
thank you
Over-the-counter pain medications, particularly acetaminophen (Tylenol, others)
Certain prescription medications, including statin drugs used to control cholesterol.
Drinking alcohol.
Heart failure.
Hepatitis A.
Hepatitis B.
Hepatitis C.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
In any event, get her a psych evaluation before you make any further decisions. If she has a history of alcohol abuse, then she may be having alcoholic dementia symptoms or even Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome which presents with confusion & loss of mental activity (but can be treated with IV Vitamin B/thiamine). Read up about it below:
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk02q_QBHYOAhkEM_VijcraLLDlIiHw%3A1602186472867&ei=6Gx_X6O2NI-xtQb7uZbADQ&q=wernicke-korsakoff+syndrome&oq=wer&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgDMgQIIxAnMgQIIxAnMgoIABCxAxDJAxBDMgcIABCxAxBDMgUIABCRAjIKCAAQsQMQgwEQQzIECAAQQzIHCAAQsQMQQzIECAAQQzIICC4QsQMQgwE6BAguEEM6CwguELEDEMcBEKMCOggIABCxAxCDAVDMnQhY_Z8IYOu6CGgAcAF4AYABuAOIAYoIkgEHMC4xLjQtMpgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXrAAQE&sclient=psy-ab
A neurological evaluation may be in order if she has a history of alcohol abuse, or even drug abuse.
I don't think you can make a rational decision about anything until the process of elimination has been undertaken. If the psych evaluation and a neurological evaluation turn up nothing conclusive, THEN you'll have to decide about whether or not to install a feeding tube. If she's against it, then I'd decline to do that and respect her wishes.
I hope you can find an answer for her, I really do. I'm 63 myself and would hate to be in such a situation, or have my kids forced to make such decisions on my behalf. Wishing you the best of luck; here is a hug and a prayer for strength.
You need more information and to definitely know what’s going on to make an informed decision. Even after that, know you’ll be somewhat relying on your gut feeling, there are no absolutes. I’m sorry you’re in this place and wish you wisdom as you move through it
This "no feeding tube ever" thing isn't necessarily black and white. You aren't talking about letting a 90-year-old go who's had a good life -- this is a relatively young woman who was fine until recently.
If the feeding tube is what keeps her going until they figure out what's wrong, I'd go with it. If there's no hope of recovery, that's another thing.
Have her seen by a GI specialist (to test her liver) and determine where you should go from there.
Has she traveled outside the U.S.?
Any chance the alleged spider bite was a brown recluse spider?
I would ask for a PET scan of her liver etc. (By a neurologist?).
In this day and age, a diagnosis is possible. Do not give up.
If her doctors are telling you that without artificial feeding your mother will die, I think you should take their advice. Inserting a feeding tube is reversible- so if there is no prospect of recovery for your mother you can later change this decision - but death is not. Your mother is only 62.
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