AIBU to expect that the hospital should provide a diagnosis before discharging FIL

[Fargesia]

My FIL was admitted to hospital five days ago as he couldn't get out of bed as his back was so bad. He had to be lifted up by paramedics and taken into hospital.

He has had problems with urination and has been unable to open bowels whilst in hospital. His stomach is hugely distended and he says he has had no appetite for the past couple of weeks. His sodium levels were also found to be low when they tested him in hospital. He was also found to have some infection in his chest when he was admitted.

He has had a number of blood tests, x-ray and scan on his stomach and apparently nothing sinister was found. They have now got him weeing again ok. Not sure about bowels. They gave him an enema today so hopefully that will work.

They are apparently intending to discharge him tomorrow and will put him on the list to have a colonoscopy as an out-patient.

Does anyone else think that just to discharge him home without knowing what's wrong with him is not right? He doesn't seem to have had on OT assessment yet, even though he was admitted to hospital because he physically couldn't get out of bed.

He is 80, by the way.

Can he get out of bed now?
It sounds like they have ruled out anything life threatening and he is now much more comfortable, so he is stable. Does he have support at home, does he need social care?
He will be happier in his own home too, I imagine.

If he is medically 'fit' to go home he does not necessarily need to stay in for further investigations. Many conditions can be diagnosed and worked up as an outpatient.If he is medically unstable - that's a different matter.

I think you can never be too careful.... And you need to ask A LOT of questions all the time.
Since what happened to my DF who got a back spasm that left him unable to breathe properly and move , ambulance (10mins down the road) took an hour to get there , he got made to STAND up and undress when he could barely move with no assistance whatsoever, got prescribed painkillers and sent home + told if the pain returns he will get stronger pain killers.
Long story short he didn't believe the NHS doctor, went to his home country and got a private app. doc nearly fell off his chair after running tests and said if DF waited another 4-6 weeks he would've been on a wheelchair as a hernia was cutting its way through his spinal cord. Got emergency surgery and now has a massive health loss.

I might be prejudiced but I don't think it's without cause, I understand the situation the NHS is in but I find them very dismissive a lot of the time...

Staying in hospital can be more dangerous than going home for an 80 year old. If they are not treating your fil for anything, and he is able to be safe with daily living activities, then it is better for him to have outpatient investigations. Do you really want him staying in hospital and getting a pneumonia?

Can he now mobilise and look after himself? If not insist he has physio and OT assessment before going home and he may need social care.

Is he spontaneously opening his bowels - if not they haven't fixed him and he'll be straight back in again.

Finally, and most importantly to me, what reason have they given for the low sodium and back pain? Is the back pain resolved? This combination with his urinary probs andsevere constipation would make me think of cauda equina syndrome. Does he need a MRI spine and if not why not?

Oh and just remembered, have they given serious consideration to whether he is fit enough for an outpatient colonoscopy?