Husband in intensive care

[Loopylou4]

A few of you may know my history, but anyway, my dh is a binge alcoholic.
He's been drinking from 6am everyday since the 24th December. He's not eaten in 5 days, yesterday morning he had a tonic clonic seizure, ambulance took him in, within an hour he was facetiming me, quite alert.
I spoke to the doctor who said his potassium levels were very low, and his kidneys were struggling, but they felt it was reversible.
Since then he's stopped answering my calls, but has been moved to intensive care, I called when the nurse was present, but he can't talk he's extremely confused. I'm so scared. Why has he got worse since being in hospital?

I think you need to get another update from the intensive care doctors. They may still be working out why things have changed themselves. Things can happen during seizures that slowly get worse before they get better (I'm not a doctor as you can tell!)

In the meantime do you have any other support? Are you on your own?

He will be going through withdrawal which is absolutely horrific. They usually dispense librium to help them through the worst, but it's not a pleasant process.

I have my parents, but they're unwell and very stressed. So yes, pretty much on my own.
He's been in hospital before on librium, but he's never been this ill.

Do they put people who are dying in intensive care? I'm scared this is the case

I hope he pulls through, but he's got to go through detox. Is there a chance he could be put into an induced coma to help get him through the worst?

They put the sickest patients in ICU it doesn't necessarily mean he is dying.

He may be in icu because they are struggling to control the seizures. Sometimes the librium isn't enough to control them especially if he's been drinking heavily. You need to call the hospital and find out what's going on. Other wise you'll only panic more

Hi,
I'm a nurse who works on an inpatient ward with detoxing alcoholics and drug addiction.
Librium (brand name for chlordiazepoxide) is used to help treat the symptoms of withdrawal. It can be effective but the first couple of days patients can differ from alert and orientated to paranoid and hallucinating having no clue who they are or where they are (once had a patient crawling across the bed and rolling on the floor telling me they were a spy). This is all normal for detoxing and patients generally come out the other side of this.

The potassium levels may be worrying hence the move to ICU. Patients are only moved to ICU if they require organ support. Having your potassium levels off can cause pressure on the heart. To rectify this sometimes it's needed to give a lot of potassium, depending on how low they are to replacement them both quickly and safely he'll be in ICU to have a cardiac monitor and a nurse present at all times during replacement.

Just wanted to say this sounds incredibly hard on you, both now and previously. Look after yourself

If his kidneys and liver are failing, he may have been moved to ICU for observation and treatment like dialysis. He'll be confused due to toxins accumulating.
Hopefully he'll be under the care of a liver specialist and intensivists. He'll receive one to one nursing care and constant monitoring which can flag up issues far more quickly than on the wards. There will also be input from the alcohol team
who can plan a 'detox' regime. He's obviously seriously ill but in the best place. Try to look after yourself, get enough sleep, food and time out, ask questions, take it hour by hour. Most patients won't remember periods of critical illness, it's often worse for relatives !

Having been there with FIL (including the potassium levels and move to ICU) I wish you well and you can have a handhold from me. He's in the best place.

Coming of Alcohol is the worse addiction for withdrawal symptoms. He is in the best place to be monitored. The confusion could be “ wet brain”. Google it I have a family member who was like this.