[Gulfcoast]

Originally Posted by Boomer

He was not on painkillers so that wasn’t it. Actually, what happened was we had just been at his house, left, and returned later with dinner. He had been fine just 2 hours before.

In just that short time, something had gone haywire. He had spiked a fever, but even more scary was that he was not himself. There had been no previous symptoms that he had mentioned. He had seemed fine and then BAM.

His doc was always very good about calling back and when I reported not only the fever but the unusual behavior, we were told to get him over to the hospital immediately for a direct admit. (The behavior was that he went back in time to when he was a kid and talked to me about things he had done decades ago as if they were happening in real time.)

I had no idea it was a UTI. The symptoms came on so fast. A fever is one thing, but that behavior was something else.

We have known 2 others this happened to. In one case, the woman was thinking someone else was her husband who had died years before. In that case, she was in an assisted living and the nurse there knew immediately to check for a UTI.

I have learned that if an older person starts suddenly behaving oddly, it is really important to get immediate medical attention.

Once you see this happen and find yourself being thankful for a UTI that could be treated, you will remember it whenever you hear about a sudden onset of dementia-like symptoms.

Boomer

Thank you. Does your dad live nearby you in TV? It's wonderful that you have been able to be so on top of things with him.