Hello!
I am so happy and it’s a relief to have this website to ask all my questions about Parkinson's and being a caregiver.
Anyway my dad had a panic attack last night, due to heat, tiredness, pain and anxiety. He had a fever of 104°F and he was so so anxious, he was paining very much, was sweating, his breath was quite bad and he had some hallucinations. So what could be the tips to sooth and reassure him during those moments?
Thanks for your kind help,
Mary
I am really really sorry for your dad… I can’t imagine how hard it can be. He had a swallowing evaluation and all the doctors are very careful with it.
I also suggest that you look into connecting with Parkinson's Resource Organization. The group is run by a wonderful lady named Jo Rosen whose husband passed away from PD . They are based in Palm Springs,CA but have great highly informational virtual meetings. Some specifically for caregivers and others for person with PD and caregiver and others with guest speakers.Also the website has excellent info and resources. Due to Covid-19 the inperson group meetings became virtual meetings and have allowed for people to gather and share from all over the country. We have learned that PD affects people in so many different ways. PRO has helped us learn alot.
www.parkinsonsresource.org
As for the high fever talk to your dad's primary care dr. it could be due to an undiagnosed UTI which is common for older people. A few years back my husband spiked a fever of 107 and one reason was due to dehydration and an undiagnosed UTI( urinary tract infection)
Hope this helps.
104 is way too hot-- an ice pack on the back of the neck .... a Tylenol for pain-- nothing stronger-- if you cannot get it down his gullet-- crush it and put in chocolate pudding. Herb tea-- sleepy time-- with a wedge of lemon--- and more back rubs... talk softly and tell him how much he is loved... even reading from the Psalms are good... also---- rubbing the abdomen area will make for a bowel movement which could also bring relief... bad breath says he was not digesting something heavy he ate-- in the evening-- if this is a more than often occurrence-- do chicken soup made with mushy brown rice-- make brown rice with 4 cups of water to one cup of brown rice-- then heat up two cups of mushy brown rice plus a can of good health food chicken soup add celery and maybe mushrooms. red onions will purify the blood. Organic apple sauce will also help with great sleep... Good luck. God bless your Dad.
Panic does not induce fever. If he is on psychiatric medications he may be having a reaction to them...OR he has an infection. Get him to the hospital IMMEDIATELY for evaluation and treatment. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a life-threatening idiosyncratic reaction to antipsychotic drugs; symptoms include fever, altered mental status, muscle rigidity, and inability to control breathing. It is a medical emergency.
Of course he could also have COVID, or some other infection.
My daddy was taken to the hospital around 9:30 am yesterday morning. We put him in a room alone and I was able to stay with him. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, he had all the symptoms although I didn't detail in the first post. He is very very weak but he was able to sleep a little bit. He is normally in hospital for a month, depending on how his condition progresses.
He had a softer fever, he was 101 ° F, he no longer had hallucinations but he stills exhausted. He does manage to talk a little anyway, but it tires him, he is mostly drowsy, he is on oxygen and they have given him an IV for water and food.
He would like the children to come by and see him and I feel that he would really like that. But I'm afraid his condition will impress them and it will hurt him afterwards. What do you think ?
The doctors are pretty positive, they think he will be okay with the right medications and that the pneumonia was taken on time, which worried him when I read your answers. They're going to try and get him to gain weight at the same time because he's not that thick for sure.
To tell the truth I am completely lost and the speech of the doctor of the last night does not correspond at all with that of the doctors of the hospital ... if he had to speak to me about pneumonia it is certain that he would go to the hospital before ... anyway. I'll try to calm him down a bit and help him fall asleep before I go to bed too. It’s really reassuring to be able to sleep with him.
Mary
I am really sorry for your husband. It must be so hard, seeing people we love so ill is really heartbreaking.
PD is really an awful disease and he is paining so so much because of it. Yes it’s an aspiration pneumonia. He start seeing a speech therapist a year ago twice a week and it helps him a lot. But now he should see him four times a week when he will be out the hospital.
Mary
My dad is at the hospital and has a pneumonia which is PD related. He is feeling « much better » but he still is exhausted.
Mary
104? He could start seizing and there could be brain damage. Nothing to play around with.
My dad had PD and he also had panic attacks. When mother discovered that his behavior was that of a panic attack and they'd medicate for it, he was much happier and more easily dealt with.
Do not worry about addiction in this case. But please get your dad to a dr. Something is going on.
He is at the hospital right now and the brain was not damaged but it was close I think. The doctors prescribe some stronger medication for his hallucinations and he didn’t any since he has arrived a few hours ago.
The doctors said he has a pneumonia which is not too serious and could be treated easily... so finger crossed. I am very anxious...
Mary
I won’t forget to update us.
Thanks
So what I did because hallucinations are bad at night is set a TV timer, no TV after 11:15 pm when the obits play on the nightly news. I make sure she gets meds around 11 because the narco will knock her out but I have enough time to toilet. The tv stays off til 7 am but in reality, she is no longer up until about 8.
Then I bought a weighted blanket higher quality so a few hundred dollars, which is suggested for security during an attack (I have one for myself too and maybe it is mental on my part but it seems to work). I also bought her a cheap bamboo cooling blanket from Amazon for just under $40 for the heat.
104 degree fever is generally an indication of an infection.
I believe that once his fever lowers, his anxiety and everything will/should return to his normal.
I would suggest to him (and to myself) that trained medical help (hopefully the ambulance team) would have the expertise to make him more comfortable, assess his immediate needs, and act on them.
Hoping that he’s ready for follow-up and that he’s feeling much better this morning.
Actually we did call the an ambulance and a doctor was there and he said it was due to heat, tiredness and the hallucinations to his medications...
He is feeling tired of course but much better. But I will call his doctor and try to get an appointment as soon as I can. I am really anxious about it.
Thanks for your help !
Mary