Can any medical professionals help?

[user2233]

Hi,

Posting on this board for traffic

My dad hasn't been feeling well. He's had a really bad cough where he has coughing fits and gets out of breath and struggles to breathe. He got taken to A&E last night after struggling to breathe.

Just as some background: My dad has had two heart attacks and a stroke. He's diabetic and usually has high BP.

The staff at A&E have stated that they believe he has an infection based on his x ray reports. They're giving him IV fluids and antibiotics via IV to help.

My concern is that he is VERY confused. Extremely confused. He can't really answer a question properly or go to the toilet himself. He's also got low BP which isn't going up even though they've been trying to give medication to increase his BP.

His face also seems swollen.

My question is, is the confusion and low BP normal for an infection? He's 65. They've done a CT scan to rule out another stroke. However, the confusion and consistently low BP when he's usually being prescribed medication for high BP is making me wonder if they've missed something?

TIA for any responses.

Low BP and confusion are common with severe infection.

If they have given him a lot of iv fluids to keep his BP up, he could easily look very puffy as well.

Hope he gets well soon.

What age is he?

All very normal for an older person with an infection. I hope the antibiotics kick in soon.

@MeinKraft 65 x

I would be concerned about sepsis. They are obviously taking it seriously because of IV fluids and antibiotics but in your position I would be asking them if they are considering this. Wishing you and him all the best, OP.

Your dad has a lot going on here with past history of heart attacks and diabetes - probably best to leave it to those who have access to blood results and scan results to look at diagnosing the problem. And yes confusion is very common for people with an infection. Based on what you have said could your dad have respiratory issues or pneumonia?

My 82 year old aunt got took to hospital 2 weeks ago with infection and she was exactly the same way, severely confused and low bp

@Devilsmommy sorry to hear that, how is she now?

@nonnie31 the issue is the staff are very vague and not very helpful in terms of what's going on.

I understand that the NHS is under a lot of pressure and there's more than one patient to see to, but due to me not being able to go (living too far and I have a newborn baby) Ive tried to speak to them over the phone, but they're very vague. The nurse just said that he seems to have a lower respiratory infection or something? I didn't think confusion and low BP would be a result of this so was worried. Due to his history I do have health anxiety when it comes to him and it's hard not getting any answers over the phone.

@spanishviola I asked the nurse over the phone if they've ruled out Sepsis. She said that the doctor hasn't mentioned anything about Sepsis on his notes. Thank you for your kind words x

Have they tested his wee? A lot of elderly men get water infection

65 isn’t considered elderly!

I’m glad you’ve asked about that and flagged up your concerns. Lower respiratory infections can make you very unwell. I had pneumonia many years ago and I was hallucinating in hospital and don’t remember anything else much. He is in the right place and getting treatment so I hope he turns a corner soon.

Don’t forget, you can ask the nurses on duty if the doctor can give you a call or when the best time is for you to call to speak to them.

Confusion is very common with an infection in older people. Agree with a PP- you really should discuss with the professionals involved in his care. MN posters are literally guessing using the limited info you’ve posted, it’s helpful to nobody and will make your anxiety worse. Hope he recovers soon.

@user2233 she's better, not so confused and BP stabilised, it's just waiting for full recovery as it completely wiped her out as you can imagine at that age. Hope yours gets better soon 🙏

@Christmaslights21 thank you. I've tried to discuss with the staff involved in caring for him but they're very vague. I've requested a call back multiple times too and no one called me. I came on here to ask if anyone has had patients who have been in similar situations and if I should be really worried. Although I know, no one on here can give a definitive answer - I'm still getting more support on here than I am from the actual staff dealing with him

@Devilsmommy thank you. Is she still in the hospital? I hope she makes a good recovery 💐

@user2233 they've just moved her to a rehab place as the hospital has had a flu outbreak and they didn't want to risk keeping her there because of her age

Confusion and low BP is consistent with severe infection, so I'm glad they have admitted him for IV antibiotics. If you have ongoing concerns during his inpatient stay you have the right to demand a second opinion.(often provided by critical care)

65 is definitely considered elderly with that medical history, and the geriatric/elderly medicine team should be involved

@Devilsmommy ah right. Seems as though there's all sorts going around at the moment.

Are you his named NOK? Usually it’s best just to have one person phoning for updates so if it’s not you perhaps the named person has more info.

Confusion and low BP are common with nasty infections. If they’re giving medication to try and increase the BP that sounds like critical care/outreach are likely involved and they’re doing the right things.

Good lord, I hope not. Not at that age. I’d be horrified if someone put me under a geriatric team and I’ve worked on a geriatric ward so I know what I’m talking about.

If you’ve worked in a ward for the care-of-the-‘elderly’ then you’ll know about chronological vs physiological aging, surely?