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Is this A Stroke?

My mother is 80. She just had a successful battle with non-Hodgkins's lymphoma. She has empheysema(from my father's second hand smoke), something wrong with her back possibly caused by osteoporosis(test results haven't come back yet), and "large volume brain loss" whatever that is(no one will telll us). Mom has been getting more and more forgetful with age but in the last few days it has really escalated. She is confused all the time and can't understand anything. Is this a stroke? Could it have happened in her sleep? I saw no signs of a stroke when she was awake. My dad had several mini strokes before he had the massive one that killed him so I know the symptoms. She refuses to go to a doctor, in fact she explodes with violence at the suggestion. I'm so worried, she was taking large doses of Aleve for her back and I heard Aleve can cause strokes. Or could this be a side effect of Aleve or Tylenol which she is also taking? Any help will be appreciated.

She has no other stroke symptoms like blurred vision, slurred speach, etc....

OK...

Let me say up front I am not a doctor or a nurse, but medically trained and have taken care of many elderly people. So all I can give you is my thoughts....

First of all, in "normal" language...."Large Volume Brain Loss"...simply means that your Mom's brain has shrunk a great deal. The brain shrinks as we age and how significant that is can depend on what size the brain is when we start out (studies have been done). But Large Volume to me says that ...she has significant dementia.

There is a relation between the heart/lungs and brain....which is why they are always telling us to exercise. We increase our lung capacity (as we exercise and exert ourselves) and then the heart muscle gets stronger and can pump more efficiently which means....the parts farthest from our heart (so to speak) the brain and our feet...get the good oxygenated blood they need to stay healthy.

If your Mom has emphysema...I doubt that her blood oxygenation is normal. Did you ever see them clip something on her fingertip...or heard them order "Blood Gases"? Both of these methods are the ones most commonly used to detect how much oxygen the blood has in it. It would make sense that if her lungs aren't functioning "normally" then her blood oxygen is lower that it should be. How severe it is I don't know...but any significant drop of the oxygen in the blood...causes brain damage (essentially) also.

So with the large volume brain loss, not the right amount of oxygen getting to the brain....that could be the issue also. Does she have access to pure oxygen? She may hate those nasal prong things and tolerate a mask better....My Mom refused the oxygen....but sometimes you can hover a mask close but not on the skin and it can help. I used to distract my Mom with TV and sit and hold the mask, etc.

Is it possible she's had a stroke...sure it is. And I can't answer to your medication issues. But I tend to discount this a bit as she on Heparin which helps the blood stay "thinner" and much less likely to clot (which is what a stroke is).

There are many parts of the brain that cover so many different functions and with brain loss and oxygen deprivation...at any time...things can change.

For instance....I did a lot of research when I found out my son was BiPolar. There is a part of the brain that controls emotion, etc and it can seizure....i.e. rages. So with your Mom, as her brain shrinks and lacks the oxygen it needs....different parts will change and possibly shut down.

I wish you could get her to a doc to verify via scan that all is ok with her...but if you can't....call the docs office and ask to leave a message for the nurse (if you can't leave it for him and trust that he'll call you back)...that you're noticing a sudden onset of a personality change. An increase in anger, she seems very confused, etc. And let him know she won't come to the office.

As him what her O2 (oxygen level) is WITHOUT oxygen. If she's been hospitalized...they've measured her without O2 and WITH O2. If it's less than say 95% ask him to order some home Oxygen for you and then see if that pure O2 helps. Hopefully you can tell if it does.

My heart is with you. I took care of my own Mom and I know the worry, but you are doing a great job and looking out for her.

Peace,
Nancy

I suggest calling her doctor and telling him or the nurse what is going on. You may actually have to call an ambulance to get her out of there if you can't do it yourself. IF she has had a stroke, she needs to be in the hospital so that they can evaulate her and possibly stop another stroke from happening.

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