In November mother (80 years old) suffered a stroke. She recovered quite well, only a little short term memory problems. About 10 weeks ago she was hospitalized for diverticulitis, 7 weeks ago she was hospitalized for 3 ulcers and cdif, then 4 weeks ago it was a bowel obstruction. I know this has taken a toll on her. She is now staying with me and my husband. She doesn t do anything for herself. I m not sure if she can or if she just likes the attention or a little of both. Another thing, she moans a lot. When you ask her what s wrong she says it just makes her feel better to moan. ??? Can she pull through this or is this her new normal?
Hello! I understand your concern. In my opinion the main problem of your mother is not stroke. She has had several problems with her health. The symptoms you describe are probably caused by Depression. The stroke has its contribution to this situation too. The psychological stress she has been experiencing lately from her health problems are another cause of depression. I would recommend your mother to take an antidepressant. Paroxetine, citalopram or Zoloft will help your mother. These Chat Doctor.  We must be careful with dosage given her age. She must also continue taking medication for her ulcers. I am sure that she will be better. She must take antidepressant s for at least 6 months. Hope to have been helpful. Thank you for using Chat Doctor!