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Freaky night


JAG10

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My father, 66, came to visit us yesterday and stay the evening. All was well until dinner, he started slurring his words and just not making sense. He had a glass of wine, but that couldn't be responsible for what was happening to him. He went and sat on the couch, had chills, felt nauseous, wasn't talking much. Then he started with vocal tics that sounded like barks, mumbling and even swearing under his breath. He seemed disoriented and somewhat delirious, he had no idea where he was or his way around our house. He was burning up. I took his temp and it was 102.6. I made him take 600 mg Ibuprofen, literally made him because he was not really responding to me, almost like he didn't know who I was. This all went on for another hour until he was finally able to vomit, then he began to become slightly more responsive, fever down to 100.2. He's coherent and oriented this morning, little queasy, but soooo much better than last night! Sounds like a stomach flu, but I found the delirium and Tourette's-like behavior very intriguing.

 

Interestingly, my PANDAS dd10 has had very, very few/mild tic-like behaviors over time; predominantly OCD/cog behaviors.

 

My parents divorced when I was two. I don't ever remember being around my father sick before; he's extremely fit for his age and halfway through the course work to becoming certified as a personal trainer (now that's retirement for you!)

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My father, 66, came to visit us yesterday and stay the evening. All was well until dinner, he started slurring his words and just not making sense. He had a glass of wine, but that couldn't be responsible for what was happening to him. He went and sat on the couch, had chills, felt nauseous, wasn't talking much. Then he started with vocal tics that sounded like barks, mumbling and even swearing under his breath. He seemed disoriented and somewhat delirious, he had no idea where he was or his way around our house. He was burning up. I took his temp and it was 102.6. I made him take 600 mg Ibuprofen, literally made him because he was not really responding to me, almost like he didn't know who I was. This all went on for another hour until he was finally able to vomit, then he began to become slightly more responsive, fever down to 100.2. He's coherent and oriented this morning, little queasy, but soooo much better than last night! Sounds like a stomach flu, but I found the delirium and Tourette's-like behavior very intriguing.

 

Interestingly, my PANDAS dd10 has had very, very few/mild tic-like behaviors over time; predominantly OCD/cog behaviors.

 

My parents divorced when I was two. I don't ever remember being around my father sick before; he's extremely fit for his age and halfway through the course work to becoming certified as a personal trainer (now that's retirement for you!)

 

This is similar to the behavior my dad displayed even before a fever hit when he was struck by a UTI a couple of weeks ago. Like you, it's striking to me how similar some of the behaviors are to our PANDAS kids'. You'd think doctors would be less skeptical, but I'm guessing what sets our kids apart is that, for the most part, the behaviors start AFTER the fever has gone, rather than during or even before. Or totally in the absence of a fever.

 

Hope your dad's feeling better!

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Hi - maybe he should be checked for a urinary tract infection. There was a recent thread on UTIs and cognitive issues in the older age group. My father (who had alzheimer's as well, though) always experienced decline with infection but especially utis.. maybe 'cos they go unrecognised. Hope all goes ok....

Edited by dut
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Jill,

This sounds really odd-first thing I thought was intracranial bleed until I got to the fever part. Fever can really affect adults, but I never heard of this type of behavior. I often see patient's with the dx. of change on mental status from the ER, as the main dx. Usually they also have a UTI or something. Wow, this is weird.

 

Amy

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Weird, right?

 

I know what you all are saying about the UTIs. But, I definitely think this was 24hr stomach flu. He's coherent today, in fact he just left to drive back to VA from PA to beat the holiday traffic. He had breakfast, kept it down, took a 45 min morning nap on the couch and off he went.

 

This literally came on in an hours time. We could see him changing right before our eyes. I've heard many of you describing the "sudden onset" in your kids (which I couldn't pinpoint in my own), but that's what this looked like which makes sense for the stomach and fever, but disorientation, vocal tics/barking and swearing????

 

And yes, I was right behind him all evening disinfecting everywhere he went!!!

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I'm glad he's feeling better now! Have you ever asked him if he can remember if he had tics as a child or his history of strep? That stomach bug is going around everywhere. Are you daughters okay after seeing that?

 

We made them go in the basement to play for the evening, so they didn't see much; just knew Grandfather's stomach was bothering him. I didn't ask him about strep, but he's always had some intermittent, mild dysfluency.

 

We'll just have to see if I was able to keep the stomach bug at arm's length....

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Hi Friends and thanks for the well-wishes. I called him last night and his stomach was still a little queasy and he was a little tired, plus he drove 3 1/2 hours home. Cognitively, he sounded articulate and intact.

 

He does remember being confused, the chills, feeling freezing then hot and the vomiting. He said he didn't feel any tingling or numbness, just nausea and fever. I asked him if he remembered the barking or swearing; he said he was clearing his throat to keep from vomiting and I'd swear too if I felt like he did.... perhaps a little sensitive.

 

I worked in a sub-acute stroke unit for 2 years when I first finished grad school. I don't ever remember fever or nausea being associated with TIA or CVA. I suppose it is possible for both to happen simultaneously and resolve together as well, but unlikely. I asked him if he was taking any medications/supplements and he told me he was fine and to mind my own business. Glad my kids can't do that!!!

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Could it be an allergic reaction?

 

Something very similar happened to me actually not too long ago after I'd had about a glass and a half of wine. It was really scary. I woke up in the middle of the night because I felt like I was on fire. My heart was pounding & my stomach was really upset. I wasn't sure which end of me to put on the toilet (sorry if TMI). I felt soooo out of it, & kept thinking I must be dying, though it didn't occur to me to call for my husband. For some reason as I was laying on the bathroom floor (half naked because I was sweating buckets) I looked up & saw the box of Benadryl my husband had taken on a recent trip. I figured it couldn't hurt so I took two, and within a few minutes, I felt myself coming out of it. Since the Benadryl worked so well, and so quickly, I have assumed that it was an allergic reaction of some sort.

 

It was this last Spring & I had the worst hayfever I've had in years. I've read that allergies can kind of compound on each other, and I think that is what happened. I haven't had wine since, though I did have a glass of champagne & was fine. I can eat grapes without any trouble as well.

 

Prior to that, I had noticed I would be stuffy the next day after drinking any wine, red or white, & sometimes would take an anti-histamine the next day, which would help it. So I already knew I was having a minor reaction, but it was livable, & had gone on for years. This one scared me so bad I can live without wine forever!

 

Just a thought.

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simplygina,

 

Could be an allergy... :o But isn't wine the Rx for PANDAS moms tho!?!? :D Also tho, Benadryl may have helped b/c it's an antiemetic. My sister is nurse and when all else fails and people in hospital don't respond to other anti nausea meds, she said they try Benadryl and it works wonders to control vomitting.

Edited by kmom
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