- Joined
- Jun 26, 2017
- Messages
- 483
My daughter was diagnosed about 5 years ago, initially with schizophrenia - disorganized type, and subsequently bi-polar I with psychotic features, and most recently schizoaffective disorder, bi-polar type. At her last 2 hospitalizations, due inability to speak and not bathing nor eating (and of course taking meds only sporadically), it was found that her serum sodium was 127 and intravenous saline was administered. In both instances, she quickly responded and began talking clearly. Having seen such a dramatic change, we are now concerned that whatever is causing the hyponatremia is critically important to her mental state.
Of course, once transferred to Behavioral Health, no one is looking at her electrolytes, despite our repeated requests - they are just looking for the right AP. In the ER, it was assumed that she was "just dehydrated or had too much water or alcohol and no food. Fixed it right away with the saline IV, so no problem."
But this might be a very big problem for her, since it obviously exacerbates her mental state. I've read some sources that discuss effects of hyponatremia, but nothing useful on how to find the root cause and how to treat it. Does anyone have any experience with this issue?
Of course, once transferred to Behavioral Health, no one is looking at her electrolytes, despite our repeated requests - they are just looking for the right AP. In the ER, it was assumed that she was "just dehydrated or had too much water or alcohol and no food. Fixed it right away with the saline IV, so no problem."
But this might be a very big problem for her, since it obviously exacerbates her mental state. I've read some sources that discuss effects of hyponatremia, but nothing useful on how to find the root cause and how to treat it. Does anyone have any experience with this issue?