Inappropriate Anti-diuretic Hormone Requires Readmission

Inappropriate Anti-diuretic Hormone Requires Readmission: Quinn Part Seven

Quinn’s wife continues telling the story of what happened when Quinn was prematurely discharged. It turns out that he had syndrome of  inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone Later in the story we will explain what syndrome on inappropriate hormone is:

He comes home.  He could barely, he really couldn’t even walk himself.  He just wanted it to be dark and quiet.  He wanted nothing to do with anybody.  He was refusing to eat.  All he was doing was drinking, and it was only water.  I was trying to get him to drink Boost or Ensure or something, to give him some nutrition; and he refused.  Any food I put in front of him, he did his, his famous “Uh, it’s gross,” and he swatted it away.

He drank water unbelievably, I mean it, any time he went from one position to another, even just moving on the couch, he needed that water right next to him; and his mental status continued to decline, over the day he was home.

He then, it was about probably 1:00 o’clock in the morning, and I was trying to get him to eat something, before we went to bed.  So, I sat him right here, where I am now, and gave him a little cup of applesauce and a spoon; and I turned around to do the dishes, and he dropped the spoon.  I heard the clank on the table, and I turned around to ask what was wrong, and he couldn’t pick up the spoon.  He couldn’t talk, he was just slurring and talking gibberish, and wasn’t making any sense; and I immediately called 911, and had him brought back to the hospital; however, I did not go back to the hospital that had discharged him, cause they were not really listening to his symptoms before that.

He got better treatment at Bethesda?

I think so.

Quinn Suffered from Sundrome of Inappropriate Anti-diuretic Hormone

What was the diagnosis?

Obviously, the significant head trauma, with something called SIADH, the syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone.

Say that slower.

Syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone.

And what does Syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone mean?

That means that he has too much anti-diuretic hormone, that he is dehydrating, basically his blood. therefore feeling thirsty and, therefore, drinking so much water; and the water was just going to cause more swelling up in the brain.

So this syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone, in conjunction with the swelling that was already there, it was making the intracranial pressure worse?

Yes.

Which is what was causing this falling off of neurological function?

Yes.

They are able to treat this syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone and he does get better?

Yes.

Next time he comes home, he does better?

Much better.

Quinn picks up the story, as to his first return home:

I couldn’t walk.  My father-in-law had to help carry me in, in the house.  You know they should have sent me or pushed me to a rehab and instead they just kind of dumped me on my wife and said that he’s done.  He, he’ll get better.  Twenty-four hours later I got rushed back to the hospital because she thought I was having a stroke or something and I had, I think it’s called SIADH, which is I was drinking a gallon of water and peeing out an ounce and I couldn’t eat.  Everything was, everything, the brain was messed up so I started mumbling and, and not being able to talk.  So, she thought I was having a stroke, called 911.  Got me back into the hospital and she said we’re not going back to Delray because  she argued with them and said he’s being, he’s getting worse.  He’s not getting better and they said, no, he’s, he’ll get worse before he’s better.

Where did they take you to?

Bethesda Hospital. Boynton Beach.

Did they put you in a rehab unit or did they put you back in intensive care?

I don’t know.  They, they didn’t put me in intensive care but the neurosurgeon had them do a bunch of tests and they figured out that that’s what I had, the SIADH.  So luckily I didn’t have to, they didn’t have to cut me open.  They just said no water, you know, ice chips and I spent another week in that hospital before they released me.

Next in Part Eight – Quinn Before His Brain Injury

By Attorney Gordon Johnson

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