Desperately Seeking Help for my Brother

[somebody]

My Thoughts and best wishes with all those facing challenging times

[Rosie1958]

After spending 19 weeks in hospital, 9 of which have been in the UK, my brother was finally discharged and transferred by ambulance yesterday to a nursing home. Within 2 hours, the home had managed to cut his finger nails which we had been trying to do unsuccessfully for the past 2 months. Hopefully they will also be able to entice him out of bed before long, his muscles are so wasted ........

Thank you to everyone for your continued support.
Rosie x

[Arthur Little]

Rosie ... for keeping us posted; our thoughts and prayers remain with you and the family as always.

[Arthur Little]

Likewise, we for Pete's ex-wife ... and for Fred's sister-in-law ... may they both regain their health and strength in the fullness of time.

[Doc Alan]

Of course we support you, as Arthur has said. Your brother's weakness results from muscle shrinkage (atrophy). It's a "vicious circle" of damaged nerves supplying his muscles and the inevitable prolonged confinement to bed.
From what you say, the nursing home staff are pro-active - he's going to need encouragement, and you need support. All best wishes to you

[alanmf1]

Great News Rosie, for the new year that he has left Hospital...
Best Wishes..

[Rosie1958]

An update for anyone interested .....

My brother has now been in the nursing home for 2months. He has settled down nicely but he is still bed bound since becoming severely brain damaged by ADEM nearly 7 months ago.

He also has MRSA and despite having two lots of treatment, he is still testing positive. I understand that there is a more effective treatment other than the useless ointment that the nursing staff have trouble applying up his nose but as always, it is a question of cost. I am therefore trying to find out more about this as although he is very reluctant to do so, being able to get out of bed would greatly enhance the quality of my brother's life and the MRSA is the main factor stopping it. MRSA could be dangerous to the very elderly or infirm who are located in another part of the home so it is understandable that he is kept away from them and the facilities that could harbour the infection. Nonetheless, it's so hard seeing him stuck in bed, unable to walk, use the toilet or take a bath/shower . I've already had to change his GP once due to lack of care and communication which hasn't helped the situation.

On a more positive note, he now has a very good range of vocabulary (although he quite often speaks utter nonsense), is able to feed himself well and has a good appetite. He can also read and write a little and through all of this, he has managed to keep his sense of humour.

[KeithD]

We're all interested Rosie... thanks

.... (although he quite often speaks utter nonsense),.....

So he's talking like a normal guy now then?

[mickcant]

Thanks for the update Rosie, I do wish him all the best, it is upsetting when you know cost blocks treatment that could help
Mick.

[Terpe]

Rosie, thanks for the update.
On the positive side, it does seem that progress is being made albeit slowly.
I'm sure there is plenty more progress to be made. Considering how he was when he first arrived, which wasn't that long ago.

[Doc Alan]

MRSA ( Methicillin / meticillin resistant staphylococcus aureus) treatment is guided by sensitivity of the infecting strain. There's a whole range of possible antibiotics, depending on this, and the site of infection. ( Skin and soft tissue infections require a tetracycline alone or clindamycin alone, or a combination of Rifampicin and sodium fusidate. A glycopeptide such as vancomycin can be used, or linezolid if this is unsuitable. There are other antibiotics for chest or urinary tract infection, other infections and septicemia). All this depends on expert advice from a microbiologist.
Eradication of MRSA from the noses of patients and staff requires a nasal ointment such as Bactroban Nasal, but resistance can develop meaning it shouldn't be used for more than two courses. If there is resistance, there are alternatives such as chlorhexidine or neomycin cream.
All of this simply makes the point that it's not easy to manage MRSA infection, and certainly not cheap if treatment on the NHS is not possible.
Our thoughts are with you and yours Rosie.

[Rosie1958]

Thanks guys and especially Doc Alan for the information provided on the treatment of MRSA. Besides having it in his nose, it is also present in his groin although that area is easier to apply ointment to an unco-operative patient.

Hopefully it will be under control before much longer but I have the list of medication now should I need to discuss it further.

[Doc Alan]

My list was not exhaustive, other drugs licensed for treatment of skin (and soft tissue) infections include Tigecycline and Daptomycin. The reason for the bewildering number of antibiotics available is because of increasing bacterial resistance and new information on side effects. I often quote from the latest edition (September 2010) of the British National Formulary ( bnf.org).

[Rosie1958]

Thanks to DocAlan, I went to the nursing home after work this evening armed with a list of the drugs that could be used to treat MRSA. However, I then discovered that my brother was given the all clear today following negative test results!! This was a huge surprise but I then also had another one in store........... When I went into my brother's room, he was sat in a chair fully clothed with a massive grin on is face!! You can imagine my delight as it is the first time that he has been out of bed properly in 7 months. He still has a very long way to go but what a great move forward! I am so looking forward to him being able to leave the confinements of his room, albeit in a wheelchair for now since his muscles are so weak and wasted

[bornatbirth]

thats great news for you and your brother

[imagine]

i have been reading your post from start and todate, Rosie thats wonderful news you have today, i hope there will soon be even more improvment,indeed this is encouraging and pleasing news ,

[aposhark]

I missed this thread Rosie1958

Nice to see things are getting better for your brother

[fred]

Brilliant news Rosie...What a fantastic surprise!

[alanmf1]

Very good positive news..

[Doc Alan]

Excellent news Rosie

[Terpe]

That's a great step forward Rosie. Thanks for the updates

[sars_notd_virus]

Happy to read good news Rosie

[purple]

Great news Rosie.. it is very heartwarming to know the progress your brother is doing.
All our prayers are on him and to the people and family who continues to support and love him.

[Rosie1958]

Thank you so much to everyone for your kind comments and prayers.

There has been a bit more progress over the past week. My brother was able to be helped into the ensuite wetroom a few days ago, where he had his first shower and hairwash for 7 months! He has been having them daily since and the staff have also managed to get rid of the awful long beard and moustache that has grown since arriving in the UK last November. He's looking much better than he was.

Furthermore, my brother has also been able to take the weight of his body on his legs for a few seconds and yesterday he managed to take a few steps firmly holding on to the back of a chair with both hands!! I have asked for a physiotherapist to come and help him with a few simple exercises to assist with his mobility and I am hoping that before long, we can bring him out of his room.

A big thank you to everyone who has rated this thread, I was amazed to see the five stars against it!

[imagine]

great news rosie, its good to hear of your brothers improvment,i hope this lightens your heart,its obviously been a hard road for you,my prayers for continued improvment for your brother,

[Doc Alan]

Thank you so much to everyone for your kind comments and prayers.

A big thank you to everyone who has rated this thread, I was amazed to see the five stars against it!

It deserves the rating, not only because of the genuine sympathy so many members felt, but also you have come across as a very caring person who has made time out of your busy life to contribute to other threads

[Arthur Little]

It deserves the rating, not only because of the genuine sympathy so many members felt, but also you have come across as a very caring person who has made time out of your busy life to contribute to other threads

Hear, hear ... !

[Robarto]

I am sorry to hear about your brother news..It sounds really complex and as far I know that British embassy will not give any financial support to you..They can only help you by giving some contacts and other useful information for you...!!

[Rosie1958]

I am sorry to hear about your brother news..It sounds really complex and as far I know that British embassy will not give any financial support to you..They can only help you by giving some contacts and other useful information for you...!!

Hi Robarto ...... welcome to the forum and thank you for your comments. Fortunately, I was able to eventually get my brother back to the UK using his own funds. However, it was very helpful to speak with the Consular department of the British Embassy in the Philippines from the UK when I realised the sheer depth of his problems. It was also very helpful to speak with them again when I arrived in Makati since they were genuinely concerned for my brother's welfare and wanted to help where they could.

My brother has shown a little more progress over the past month. He hasn't yet made it into a wheel chair as he appears to be worried about hurting himself so he is still in the confinements of his own room at the nursing home. However, he is now attempting to shave himself whilst sitting in an arm chair and sounds quite co-operative with the visiting chiropodist. Best of all this week ......... he was able to recall watching the Royal Wedding on the TV and told me the following day that the Queen wore a yellow outfit, Prince William wore a red jacket and the Battle of Britain memorial flight flew overhead! Bless him

[Rosie1958]

Further to my posting 3 weeks ago, after 5 months of being in his room at the nursing home, my brother finally made it into a wheelchair two days ago and has been to the residents sitting room.

I was very excited to hear today that he was taken outside into the fresh air this afternoon in a wheelchair for the very first time He hasn't been outside since becoming ill last August so this is a real step forward. The physiotherapy still hasn't arrived yet but I am hoping that it will do so before much longer.

His ability to hold a conversation appears to be improving and he's becoming more chatty, although he still occasionally forget names and also other words when in the middle of a sentence.

I pray that his improvement continues!