Acute Physical Illness in a Mentally Ill Person

[Codeep]

This morning we now know its a urinary tract infection.  Last night I was sure it was an obstructed urethra because he was "suffering" so much.  I had a UTI a few months ago.  In a matter of a few hours I figured it out, got to urgent care and took two pills and was feeling fine (yes - took the full abx course).  Last night it seemed Husband had delirium, we were  traveling and he kept urgently jumping out of the car (after screeching halts), took valium and cannibis, was later shaking like crazy, talking jibberish and urinated all over the tile floor over the course of the night and peed in his underwear.  We were in a hotel and my 16 y.o. son was pleading me to take him to the hospital. I take it this his mental illness coloring everything he does in life..........

[Spidernest]

it's hard when the logic of pain doesn't seem to click- my BPDSO has herniated disks and refused to treat them or comply with any of the at home therapies, but throws themselves against the wall and floor to crack their back. They are constantly putting themselves in more pain and messing up their own back, and sometimes asking for me to crack it as well!

All I can do is validate that they are in pain- but again, such a huge piece of this is that they are reverting to a childlike state. Yes it hurts. No there cannot be immediate relief.

I'm sorry that you're in a caretaking role. Traveling and sickness are two of the triggers in my situation as well. I hope you and your son were able to discuss the situation in a way that was compassionate.

[11JB68]

My uocpdh has had many somatic complains over the years, along with an outright refusal to see doctors.
He finally had a heart attack and ended up at the emergency room and was lucky to survive. He still insists that he didn't need to see a Dr for the past 30 years, that his heart attack was caused by stress (not poor health habits), and doesn't want to address his other physical issues outside of self treatment (which mostly involves me caretaking him).
I wish you strength.
When my ds was about 20 I finally had a talk with him about his dad. Partly about pd behavior. Partly about his poor health. I wanted ds to understand that I was not neglecting his dad, that Dad was refusing treatment. He understood.

[1footouttadefog]

My PDH has had several episodes over the years that caused him to be unable to void urine.  In every case there was A LOT or DRAMA.

Some have been the aftermath of anethesia for proceedured.

Others have been the result of taking pain meds following dental surgery.  We now know and explain this to dentist.

Other episodes were finally attributed to taking trazadone causing his bladder to not void. It also caused pulmonary hypertension and made him unable to take a deep breath etc. 

One episode resulted in him volunteering to go to we to get a catheter.  You know it's bad when someone asks for that.  Then the next day he decided he did not need it and wanted to remove the catheter.  An elderly friend of ours who had to use them years ago warned him not to pull it out that there was a balloon in the bladder to keep it from coming out when the bladder squeezed.

Oh thinking about that close call makes me laugh now.  I imagine him tormenting himself tugging in it.  What you don't know can certainly hutnyou.  Lol

In all these cases the mental illness ramped up and so did the physical.  It's hard in a chicken and egg sort of way to determine of the mania caused or resulted from the physical issue.