
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluebicycle
I just found out that my grandmother tried to kill herself yesterday.
She has dementia, so sometimes she forgets that my grandfather passed away a few weeks ago. Well, she remembered it last night and tried to kill herself by taking a whole bottle of Advil... like the 30 or whatever number of pills. So, she had to be rushed to the hospital to get her stomach pumped. Now she's being held for her own safety.
It's a bit stressful
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I hope she will be ok. If Tylenol is in her home, it needs to be removed permanently. An OD on Tylenol can cause permanent liver damage and is very dangerous. She would need a liver transplant and likely wouldn't qualify. In a way, it is better she went with Advil.
I took Advil for years trying to control my chronic pain. I didn't want to take opioids. It didn't work but I kept on and remained in pain for twenty years. This led to tears in my stomach and I can never take it again. My pdoc and GP said my pain management must now be through opioids, which is carefully managed.
Hopefully pumping her stomach prevented damage. I had to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy. It wasn't a big deal. Perhaps inquire if she needs those procedures to determine her health status. Ask what she can take in the future for pain. Advil still may be ok it depends on how she fared with getting it out of her system. I personally would remove Tylenol from her home, regardless. Whether she can be at home and manage alone is likely an issue. My personal experience is that being in a Memory Care Unit may be best for her despite likely reluctance by her of needing to leave her home.
I'm no doctor but I have life experience on transplant approval. My mom was denied a kidney transplant.
I am here for you. Are your parents making the primary decisions about all of this? I'm concerned this stress will be unhealthy for you. I shouldered the burden of my mom's dementia and terminal illness. It was very hard. I hope the responsibility does not lay with you. Visiting her and doing small helpful tasks is not a bad thing.