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What Causes Blurred Vision And Slurred Speech Along With Chronic Pain?
Question: My husband has some concerning symptoms today. Blurred vision, slurred and non-sense talk, he's seeing his father who died a few years ago. He has sleep apnea and has not had much sleep in the last 48 hours. He has chronic pain so he took 2 Percocet 7.5 last night at about 11. Then he took 2 Xanax sometime after that. Then he added red wine to that. I didn't know he did this until I began asking him about symptoms this morning. He has diabetes, sleep apnea, alcoholic, had severe meningitis 25 years ago which left him with debilitating pain. Could this be a stroke or medication reaction?
I just helped him to the restroom and noticed his eyes are solid yellow and his skin is very yellow also.
I just helped him to the restroom and noticed his eyes are solid yellow and his skin is very yellow also.
Brief Answer:
it could be either
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
since he's using a lot of central nervous system (CNS) suppressants like fentanyl, percocet, xanax and alcohol, a drug 'overdose' is possible. CNS suppressants are more potent when used together than when used alone. I've also noted pancytopenia from his medical history which probably means that his liver and spleen are in a pretty bad shape... making drug metabolism even worse.
Blurred vision and slurred speech are also symptoms of stroke (or transient ischemic attack). If the symptoms persist then the stroke scenario would be more probable. If the symptoms wear off after a while then it could be either a transient ischemic attack or the drug effect. A CT scan and MRI scan of the brain would help a lot.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
it could be either
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
since he's using a lot of central nervous system (CNS) suppressants like fentanyl, percocet, xanax and alcohol, a drug 'overdose' is possible. CNS suppressants are more potent when used together than when used alone. I've also noted pancytopenia from his medical history which probably means that his liver and spleen are in a pretty bad shape... making drug metabolism even worse.
Blurred vision and slurred speech are also symptoms of stroke (or transient ischemic attack). If the symptoms persist then the stroke scenario would be more probable. If the symptoms wear off after a while then it could be either a transient ischemic attack or the drug effect. A CT scan and MRI scan of the brain would help a lot.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
We went to the ER. He was admitted to the unit in critical condition. His bilirubin is 22 and ammonia level is very high (can't remember the number). He is having moderate to severe hallucinations. Seeing people in our hospital room, vivid colors, waterfalls, dogs, cats, etc. they have given him 3 doses of lactolose (sp).
He is an alcoholic. He drinks about 4 boxes of red wine per week x about 12 years. He has had sober periods of 6 months to 2 years during that time. He last drank at 0400 Tuesday morning.
He's in liver failure, kidney failure, jaundiced, and pneumonia. His belly is very distended. His speech is slurred and vision is blurry. These hallucinations are brutal.
My questions are is this fatal, if so, how long do we have? What questions should I be asking? They have him on Haldol for hallucinations but so far no help. He's has 3 lactolose without a single bowel movement. Plus his urine output was only a few ounces.
I'm not looking for super specifics but this is bad right?
He is an alcoholic. He drinks about 4 boxes of red wine per week x about 12 years. He has had sober periods of 6 months to 2 years during that time. He last drank at 0400 Tuesday morning.
He's in liver failure, kidney failure, jaundiced, and pneumonia. His belly is very distended. His speech is slurred and vision is blurry. These hallucinations are brutal.
My questions are is this fatal, if so, how long do we have? What questions should I be asking? They have him on Haldol for hallucinations but so far no help. He's has 3 lactolose without a single bowel movement. Plus his urine output was only a few ounces.
I'm not looking for super specifics but this is bad right?
Brief Answer:
when the kidneys fail, the situation is very bad
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
the situation you've described is probably related to the alcohol and can be caused by the progression of the liver failure. The hallucinations can sometimes be caused by abstinence from alcohol, but it's unlikely to be the case with your husband.
Liver failure may be complicated by the hepatorenal syndrome which means that the kidneys fail. Such cases are very difficult to handle from the doctors perspective.
The pneumonia he's having is another potential cause for his kidney problem.
This is not an inevitably fatal situation but it is a very difficult situation indeed. The doctors are trying to help his liver with lactulose (helps to reduce ammonia levels). Haldol is just a suppressant of the central nervous system to keep him calm (as calm as he can be). In similar cases benzodiazepines may also be used to help with his alcohol dependence problem.
There are no specific questions to ask because handling such a patient is complicated. You should let the doctors speak about the important information like the kidney function, the ammonia levels (which may fall when the treatment is successful and the patient responds adequately) and the progress regarding pneumonia treatment.
The bilirubin levels are also an indicator of his liver status but at this point I would mark higher the kidneys function.
Please contact me, if you need more details!
Best wishes for your husband!
when the kidneys fail, the situation is very bad
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
the situation you've described is probably related to the alcohol and can be caused by the progression of the liver failure. The hallucinations can sometimes be caused by abstinence from alcohol, but it's unlikely to be the case with your husband.
Liver failure may be complicated by the hepatorenal syndrome which means that the kidneys fail. Such cases are very difficult to handle from the doctors perspective.
The pneumonia he's having is another potential cause for his kidney problem.
This is not an inevitably fatal situation but it is a very difficult situation indeed. The doctors are trying to help his liver with lactulose (helps to reduce ammonia levels). Haldol is just a suppressant of the central nervous system to keep him calm (as calm as he can be). In similar cases benzodiazepines may also be used to help with his alcohol dependence problem.
There are no specific questions to ask because handling such a patient is complicated. You should let the doctors speak about the important information like the kidney function, the ammonia levels (which may fall when the treatment is successful and the patient responds adequately) and the progress regarding pneumonia treatment.
The bilirubin levels are also an indicator of his liver status but at this point I would mark higher the kidneys function.
Please contact me, if you need more details!
Best wishes for your husband!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Doc, one more thing then I'll leave you be. They are concerned hes septic. Do you mind giving me a description of sepsis or what that means. By the way, youve been wonderful and appreciate you ver much. I
Brief Answer:
sepsis means infection
Detailed Answer:
Sepsis is the systemic reaction of the body to an infection. There are various grades of sepsis. The most mild one presents with increased heart rate and a faster respiratory rate and fever. A patient who's admitted with pneumonia is likely to be in sepsis. The worst grade of sepsis is septic shock, which means low blood pressure and multiple organ failure not responding to fluid administration. This kind of sepsis requires ICU admission.
When a doctor speaks about sepsis, it means that the infection is not an easy one to handle.
This is medical jargon, but I hope you've gotten the main idea! Please let me know if you need more details.
Kind Regards!
sepsis means infection
Detailed Answer:
Sepsis is the systemic reaction of the body to an infection. There are various grades of sepsis. The most mild one presents with increased heart rate and a faster respiratory rate and fever. A patient who's admitted with pneumonia is likely to be in sepsis. The worst grade of sepsis is septic shock, which means low blood pressure and multiple organ failure not responding to fluid administration. This kind of sepsis requires ICU admission.
When a doctor speaks about sepsis, it means that the infection is not an easy one to handle.
This is medical jargon, but I hope you've gotten the main idea! Please let me know if you need more details.
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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