Can somebody help me understand this?

Question

My dad had a strong seizure about a month ago. Now he has memory loss and is driving us insane about things that happened years ago. (Bills from 99 and stuff) He is on meds for this but it does not seem to be helping and he is like jeckyll and hyde. We talked to his doctors and they keep increasing his meds as well as watchilg his levels from his liver. (his liver is bad, not from drinking but from tylenol) We are at our wits end. Please somebody give us some advice.

Please, only serious answers.

Answer 1

You mentioned you father's liver is in bad shape. Even though the doctors are monitoring his liver enzyme levels, have they tested him for the ammonia level in his blood, yet? If not, ask his doctors to have him tested for that, too.

Perhaps his mental instability isn't due to the seizure at all, but from a condition called hepatic encephalopathy. Liver damage, regardless what caused it can bring on H.E.

Some of the symptoms of H.E. include:

* changes in mental state, consciousness, behavior, personality
o forgetfulness
o confusion, disorientation
o delirium (acute, severe confusion with fluctuating level of consciousness)
o dementia (loss of memory, intellect, reasoning, and other functions)
o changes in mood
o decreased alertness, daytime sleepiness
o decreased responsiveness, progressive stupor
o coma
* decreased self-care ability
* deterioration of handwriting or loss of other small hand movements
* coarse muscle tremors
* muscle stiffness or rigidity
* seizures (rare)
* speech impairment
* movement, uncontrollable
* movement, dysfunctional
* agitation

My husband has H.E. that rears it's ugly head from time to time and I know how tough it is dealing with the mental changes and mood swings. Don't take it personally because he truly can't help being this way. Just bite your tongue and walk away when things get really bad so you won't say something you'll regret later.

In case your father does have H.E., the good news is that it can be effectively managed or reversed with Lactulose which is "liver friendly".

I've added 2 links below for you to check out.

Best wishes for your father and for you, too!

Answer 2

The only medical advice I can add to these 13 good answeres beside keeping psychologically calm yourself is this fact that when a medication is metabolized via liver and in case that liver function is not good, then it is a principle that the concentration of that drug increases in blood. Thus the attending physician has not found a reason to add the dose more and more. Rather doctor will decrement that dossage because the satisfactory clinical response is attained by a low dossage of that medication. Therefore, as a rule it shall not produce some concerns for you, except that u keep your contact with doctor on reporting your father's condition and on the other hand pay a good attention to the remaining 13 good advice up to this instance. Trust to almighty God.

Answer 3

I hate to say this but it sounds like your dad may have had some brain damage during his seizure. If he has had personality changes (ie the Jekyll and Hide behaviour) he may need some anti-psychotic medication along with his anti-seizure meds.
Did your dad have an MRI of his brain after his seizure? Do you know what tests were done? Even if he did have an MRI at first, it can sometimes take several weeks before the changes show up on the scan. He may need another one. Ask his doctor about this. I am sorry that you and your dad are going through this. I hope he gets the help he needs.

Answer 4

It seems that temporarily your father is a little like a child. His sense of time is distorted. He is recovering but it takes time. If you get too annoyed, then take a walk and scream outside while someone else looks after him but don't show this to him. You can try to help him calmly by reminding him that it's now the year 2006, that he has some memory loss but you should never show to him your frustration. It's really as I said above very much like looking after a child. You could also see another specialist for a second opinion. Maybe the medication can be improved upon.
In all cases, you must remain calm in front of him. Think of all the years when he looked after you. It's an opportunity for you to show that you care about him as he did about you.
Usually the memory gets better after some time. It took around 6 months in the case of someone I know. Then he was OK again.
Keep strong but do look after yourself as well. Only bottle up your feelings in front of him but do let out what you feel outside or if only by punching a pillow extremely hard or whatever else you can think of which is not harmful but will help you cope with the situation which is likely to improve with time.

Good luck.

Answer 5

epilepsy can cause brain damage. Basically what happens is a strong seizure could have effected the part of his brain that memory is involved in. So that would be a good indication of why the memory loss- and with that, there really isn't much you can do except wait for time to heal anything if at all.

As far as the mood swings.. that's all medication related most likely... anti-convulsants are also used as mood stabilizers, but that is all dependent on the person's brain chemistry... some people react differently to different medications.

Answer 6

What tests has he had done? Has he had an MRI or CT scan? How long has been on his meds? If it's only been a month then he needs time to adjust to them and this can take up to 8 weeks especially if his liver function is not 100%. Be sure to read up all you can on his disorder and go to his doctors armed with questions and information. Disorders of the brain are particularly difficult as we don't know enough about the brain to treat it directly. Also with regards to him going over things that happened years ago, you try what they call Validation. Validate his concerns by saying that you understand his concerns. Check out the site below, I know it's for dementia but it works for other disorders as well.

Good luck xxx

Answer 7

The whole family needs to understand what's going on, here. Ask the doctor is there are any support groups that help with this type of situation in your area. It could be an education class or psychological counseling for all affected. There is NO easy answer, but there may be some help and relief. Sometimes volunteers will actually come in to tend him so the family can have some hours off.

Answer 8

Look, I know exactly where you are at right now. But the only reason you don't do what they do is because you have to stand up as an example and a guide for all the others that are in the same Hell that you are stuck in. I've been through exactly the same problems as you; i treated everyone I met with kindness, respect, let them close, only to be stabbed in the back. But if you let yourself get as low as them, you'll never get any better for it. There's nothing wrong, it's just human nature. You, my friend, are actually in the right. You stick out among the line of the lowlife users and cheaters.You stand as an example and a beacon to all the other people who are lost in this. If you let go, they lose another chance at being saved Hang in there. -Howler

Answer 9

I'm so sorry, it is hard. It's what used to be called 'senile dementia', and it's caused by aging and calcification of the blood vessels feeding the brain. Usually has its onset in the 60's or 70's. Alzheimer's is a form of dementia. He isn't being mean, it's just affecting his brain and the things from years ago seem real to him. http://www.aafp.org/afp/981200ap/olsen.html may help you to understand what you are seeing. You might contact his doctor to see if you can get some help with visiting nurses to give you a bit of break. And tell him you love him often, he understands more than you think he does. If worse comes to worse you may need a closed nursing facility to keep him from wandering off and/or hurting himself.

Answer 10

He needs more advanced care. Talk with the doctors and see what the say. I hope all goes well for you and your family.