Blog – Coleen P. Kenny

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) issued a warning this past week about Maalox Total Relief… apparently people were buying it thinking it was their everyday Maalox, Turns out Maalox Total Relief contains bismuth subsalicylate (think Pepto-Bismol).

So what’s the big deal??

Well, people buying the product don’t realize it’s not their ordinary Maalox. They’re reaching for simple antacid relief but they are also getting a diarrhea med that can interact with drugs like Aspirin and increase the risk of bleeding in the stomach or intestine.

This ties closely into a Facebook friend’s post about insomnia. One of her friends suggested Benadryl.

So what’s the big deal??

Benadryl (the brand name for diphenhydramine and the “PM” in so many pain and cold medications) is an excellent medication if you have hives or a bad case of poison ivy or other type of allergic reaction. But the way it works to stop an allergy attack can also cause several side effects: dry mouth, low blood pressure, dizziness, constipation, urinary retention, and a hangover effect, to name a few.

These are bad enough if you’re young and healthy. Give them to an elderly person and you may see falls. You may see behavior issues from constipation or bladder infections. You may see what looks like depression or even dementia due to the hangover effect.

So when you’re picking something out to treat your indigestion or headache or cold symptoms, especially if you take other medications, consider running your choice by the store’s pharmacist or give the nurse in your doctor’s office or at your health insurance company a call—that’s what they’re there for!! And remember, just because you can get it without a prescription, doesn’t make it safe!

PS… What makes me an expert?? Thirteen years prescribing medications to ill and frail patients, not to mention the trouble I have, even as a Nurse Practitioner, in choosing my own cold medicine…. Be safe out there, and don’t forget to ask your doc or pharmacist, or of course, your Nurse Practitioner!!

My National Speaker’s Association meeting has fallen on Valentine’s weekend, leaving me time to reflect on the love-hate relationship of my life…

I’m talking about my on-again, off-again fling with Technology.

You see, Technology is like the BMOC (big man on campus), and I am the shy chick in the hiking club.

And Technology looks pretty good to me, especially with Valentine’s and Sadie Hawkin’s in the air, so I flirt.

I smile big on Facebook. I wiggle my brows on LinkedIn. I giggle on Twitter.

And Technology responds. Contacts increase. Events start moving.

But I get tired or bored or plain overwhelmed trying to keep up with T. I cut and paste my heart out and Technology whispers in my ear asking for more: “Wouldn’t a little Ping be fun tonight, Pumpkin?” or “How’s about you ‘n me Skype after supper tonight?”

I know that for any relationship to succeed I need to work my half of the deal, and I do try. I attend conferences to learn the latest and greatest and must haves and must do’s. Alas, Technology and I do not always see eye-to-eye… I don’t have the time to do and learn it all…

So I ask myself, What parts of this relationship am I willing to work on? What can I leave behind? and How can I make the most of the time I have to spend with Technology?

At day’s end, we stand in the doorway. I kiss Technology good night and step away.

“But can’t we blog just a little, Babe?”

Maybe tomorrow, Sweetie…

This week’s question has two parts:

Q1: My dad finally got out of trauma ICU after 13 days. He is slowly improving but can’t feed himself, eat, sit up or really anything by himself. Mom said he was talking about being released to a rehab hospital tomorrow–that sounds absurd! What can you tell me?

A: Once your dad is medically stable, the acute care hospital will move him out of as quickly as possible.

He will need strong rehab to get used to simply being upright again; are they getting him out of bed sitting in a chair? Even so, standing will make the blood pressure drop and make the person feel lousy until they readjust. Is the staff moving his limbs for him so they don’t tighten up? Is he in pain?

Will your mom get to look at places before they transfer him? If he’s going to a Sheltering Arms type hospital, that’s encouraging because it means they think he can tolerate therapy.

Q2: Pain-yes. And he is not sitting in a chair or his bed, nor is he standing. They are moving his limbs. The hospital hasn’t spoken with my mom about what rehab hospital to send him to…they are talking to dad, which for many reasons, is not a good idea. Mom is calling the hospital to get some answers- I told her to keep talking to people until she gets some answers.
Thanks Coleen, i really appreciate it

A2:
1. The staff must manage his pain or he’s not going to move

2. They need to start sitting him on the side of the bed to let his legs dangle… our bodies “forget” how to respond to gravity and the blood rushes to our legs instead of our brains and we fall over. It’s tougher on older folks because the sensors in the blood vessels are less sensitive and react more slowly. So they feel worse and are more likely to fall, but the only “cure” is advancing time upright.

3. Your mom and dad can ask the staff to put a note on the chart to make sure she’s present when they discuss the plan of care… (whether at the hospital or rehab hospital); providers sometimes move too fast and talk to the patient who may be with it enough to talk in the here and now, but not remember it later or make good decisions without help. And that’s not just older folks, that’s any of us.

4. Kudos to you and your mom for advocating and caring for him… I know this isn’t easy… available anytime if you need me!!

—Coleen