Frightening Health News for my Dear Wife

[Bryan Barnfellow]

Bryan I too have no knowledge of these but want you to know I will be praying for your peace and the Dr's wisdom as they figure this out. I know I would be in a tizzy if it was my DW and I could not be there. May God bless you both sir.

Thanks sincerely for this.

-BB

 

[CindyBlue]

Bryan, I have no information for you but want you to know that we are praying for you and thinking about you and your dear wife as you both go through this scary time. Hugs!

 

[RetiredHappy]

I am sorry that both of you going through this. The question on effects of long term prednisone use, right now it is considered short term use. Long term use will be for years. I have been on prednisone 6 times in my life, each time lasting about 3 weeks and haven't had any long term side effects. I have a friend who was on prednisone for several years before stopping when her condition went into remission and has not had any issue. Obviously it is a drug / steroid where the shorter the duration of use the better.

 

[street]

I wish both of you the best.

 

[bbbamI]

Oh my, I'm so sorry to hear your news. I know what it's like to feel helpless when my spouse is ill.

Does she have access to a telephone/cell phone? Just hearing each other's voices will help. The only thing I can think of that has not been mentioned is contacting her PCP and see if she/he has any advice.

It's easy to go down the rabbit hole at times like these. But from what you have said, she is getting the best care possible. I'll be thinking of you both.

 

[Dash man]

Bryan, prayers for you and your wife! Continue to be her Rock as she goes through this!

 

[Chuckanut]

Bryan, I am so very sorry this has happened to your bride. I hope they get it straightened out soon.

 

[Alan]

So sorry to hear this Bryan, all the very best to you and your wife.

 

[braumeister]

an episode of extreme dizziness and speech slurring

Those symptoms could be any of a number of different things, some serious, some not. So it's good that they're doing their best to pin it down.

My sincere sympathy -- I know I'd be pretty frantic if I were in your shoes, so try to be strong for both of you. Best of luck!

 

[W2R]

What a frightening turn of events! Thank goodness you got her to a hospital where she is being cared for, and being kept relatively safe from falling. A bad fall could make this so much worse.

I know it's hard when you can't be together while she is there. Frank and I went through that too, for 2-3 weeks while I was in the ICU with Covid (in Arkansas) and he was quarantined in Louisiana and nobody could visit me. The only humans I saw were medical personnel dressed in protective gear so they scarcely looked human.

It was hard for me not to feel abandoned. He is a very reliable person and I hung on to my faith in him like a lifeline. He called me every day on my cell phone, at the same time of day, and promised to get me out of there and get me home somehow. That helped me to feel safer and not forgotten, which in turn helped in keeping me saner than I otherwise would have been. His calls were everything to me.

I think it was hardest on him, because like most guys he felt a responsibility to take care of me and he really could not do much. He couldn't even visit me.

Take care of yourself, and I hope she recovers smoothly and quickly.

P.S. - - I don't know anything about any of those conditions you mentioned. But I was so impressed and grateful with how truly hard the very dedicated hospital staff worked to save my life and get me through all that. Hopefully that is the type of care your wife is experiencing right now, as well.

 

[aja8888]

Bryan, sorry to hear of this and I wish her a speedy recovery.

With respect to the use of prednisone, my DW has had a lot of it in the last few years as she has COPD and that's one drug they use to open her lung passages when she has trouble breathing and O2 won't work well.

The issue with prednisone is that over time it has damaged my DW's bones and now she has severe osteoporosis and has to have injections of Prolia every few months. Along with the bone deterioration, she is VERY fragile. Now when it's needed, Medicare will only approve 10 mg doses.

Bottom line is this steroid is one that may have long term use issues.

 

[38Chevy454]

Sorry to hear the news Bryan, hopefully the doctors can determine exactly what is causing the problems with your wife's blood. There can be very effective treatments once they diagnose the root cause of the problem. That is the big question, evaluating the symptoms and determining the root cause. Once the doctors figure that out, then an effective treatment plan can be implemented. It sounds like right now the prednisone is a good thing, but is just treating the symptoms. Necessary to treat the symptoms of course. Hoping for a quick and accurate diagnosis for your wife.

 

[tmm99]

So sorry to hear this. I wish your wife a speedy recovery.

 

[Dreamer]

I do not know anything about this either. However, I am glad that you reached out and have people to talk to about this. You are in many people's thoughts and prayers.

I hope that she recovers quickly and come home to you. That would be so hard for both of you being separated.

 

[badatmath]

Badger, thanks for the concern. I've been living in my head, alone at home, and staying up all hours reading medical journal articles. Just posting this and getting responses of concern has been a big help today.
-BB

Don't let the crazy alone-ness get to you. We are here.

 

[RobbieB]

Hope all goes well and gets sorted and your wife returns home soon.

 

[Dtail]

Bryan,
Our thoughts and prayers go out to you.
You have a large caring support system from your ER internet family.

 

[rodi]

How very scary for both of you. Darn this Covid for removing support systems when they are needed most.

Spero che possiate trovare calma e pace mentre i dottori lavorano per risolvere il problema. I migliori auguri per entrambi.

(That's the extent of my Italian... you'll notice it's all present tense. LOL)

 

[marko]

Can't help with the medical side, but will be sincerely praying for you and your wife.

 

[Vacation4us]

Wishing you both the best.

What I do know is that testing for Lupus is just a blood test. Short term prednisone will have an initial euphoric period but getting off prednisone high doses can bring aching to extreme. I had several high doses of steroids in my 30’s also tested for Lupus. When I was coming off the steroids I felt like I was 100. Everything ached walking was a serious effort, but these symptoms were temporary.

I know how I would feel being hospitalized without having my DH by my side. I feel for you both. I hope her condition improves quickly.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Sorry to hear about your wife. I spend a large part of my life trying to increase my platelet counts and get my blood to clot. A number of my family members have had the same issue. In my case what helped was more vitamin K rich foods, especially lettuce, yogurt with live cultures and avoiding too many blood thinning foods like garlic, spices and berries. The fermented foods helped increase the gut bacteria that make vitamin K. The doctors never tested for these conditions even though I saw many different ones for various bleeding issues.

Parkinson's is linked to a number of nutritional deficiencies, including vitamin K2, low uric acid and an altered gut microbiome. Vitamin K2, as well as fermented foods and probiotics with gut bacteria that make K2, are being researched now as promising Parkinson's treatments.

Related links -

Vitamin K2: New hope for Parkinson's patients? -- ScienceDaily
Parkinson’s Disease & the Uric Acid Sweet Spot | NutritionFacts.org
The Gut Microbiome & Parkinson's Disease | APDA (apdaparkinson.org)
Worm Study of B. Subtilis Bacteria May Apply in Parkinson's Research (parkinsonsnewstoday.com)

 

[Scuba]

Bryan, so sorry this is happening to you and your DW. The COVID protocols seem very cruel in cases like yours. I don’t know if you can FaceTime or Zoom with your wife, but I’m sure seeing your face would be comforting, if only on a screen.

I don’t have any knowledge to offer, just empathy for what you’re going through and hope that they get to the root cause and are able to treat her quickly and effectively.

 

[Alan]

Bryan, so sorry this is happening to you and your DW. The COVID protocols seem very cruel in cases like yours. I don’t know if you can FaceTime or Zoom with your wife, but I’m sure seeing your face would be comforting, if only on a screen.

This is what kept us sane when our son was in hospital last year including most of the time he was in ICU. (4 years ago when I was an outpatient at that same hospital there was no Wi-Fi or even phone signal in the internal rooms of where I was)

 

[old medic]

Sorry to hear and wishing you the best as you go through this trying time. We can totally relate to what you are dealing with. Our son has been in the hospital since Dec 16th... My last day of work, then flown out to a major medical center on the 19th due to a major GI Bleed.

 

[Freedom56]

My wife (69) is in hospital after having experienced an episode of extreme dizziness and speech slurring on Saturday. The emergency doctors diagnosed this as having to do with low blood pressure. During her visit they took blood for analysis and sent her home. Then Saturday night, near midnight, they called and said we needed to get her to the hospital immediately because her blood failed a coagulant test.

So, we got her there around 1 a.m. Sunday. As of yesterday they were thinking it's Acquired Hemophilia, a rare (1 in a million) autoimmune disease and are doing a lot of tests. Because of Covid, they sent me home and absolutely would not allow me to be with her as she is going through all of this. While it's understandable and I agree with the reasoning, nonetheless it's all quite frightening--neither of us has ever not been at the side of the other during any illness.

At the hospital they won't let her even get out of bed to go to the bathroom or take a shower without a nurse to accompany her, in case of a fall. They are treating her with an immune suppressing drug (prednisone via infusion) to fix the hemophilia problem. But this brings a host of other complications, especially during the current Covid pandemic. I've spent most of my time yesterday and this morning going down internet rabbit holes trying to learn about this condition. They told us that she may be in hospital for 2 or even 3 weeks as they try to pin down the cause and raise her blood coagulant to safe levels again.

Then today, a different doctor suggested it might be Lupus instead. So more and different tests. The uncertainty is maddening.

Meanwhile about three months ago she was diagnosed with Parkinson's and is on levodopa to treat symptoms.

Is anyone personally familiar with either of these two blood conditions? Effects of long term prednisone use? I am looking to our network here for some help. Thanks so much.

-BB

Sorry to hear about your wife. It may be a good idea to get another opinion from another hospital like the Chuv in Lausanne. They are more likely to be able diagnose and treat here issue. They are also a university hospital. It's a long drive or commute by train but it may be worth it. We have been taking my in-laws there for the past 10 years even though it's inconvenient and a longer drive than the local hospitals.