my mother is in a nursing home where i go every day to try to keep them doing what should be, but I am stuck. My mom is late stage, she has had diarrhea for almost 3 weeks, dehydrated of course does not want to eat. Her swallow test showed her to penetrate everything, liquid, thickened and food. She is trying to recover from pneumonia now, very week but a real fighter. The dr. says she will eventially die from pneumonia and thickener will not help, I fed her too much yesterday and she threw a little back up mostly yellow liquid. I know now not to try to make her eat, but only eating 10% of her meals was worrying me I thought maybe they just weren't taking the time. Is there something more I should be doing, or not doing? They finally sent a stool sample off 2 days ago, so we should find out something soon. She also had acute renal failure but tests have shown normalcy there and she is off the I.V. Any help or suggestions would be great. She can communicate a little most days.

sorry new comer posted in the wrong place

Dear Alice: Did they check your mother's stool for Clostridium difficile? C. difficile is the most common infectious organism causing chronic diarrhea in our loved ones who are in nursing homes. They should be able to get the answer to that one VERY quickly.

I do think though, that may be time to call Hospice in. They can case manage everything for your mother and will be of great assistance in many, many ways.

Being in late stage, this may be the very best option for managing the multiple issues your mother has while affording her the highest quality of life possible under the circumstances.

I wish you well,

A Speech Pathologist knows better than the Doc, believe it or not. If everything is penetrating through the valleculae and into the pyriform sinus, then pergaps a feeding tube ( J-Peg ) is a last resort just as long as she doesn't try to pull it out.