Help re morphine please!

[BigBadMummy]

Granny has been in hospital following an op on her bowel. She is on a Morphine drip and she is talking absolute nonsense.

In the last 24 hours:
Apparently a TV crew have been in;
The vicar has been in and christened her;
The ward has been redecorated;
A boy opposite had an 18 birthday party in the ward;
There are pigeons on the shelf;
I have wool coming out of my hair;

Apart from the fact it is quite funny to hear her talking about all these things it is now worrying me. Is this a side effect of Morphine?

Or could she have a suden onset of dementia?

She lives on her own, though only a couple of miles from me, and I wonder if I need to start thinking about care for her at home.

Will ask one of the nurses later but wondered if anybody can answer before I go to put my mind at rest!

It's more likely delirium - temporary confusion as a result of infection/ the GA/ the morphine or other drugs

I had my appendix out a few months back. I had morphine, and later codeine. I had the weirdest fricking nightmares ever - really vivid. Can totally believe it's a side effect of the drugs.

I clearly react badly to opiates

Quite normal to talk nonsense when on morphine I wouldn't worry at this point.

Thank you everybody.

Was dreading visiting this evening for fear of thinking it could be the start of something far worse.

Has she got a UTI? infections can do this. Ask them to run some tests. Tramadol (pain killer) makes patients wappy and sleepy aswell. Morphine makes them vomit.
Dementia is slow to appear, if her problems are very new and sudden then it's highly likely to be an infection, the symptoms will go when she's feeling better.
I hope she's on the mend soon.

I had morphine for appendicitis, I talked a lot of nonsense too and that was only one injection!

I don't need morphine to talk nonsense, I do it on a daily basis

Do get them to check for an infection though.

good posts Belle, you really know your stuff don't you!

Remind me to ask you next time I need some info..

I was going to say it's very unlikely sudden onset dementia, because I don't think there is such a thing.

Physiological changes can cause confusion as can metabolic ones, but the latter would probably appear in different circumstances. I would definitely go with the morphine on this occasion.

I've learnt through experience, the mother gets alot of UTI's that make her heal people with her magic stick! Shame the hospital that are now treating her for another UTI can't learn this quickly!

belle thank you. I had not considered that but I certainly will.

She has had a catheter for a few days and is now still refusing to pee so that would make sense.

Will definitely ask when I see her later.

THanks ladies.

All they need to do is dip her urine, it's a 1 minute job.

I hope she's sorted soon.