hubby thinks he is terminator

  morning all!! i am after picking youre brains again, please!,

                                                                                             hubby did not take his lactulose yesterday as we were at my sisters for the day and he did not want to be constantly in the bathroom. i only knew this once we got there. he got very drunk and fell asleep, when he woke last night, he seemed to believe someone had implanted him with some sort of device which was turning him into the terminator. he said he knew it sounded crazy but we had to find a way to get it out of his brain. i was not amused with him last night (for getting drunk), so i told him to go take some lactulose and go back to sleep!. he is still believing this today. is it H.E, or is it the overdose of alcohol? it just seems much more wacko than anything hes done before. surely just missing one day wouldnt cause this much of a reaction? or would it??

                                                                             xxnatasha.xx

Some docs add xifaxan to the med list when the lactulose doesn't work well enough for the periods of Hepatic ecephalopathy.  Research indicates that hospitalizations for HE are greatly decreased with the use of that med WITH the lactulose.  Mike is back to almost normal (still greatly compromised, but not "crazy") since he began on the xifaxan.

We had to dance a tune with the insurance to get it covered, but when we explained that End Stage Liver Disease is just that...END STAGE...and that his diagnosis is terminal bar transplant, they ponied up for the meds!  I gave them a sob deal that went like this:  "To deny medication to a terminal patient that made his last days more comfortable was unconsionable."   He got the approval!  His copay went from $1300 a monthm, which we could not have paid,  to $0 a month.

I agree about looking for rageful or violent behavior.  If there is any danger for you or children, call an ambulance or take him to the ER.  They'll work him up and hopefully prescribe the xifaxan.

Carol

Post Edited (MamaLama) : 4/25/2011 7:34:29 AM (GMT-6)

thank you for all youre input once again! i am keeping an eye on proceedings, just in case. he is back on the lactulose today so hopefully will wave bye bye to mr terminator before too long! being a little confused or disorientated, i can handle but, not keen on dillusional! will let you all know how it goes, if i never post here again, he has sent me back to the future,,,,,,,,,,, xxnatasha.xx

hi rose, thank you, i think you hit the proverbial nail on the head there! im sure he is treating all of this like a game, having me worrying and fussing. i think he likes the attention, when hes had episodes of H.E. before, hes never remembered being strange, when i spoke to him earlier about this terminator business, there was a hint of a smile and some recognition in his eyes.
the kiddies were in the garden playing earlier and i had a quiet few minutes to myself, (rarer than a dodo in london) and i had a bit of a moment wondering that if he is choosing to kill himself this way and not doing a darn thing to stop it from happening, should i really be putting all my time into trying to get him better? my answer to myself was, no!. i will stand by him as long as i am able to, i will help him if he truly needs me but other than that, i think he can make his own decisions, sort out what it is he wants. he will be 39 next sunday, he is not a child and his life is in his hands. its not my fault he chose to live this way, its his, he must face the consequences and make the choices. im sorry to have raged on again and wasted your time asking a question that was obviously not even a real event to have asked about!!! a very angry, but liberated natasha.xxxx hope you have all had a good day.xx

yes you are right. i just get so mad sometimes that any one would choose to do this to themselves especially as he has young children. i havent even scratched the surface with what we are both yet to go through with this disease, like many have here. im sorry if any of you found my previous post hurtful or insulting in any way, i just cant understand why hubby wants to carry on drinking and fooling around like this when his life actually depends on his choices?. i just dont get it. xxnatasha,xx

Natasha, I believe that no Lactulose and too much alcohol did combine to elevate his HE to the "whacky" level.  I applaud you for recognizing that his behavior is making matters worse.  Perhaps at the next doctor visit, you could bring up Xifaxan and see about getting a scrip for it.  However, insurance will not want to pay for it and you will have to follow ML's lead and fight for coverage.

Try to get out in the garden yourself today.

Hugs,

Connie

Good luck, Natasha!  However, if he IS admitted to detox it would be a voluntary admission and he could not be held past 72 hours.

Hugs,

Connie

WOD,

If he is that far out of reality, thinking he is the terminator and has something implanted in his brain, then it's a good time to use that as a segway to have him admitted to the hospital. They will a) get his HE under control and b) probably have him in there long enough to detox. Unfortunately, I am afraid that given his state of mind, he would just get out and start drinking again. Unfortunately, he will continue to make that choice until he decides not to.

So sorry you are going through this!

Mer

Perhaps you could sit him down (everyday) and read him the sad details of the lives of those who are dealing with this disease.   No, it is not a game.   And everyday you sit and watch him play 'his games' is one less day of your life....that's my 2 cents worth.  

WOD,

Just a little story so you know you are not alone with this stuff...been thinking about you today. I know your nerves are completely frazzled.

In one of my husband's "episodes", he thought men in white trucks were coming to get us, so he got a "gun" (which was actually a hammer) and holed up in the house. I got home from work and found him like this, so called my brother in law for help because it was truly more than I could handle. Well, brother in law showed up to help me get him to hospital.....in his white pickup truck! LOL! Well, needless to say, husband completely twisted off at that point, but brother in law being the patient person he is, and retired Marine, got him in the truck. Some of this stuff we can look back and "laugh" at, which keeps us from going crazy ourselves. Hubby has no memory of any of this when it happens, and you may find that with your husband as well. One of the benefits for them with the HE, memory is shot after the event.....

You hang in there

Mer

im having a right giggle to myself now, thanks guys! doctor called today, said she is worried about his gamma levels, she said they should be between 10 and 70 max but hubbys is, 2194!!!. asked if hes been hallucinating and when told he thinks hes the terminator she laughed and said, "we will see how he goes along and maybe do more bloods in a month" i asked about the detox, she said there are no available beds. i am taking him down there in the morning and i am not leaving untill i get some answers, i am so sick of being told so many different things, he needs to see his specialist but they cant get him in untill august and are not planning on giving him an ultrasound untill november. its just ridiculous.
connie, friday not that far away now, i will hope, wish and pray that you get better news and you just keep holding your own!!! you are so strong.xx

p.s; serum gamma GT level,,,, what does that do? what is it????!!!!!! (ignorant to a fault)!!

sandi,, funny, sound words too, multi talented you are!x

mer, men in white trucks,, im right there with you!!x

rcmoonpie; i have been doing exactly that, but he just dosent think these things will ever happen to him, even though some of them already are!. head,, brick,, wall,,,.thank you though for your advice.xx natasha.xx

HOD.... yes ... ur guy is the terminater... u r sent here by the huge terminater of all the whole universe to help the little terminater.... otherwise... it's lights out for the little terminater....beam me up scotty... sometimes I would talk to Mike as though I saw the people too and I didn't argue with him... I would just say yep... wow... oh no... and hey let's.. whatever... to redirect him around the hallucinations... yep... u have ur hands full Sandi

Hi Natasha, you are sounding frustrated today, I wish there was a way to help. How about a big (((((((hug))))))) there hope that made you feel a little better.
Take care
Rose