QuestionQUESTION: My 79 year old sister in law was recently hospitalized with nausea, vomiting, extreme weakness and fatique and high fever (103.8). She was treated as if she had rocky mountain spotted fever as her doctor said this was the protocol when undetermined. All blood test and other test (not sure of all of them) were negative. After about 4 days the fever subsided and the doctor said it was probably an undetermined virus. She was in rehad 1 week to help with the weakness and fatique and is now home. She is still very weak and still has nauseau and vomiting (she thinks from her diabetes 2 medication) This illness came on suddenly and up until then she was very active and alert and had never been very sick in her entire life. We believe since she has shown very little progress in her weakness that she needs to be seen by someone who can give her a diagnosis of what is going on with her. PLEASE HELP, we are very concerned that she is getting worse and we don't know how to help her.
ANSWER: it is not easy to generate that high of a fever in someone that age..... I assume they excluded strep throat, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. There are viral illnesses that can do that... influenza and others and some of the rarer illnesses, like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Since she hasn't made a complete recovery, things should be looked over again from the start... basic workup including the blood cultures, labs, urine testing and I would do a spinal tap if that hasn't been done, after a cat scan of the head and sinus.
Talk to her and talk to her doctor to push for continuing the evaluation.
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QUESTION:
Yesterday when the health nurse visited my sister in law, her blood pressure was 80/40 and the nurse called her doctor to have her see him yesterday. When he checked her blood pressure (several hours later) it was normal and he said that the health nurse should have taken it an hour later before calling him. He says that she was a very, very sick lady in the hospital and said that she had a very bad bacterial virus. That is all of the information she has gotten. Her doctor is very brusque and seems to behave as you are questioning his ability when you ask questions. Her family believes she needs to see someone else but we do not know where she should begin all over--try to call another doctor and if so, what kind; go to the emergency room of a larger hospital (she has been in a smaller community hospital) or what can she do. We believe that her life is worth more than undue concern about offending her present doctor. We love her and want to get some help and some answers and are willing to help her in any to do that.
Answerunfortunately, doctors are people too, with egos and idiosyncrasies.... no excuse, but I am sorry that happened.
If someone is in the hospital, it is hard to switch doctors.... if they are stable and out of the hospital, then it is much easier... simply make an appointment with a new doctor and have the records transferred..... she has to have faith in her doctor for the relationship to work, so if she doesn't, it is time to switch.
