My mother-in-law takes a lot of medication that makes her super dopey but she won't stay in bed. Any advice?
My mother in law lives in independent senior housing apartments, but my wife and I stay over about one a week or more just top make sure she is taken care of. She takes a multitude of sleeping and anxiety medications as well as taking Norco frequently because her hips are both bone on bone, without cartilage.
The problem is she won't stay in bed!
She is clearly out of it and exhausted but can't seem to stay in bed which lasts to her falling.
I don't know how to approach the topic because during the day she is completely mentally sound, it's just physical issues.
Ideally I would move her into our home but she doesn't remember waking up every five minutes or falling and sleeping on the bathroom floor until one of her kids comes over.
Any advice would be so greatly appreciated!!
9 Answers
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With 2 bad hips replacement may not be a viable option but has it been considered?
There is something called COLD treatment. They put VERY cold needles into the nerve and freeze it. It's for people that nothing else helps. I would google it. It helps some people.
It sounds like your MIL is in danger from falling and really hurting herself or worse. I think it's past the point of being gentle. Why can't your wife just tell her point blank that the medications are rendering her too impaired to walk and that she's a danger to herself. I would suggest that she's not able to stay alone anymore for safety reasons. Or she can accompany her to her doctor's appointment and tell her doctor. Maybe all that medication is not allowing her to think clearly. If it continues, she is at risk of breaking bones in a fall. Sometimes that happens before people heed warnings though.
She is currently going to physical therapy because the doctor said it was the only alternative to try before surgery or a wheel chair.
About 7 years ago or so she had gastric bypass surgery and many complications came from it like them stapling her stomach incorrectly so it leaked into her bloody etc.... She ended up being in the hospital for close to three months so she really is against having a hip replacement
However the doctor said if the physical therapy doesn't work it's a wheelchair out surgery so we are trying to convince her
My MIL has been the only strong thing in my wife's life, so i think it's hard for her to tell her mom what needs to be said.
The therapy only causes get extreme pain, she often can't even move without whimpering... it's really awful to have to watch.
I just don't want to make her feel like i think she's dumb or incapable because mentally she's fine, but i think she wants to take the pain away so badly that she takes too many of the pills.
My wife and i have both told her multiple times she needs to try alternatives but it goes in one ear and out the other... i guess we have to be morestern??
Also has anyone heard of the doctor being able to inject something into your joints that forms into a sort of cartilage? I can't find much information on that kind of procedure