terrible news today about my lovely Mum

[triplets]

My mum is 84, she has had cellulitis in her left leg for months, then her toes got sore She has been treated by her GP and local Podiatry Dept twice a week. She waited 6 weeks for a referral to see a vascular nurse. I took her to see him at 4pm on Thurs, by Frid 10am she was in hospital, he had her admitted. They did a ct angiogram y/day and today we were given the result. Poor poor Mum, her aorta is diseased and blocked, this has caused the loss of blood in her legs. They are going to hold a MDM on Weds and will discuss with us her plan Weds afternoon. The chance to open up the aorta is very slim, there is a slim chance they can do some sort of by-pass.They will have to amputate the whole of her left leg.I am shocked, gutted, feel sick and am sad.On Weds my dh will be in London having surgery to remove a tumour on his lung Any advice for Mum would be greatfully rec`d.

I don't have any advice but I just wanted to say that I am so sorry to hear that your mum is going through this - and for how it is affecting you as well, particularly as you already have the worry of your husband's illness. Wishing you all all the best, have an unmumsnetty hug from me.

Thank you, I can`t stop thinking about her.

I am so sorry that you are having such a c* time of it ... each illness stressful enough never mind coming together.

Sorry not much practical advice (apart from try to eat and drink well to keep nutrition up and aid healing.)

both

No advise just sorry you are having such a hard time. Hope they can try something for your mum before thinking of amputation

Goodmorning and thank you for your messages, the support on here is always lovely to have xx

Oh no, that's terrible

Hope both ops go as well as can be expected...

I've worked with elderly folk who've had amputations - and, have to say, there is often a marked improvement simply because the pain from the vascular disease has gone. It's a big old operation, it'll take her a while to get back to (what-will-become-her-new) normal

She's getting treatment, so, she's in a better position than she was a month ago.

Hang in there, she'll need you to keep perky and calm.

Which is easier said than done when DH is off for an op too.

Wow, you've got it in spades. Thinking of you.
x

I'm sorry. I face this with my own father. Know how frightening it feels.

Oh I am sorry triplets.

It seems so unfair that you have to deal with your poor mum and DH being so ill at the same time.

Fingers crossed that both ops go well.

triplets, I'm so sorry for everything you're going thru

seems to be all happening at once, I hope you have good friends to support you a bit

Can they really not do a leg bypass? My father had one in August last year and it saved his leg (although he lost a couple of toes to gangrene). He will probably have to have the other leg done eventually. He was in quite a bad way.

My feelings go out to you. Make sure your mum gets plenty of Vitamin C (quite high doses) as there is some suggestion that atherosclerosis is linked to minor scurvy. Making sure her vitamins are optimal won't do any harm.

Hope you got on ok today xx

Thinking of you

hope you're ok xx

I've just read this and was very sorry to read it. How is your mum doing? And Dh and you... My mum has cellulitis too, very concerning. Take care.

Sorry everyone life got in the way! Well alot has happened since I last came on here. The result of the MDM was they sent her home, saying there was nothing they could do for her. Any form of surgery was far too risky. She came home on the Frid, dh was still in London, he had his op on the Weds, they had to remove 25% of his lung to get all of the tumour:( 8am on Sat morning Kings phoned up and said could I come up and collect him as he was well enough to come home. I dragged myself up on the train, left home at 10am and got back at 6.30pm, we were both exhausted. Went to bed at 10pm and was woken at 11pm, my mum. She had fallen and the care worker had found her, called 999 been put back into her chairs and was ok. Sunday I stayed here with my patient who was black and blue from the op. 6am Monday morning I was woken up by my sil, my mum had phoned them, she had fallen and cut open the leg with the gangrene in her toes. 48 hours out of hospital and two falls! Ambulance back to the hospital, put in 8 stitches and sent her back home! For the next there days it was hell all of us trying to look after her, then on the Weds everyone was at the house, social worker, district nurse etc. After a 5 hour pow wow they all agree she needs a couple of weeks respite care and a package put in place for when she comes out. They put her in a home 14 miles away, a nightmare to get to as I dont drive. Its awful in there, we make sure one or more of us visit every day and its been a real eye opener as to level of care. She has deteriorated in health and spirit, its heart breaking. He foot is rotting rapidly, it makes me feel sick to have to look at it, they say she can come out when she is more mobile..................she cant bear to put that foot on the floor. They took her stitches out a week last Mon and were not happy with the wound so swabbed it, we are still awaiting the result. I am so worried she should be on antibiotics but they say they must wait for the swab result. I just dont know what is going to happen to her, if she cant survive at home then I dont and wont have her left there, its so awful. She gets down and feel we have tricked her into going in there, its all very depressing. My dh is making a slow recovery from this op, they had to break all his ribs to get to the lung, he is not a patient patient!! Kids all off and bored............................oh for the joy of having nothing to do! Last Sat whilst everyone was celebrating the Queens Jubilee I was taking flowers to my sons grave, he died on the 2nd June 1994.............life has been pretty dire lately. Face on and carry on:)

oh triplets that is beyond heartbreaking .

From my limited but first hand experience with my mother
cellulitis is always treated very promptly with oral antibiotics and if it doesn't respond IV antibiotics in hospital
( so I hope this the way your mum's was treated )

infected wounds are swabbed but my mother has always been immediately ( ie the day the swab is done ) put on what I suppose is a broad spectrum antibiotic .
I've always had the impression that the swabbing was to check for type of infection so that if the broad spectrum ab didn't work they could look for a specific one .

Whether my mothers treatment is correct or not I couldn't say but it can't be beyond doubt that your mother should not be kept waiting so long for result of swab .
Tho how on earth you can try and keep on top of all this with your DH and twins ,I have no idea .

Who looks after her toes and leg wounds while she's in the home ?
The home ? Or do they have DNT coming in ?
Can you ring the social worker and /or the nurse who were involved in the mtg where respite care was decided on ?
Ask about who is responsible for her wound care and to see the care plan .
Ask what is being done re aids ,adaptations so that your mum can go home .

Thank you ginger, as you can see I have two threads on the go so an update on the other one. Her useless gp (now changed) had her on/off ab`s for thhe cellulitus when she remembered. When she went into hospital she was put on co amoxycillan intravenously and it amazingly cleared it all up in 48 hours. After 5 months of so called gp care. It sounds as though your mum is in good hands. xx

Ginger...........I have 14yr old triplets, a girl and 2 boys!

yes ,sorry triplets ,I'm reading and posting on both !

I'm a bit beside myself about my mum ,she has awful problems with gout which means her fingers get infected ,take yonks to heal .
Efforts are being made to get gout under control but ......meanwhile care and dressing of her poor infected fingers is patchy ,uniformed etc etc .
No one seems to have expertise in the field or the abilty to ask for advice .

There are such things as Tissue Viabilty Nurses that can advise on wound care .
They seem to be like hens teeth tho .

So I read and post on other people's situations to distract myself .

Still think you need to pin down who is responsible for her medical care while in respite care and speak to them . Feel sure a podiatrist needs to be involved .

IME concistency is key re dealing with chronic wounds .
Failing that a really good ,clear care plan that details what needs to be done ,how often ,using what ,and who to phone on the bank holiday when things have changed or she's been " missed off the list " .

I'm getting really obsessive about wound care ( and after many years of thinking I could leave it safely to DNT ) and google prescribed dressings and what's being used .
Tho having done that ....what do I then do with the information that something needs to be left on a wound for 10 mins and not just used as a wash ?
Ask the team leader I suppose .

Sorry ,ranting I know but someone might learn something from my experience .