Mom's in infectious disease ward :(

Hey everyone...
I could really use some help, advice, or even just a little comfort right now.
They ended up admitting my mom to the infectious disease ward today. She woke up with a fever around 100°F and this strange pressure at the base of her skull—kind of a dull ache—plus she was feeling pretty weak and had some stomach issues. That’s basically all she’s got so far.
The doctors decided to admit her because they're worried about potential complications, especially since her fever started back on Wednesday and lasted for two days before she felt fine again for a few days...
She was already over at Mount Sinai, which is fine, but now they're performing a spinal tap just to rule out meningitis. They haven't even done blood work yet...
I'm heading over to see her soon. Does anyone have any insight into what might be going on?

Honestly, I'm stressed enough about her health, but there's another massive headache: my mom doesn't have health insurance (that's a whole other story 😠
). Does anyone have a rough idea of what the bill might look like? Like, for maybe two nights in the hospital, meds, and the main tests?

Thanks for any help you can give...🙂

Grace Lewis6 said:Hey everyone!
I need help, I need some comfort, or maybe just some solid advice—honestly, at this point, I’ll take all three.
They held my mom at the local hospital today. She woke up this morning running a fever—around 100.4—and dealing with this weird sensation in her head, like there’s some kind of pressure right at the base of her skull. On top of that, she was feeling pretty weak and her stomach was acting up a bit, but those were basically the only symptoms.
They only decided to admit her because the doctor brought up potential complications. I mean, she’s been running a fever since Wednesday—it lasted for two days straight—and then she felt totally fine for three days before this happened.
She already had an MRI, which was fine. Now they’re performing a lumbar puncture just to rule out meningitis. They haven't even gone for blood work yet...
I'm heading there soon for a visit. Does anyone have any actual, useful suggestions on what I should check out?

Look, I’m already stressed enough about the whole public health situation, but there's another massive headache looming over me: my mom doesn't have health insurance. That's a whole other nightmare we can dive into later. 😠
Does anyone have a ballpark figure for what this would run me? I'm looking at things like two nights in a hotel, medication, and the main diagnostic tests.

Thanks for the replies. I need some help here. 🙂

You can't call anything without blood work and a spinal tap. Until then, we have no idea if we’re even looking at an infection or something else entirely.
When it comes to social services... man... I know a guy who didn't have any extra coverage and ended up footing the entire hospital bill himself. It was a massive hit. $667 She’s looking at a week of bed rest. Honestly, the total cost is going to hinge entirely on what she actually ends up needing—it all comes down to the diagnostic tests and whatever her specialist charges for those services. If you ask me, the room rate and meals will be the cheapest part of the whole ordeal.

Angela Wright said:Nothing can be confirmed without blood work and a spinal tap. You just can't tell if it's actually an infection or something else entirely.
As for the medical bills... man... I know someone who didn't have extra coverage and ended up paying about $667 for just a week in the hospital. It all really depends on what they end up doing with her, specifically the tests and their costs. Food and the room seem like the cheapest parts...

Yeah, the waiting for results is the absolute worst...
I'm heading up there in about two hours, so I'll check back later with more updates! I just hope it's nothing serious. We'll figure out how to cover the costs somehow...🙂

Grace Lewis6 said:Yeah, waiting on test results is the absolute worst part...
I’m heading up there in about two hours, so I'll check back in later once I have more info. Let's just hope it isn't anything major; if we need to scrape some cash together to fix it, we'll find a way. 🙂

Look, whatever turns out to be the case, you're in good hands.

So how do they actually know it's infectious?

Has anyone else in the family come down with it yet?

Grace Lewis6 said:Hey, everyone!
I need help, or maybe just some comfort... or advice. Honestly, at this point, I’ll take all three if anyone's offering!
So, they actually held my mom at the local hospital today. She woke up this morning running a fever—around 100.4—and she’s been complaining about this weird sensation in her head, like some kind of pressure right at the base of her skull. On top of that, she just felt generally weak and her stomach was acting up a bit, you know, softer than usual. That's pretty much all we've got for symptoms so far.
So they actually decided to admit her just because the doctor brought up potential complications. I mean, she had a fever back on Wednesday that lasted for two whole days, and then she felt totally fine for three days after that... but apparently, that was enough to trigger an admission. Typical.
She already went through the Rengarten scans, which was fine, I guess. Now they’re doing a spinal tap just to rule out meningitis. They haven't even gone for the blood work yet...
I'm heading out there soon to check it out. Does anyone actually have a decent idea what I should even look for?

Look, I’m already stressed enough about this whole health situation, but there's another massive headache looming over me: my mom doesn't have any health insurance. Honestly, that's a whole other disaster waiting to happen... 😠
Does anyone have any idea what the damage would be for this? Like, I'm talking maybe two nights in a hospital bed, all the meds, and the main diagnostic tests?

Thanks for the replies. I really need some help here. 🙂

It’s a bad move to start jumping to conclusions before we even know what we're dealing with. For all we know, it could be a run-of-the-mill flu or something else entirely. I don't see why everyone is immediately panicking about meningitis, either. Why hasn't she had bloodwork done yet? Honestly, it probably just depends on whatever specific tests the doctors decide to run first.

As for the money situation—look, you just pay what you owe. You’ll get a decent deal on things like staying there, the bed, and the food, which are all pretty cheap. But those searches Mom is running? Yeah, those are definitely gonna cost you. Not exactly budget-friendly.

So, I have an update, though I don't feel any smarter for it!
They’ve ruled out meningitis, and they're still waiting on her blood and urine results, but she won't even see Dr. Miller until tomorrow anyway...
She’s on a standard IV drip right now and has to lie completely flat without a pillow to help reduce the pressure in her head (?)
I did ask her if the doctor mentioned whether this is definitely an infection or if they suspect something else entirely—like maybe she should be at a different hospital altogether...
I guess we'll just have to wait and see tomorrow 😢

Angela Kelly said:How can they tell if it's infectious?

Has anyone else in the family gotten sick?

They haven't even ruled out an infection yet, which probably includes just a basic virus!
That double spike in fever is suspicious, so they ran tests for meningitis. Though Mom wasn't exactly out wandering through the woods 🤣 (or do ticks just fall from trees??)
Besides, no one else in the house is sick, and she hasn't really been anywhere crowded, like riding the subway or anything...

Grace Lewis6 said:Okay, quick update, though I don't feel any smarter about this!
They ruled out meningitis. They pulled blood and urine samples, but we’re still waiting on the labs, and she won't even see the doctor until tomorrow...
Right now, she's just hooked up to some standard IV drip and lying completely flat without a pillow—apparently, that's supposed to help with the pressure in her head (?)
I actually asked her if the doctor mentioned whether they're certain this is an infectious thing, or if there's a chance it's something else entirely and she's just at the wrong hospital?
Who knows, we'll find out tomorrow.😢

Look, let me tell you, these days doctors are often just as lost as the rest of us when it comes to identifying which specific virus is hitting someone.
And honestly, if she really is in the wrong facility, the infectious disease department will just transfer her to a specialized hospital elsewhere.
To be fair, I think they're pretty efficient at running tests and ruling things out.
In my experience—and I've been through their system twice in my life so far—they actually get results.
The main thing is that they've cleared her of meningitis.🙂

Grace Lewis6 said:Okay, here’s an update, though I don't feel any smarter than before!
They ruled out meningitis. They pulled blood and urine samples, but they haven't finished the lab work yet, and the doctor won't even see her until tomorrow...
She's on some standard IV drip right now, just lying there flat without a pillow—apparently, that's supposed to help reduce the pressure in her head (?)
I actually asked if the doctor said for sure whether this is definitely infectious, or if she suspects something else entirely... maybe she's even in the wrong hospital?
God knows. We'll find out tomorrow. 😢

First thing is they have to figure out if it's a viral or bacterial infection.

If I were you, I’d be pushing them to test for Influenza A. If that's what it is, she needs to start antivirals immediately. But hey, that's just my two cents since we're dealing with a massive outbreak over here in the States, and things are looking pretty different compared to how they are back home.

Don't sweat it—it’s most likely just a stomach bug. I dealt with the exact same thing last week. I was throwing up all Monday, my neck felt completely locked up, and the headache was absolutely brutal. The only thing was, I didn't even run a fever. Now? I feel like a brand-new person.

Angela Kelly said:They really need to figure out if this infection is viral or bacterial first

If I were you, I’d ask them to run an influenza A test. If that's what it is, she needs to start antivirals right away. I'm just speaking from my own experience since we're seeing a huge outbreak here in the States, though things aren't quite as bad as they are elsewhere...

Yeah, it would be great to know if it's even infectious, and if so, whether it's a virus or bacteria. But hasn't the doctor visited yet today? Back when I was dealing with mono and tonsillitis, they used to wake me up at 6 AM to check my vitals 🙄

So, no fever today, but there's some diarrhea...

I don't think it even crossed their minds to test for H1N1 since there aren't any respiratory symptoms!

@ Megan Lewis

I I'm thinking (and hoping) it's just a basic viral thing... The fever part is weird, though. Earlier this year, I had some minor virus and ended up dragging a low-grade fever around for two months. It wasn't there every single day, but it kept coming back 🙂

The doctor's appointment is supposedly around 11, so hopefully I'll know more then!

I don't think they even realized they're testing for swine flu when there aren't even any respiratory issues involved!

That’s probably because swine flu isn't widespread here in the States, but let me tell you—not everyone with swine flu shows respiratory symptoms. Some people just deal with stomach pains or diarrhea, and others just get massive headaches or body aches and joint pain. Most end up with a high fever, a killer headache, and such bad weakness they can't even lift their heads off the pillow. Everyone reacts differently to an infectious virus.
They could just run an Influenza A test since it's a quick one, just to see if it's actually the influenza virus.

Swine flu is finally out of the picture. Now they’re focusing on a different symptom, because this dandelion-yellow diarrhea has cropped up...
My mom usually deals with gallbladder issues and stones, but she hasn't had an attack in years! She isn't even feeling any abdominal pain right now. She was diagnosed with fatty liver last year, and apparently, today's liver function tests were right on the edge. She's heading in for an abdominal ultrasound tomorrow... The doctor mentioned hepatitis, but didn't specify which kind? I'll be heading up there around 2:00, so I'm hoping I can get a bit more information then...

Grace Lewis6 said:Swine flu is off the table. Now they're fixated on a new symptom because this bright yellow, loose stool showed up...
My mom has always struggled with her gallbladder and stones, but she hasn't had an attack in years. She isn't even complaining about abdominal pain right now. She was diagnosed with fatty liver last year, and apparently, today's liver function tests were right on the edge. She’s heading in for an ultrasound tomorrow... The doctor floated the idea of hepatitis, but didn't specify which type. I'll be heading up there around 2:00, so hopefully, I can squeeze some more actual information out of them!

It's entirely possible she's dealing with cholecystitis triggered by those stones. My own mother went in for a routine gallbladder surgery, and they didn't even realize things were inflamed until they actually opened her up. She hadn't felt a single thing wrong beforehand.

Angela Wright said:It’s entirely possible she has gallbladder inflammation caused by stones. My mom actually went in for surgery to have hers removed, and they didn't even realize it was inflamed until they actually opened her up. She hadn't shown any symptoms at all.

Do you think her current symptoms match up with an inflammation like that? About ten years ago, she had one last attack—the worst, most painful one yet—and they were already getting her ready for surgery, but then everything just stopped 🙄
And she ended up deciding against the operation...
Gosh, I don't know, I was really hoping we'd get some actual answers today...

Grace Lewis6 said:Do you really think those symptoms line up with an inflammation that severe? About ten years ago, she had her last seizure—it was easily the most brutal and painful one yet. They were actually getting everything ready to wheel her into surgery, and then, out of nowhere, it just stopped 🙄
And she ended up calling off the whole operation...
Man, I don't know, I was honestly hoping they’d have some real answers by today!

I think that's a very real possibility. You absolutely need to tell the doctor right now if you haven't already, because if we're looking at sepsis, treatment has to start immediately. They need to get that ultrasound done ASAP!

I was just at the local infectious disease ward. Honestly, I’m still processing everything. I had a chat with the doctor, and she said the liver enzymes are borderline, but the blood work looks fine for now. They have her scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow. Apparently, it isn't an emergency since there's no fever today and she's feeling alright... I did bring up the possibility of sepsis, but the doctor mentioned that would have shown up by now...

Grace Lewis6 said:She was at the infectious disease ward. Honestly, I'm at a loss. I talked to the doctor, and she said the liver enzymes are borderline, blood work looks fine, and they're scheduling an ultrasound for tomorrow. Apparently, it's not an emergency since there's no fever today and she's feeling alright... I brought up sepsis, but the doctor just brushed it off, saying we'd already know if that were the case.

Well, I guess she's the expert. Everyone will suddenly be a genius once that ultrasound results come back tomorrow. At the end of the day, the main thing is that Mom is feeling better.