MIL Sick

Updated on February 16, 2010
R.N. asks from Burleson, TX
11 answers

Ok here's the deal; my MIL had gotten really sick right after Christmas ( throwing up excesively and very harshly). She went to the hospital because she couldn't stop. They admitted her. They got her to stop getting sick and ran a bunch of tests and even brought a specialist in. The only thing she left there answered was that the lining of her intestins were very thin. She has sinse been sick a lot. Has anyone dealt with something like this and do you think she, my MIL, is just not telling the family something important or is it just something that will pass eventually with surgery or on it's own, or maybe get worse as time goes by? my husband is a little tense with this, it's worrying him. She is his only living parent and all his grandparents are gone as well. He lost them at a young age as well as a teenage brother. Thank you all for any information.

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V.B.

answers from Dallas on

Juicing carrots and drinking 4oz. 2-3 times a day will help heal and is so good for her nutritionally.

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S.T.

answers from Dallas on

This happened to my sister two years ago, except she had severe vomiting and diarrhea. She was hospitalized for 9 days and they did every test on her that you can imagine. She lost a lot of weight and looked awful. She was on all kinds of medicine with all kinds of side effects. It took them months to finally diagnose Crohn's disease. She has gotten better, but you really have to be careful with what you eat. I hope they can find out what is wrong with your MIL soon!

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L.C.

answers from Dallas on

Are you close to your MIL? If so I would suggest you and your husband talk to her about the various options people have suggested, food poisoning, spider bite, etc. to rule them out. Then I would arrange a time to visit without my husband and ask her if there is anything else going on. Considering the loss he has already gone through, she may not know how to tell him or if she should. Together you could figure out how to share it with him.
Good luck

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A.G.

answers from Dallas on

I got VERY VERY sick, just like that, after Christmas too...my son had it too but less severe (he's 3 yrs old). I think there was definitely something going around, it may have even been a variant of swine flu, because I've heard more people saying that they were diagnosed with swine flu but their main symptoms were stomach ache and headache. I also had the WORST

M.H.

answers from Dallas on

I would encourage her to see a specialist outside of a hospital setting. I am a diabetic and had a lot of tummy problems for a while. We could not figure it out for a while until we found out my body was not producing amylin. Now I am on shots of amylin and I feel great. It may be something simple but when the tummy area is not right, it can seem like there is something majorly wrong. I would not blow it off though as she needs to get the nutrients from food, which occurs in the intestines.

Good luck;
M.
www.justamom.morethanonemoment.com

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Unfortunately, it's possible that she does have something more serious going on, but HIPPA laws (patient privacy laws) may be preventing anyone from knowing because those are her wishes.

Or, it could be something simple like food poisoning that hasn't been corrected.

When I was diagnosed with cancer after my daughter's birth, I was very open and candid about it with everyone. That's how I chose to deal with it. But, I know other people who either have cancer or who are survivors who want no one to know what's going on. There are a lot of people who are very private and try not to burden their families (especially one with a history like your husband's family) with the stress of an illness.

The other possibility is that the doctors have just simply missed something. It never hurts to get another opinion. Doctor's are human, and medicine is still an art as much as a science.

Good luck. I hope it gets resolved soon.

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C.E.

answers from Dallas on

My mom had similar symptoms and she also had diverticulitus. Your intestines can develop little pouches which can trap food and become very irritated. But she also had a host of other problems so between illness and medicines's side effects it always took some detective work to pinpoint the problem. If it is diverticulitus, she will always need to be careful of what she eats.

Something else could be Crohn's Disease or celiac disease. I know folks with these diseases and both are often overlooked by the doctors. They both can cause severe voimiting and I believe the Crohn's can cause thining of the intestinal lining.

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D.S.

answers from New York on

Did they check her for gall bladder, or diverticulitis? My mom has had both and both can cause extreme vomiting. If my mom has anything with seeds, it can cause an attack and if she is not treated with antibiotics it will only get worse. Unfortunately, as one poster said if you MIL does not give consent to have your husband speak with the doctor, privacy laws will prevent him from finding out. Perhaps if your hubby can tell his mom how worried he is then she will open up to him. If she is trying to protect him from the truth then he has to respect her wishes as difficult as it may be. Good luck and I hope she gets better soon!

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A.Q.

answers from Dallas on

Just another instance of this....my mom went through this for months only to find out she had been bit by a spider and was allergic. She never put 2 and 2 together that the bite on the back of her leg was something to mention to a Dr. Good luck to your mil. I hope she is able to come to a conclusion on what's making her so ill.

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

I would check her freezer/fridge/pantry. It could be that something is out of date or bad, and she keeps eating it. I made some cakes here 2x and everyone got sick. Couldn't understand it, they were different mixes, eggs, etc. Then I realized that the oil I had used was REALLY out of date.

I think that was it. I've since made more cakes, with the new oil, and everyone has been fine.
M.

J.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

It sounds like salmonella poisoning. Go over to her house and go through all her food that is perishable. She's probably poisoning herself from something in her cupboards or fridge. Did she get tested for salmonella?

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