# Trouble ahead--need advice (long) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 12, 2007, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473 "2007-07-12T08:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473/21 "2007-07-12T19:42:14Z")
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain] Is she or could she be diabetic? My brother gets reaaalllly spacey when his blood-sugar is crashing. [/QUOTE] I suppose anybody could be, but is extreme weight loss a sign of that? She looks like she’s lost about 10 pounds since earlier this year and she was kind of skinny to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473/22 "2007-07-12T19:43:52Z")
Do you know where he works? Could you give him a call at work? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473/23 "2007-07-12T19:45:13Z")
[QUOTE=Velma] If this is not drug-related (either illegal or prescribed medication gone wrong) then she could be showing signs of a stroke. I witnessed my mother in law in the early stages of a stroke and she was saying all kinds of wacky stuff. With the weight loss and everything though, I would bet that some kind of drug is most likely here. I have had family members with Alzheimers and they don’t start out that bad, although they do have good and bad episodes. Either way something is wrong and she should be checked out by a Dr., so her husband does need to know (if he doesn’t already). [/QUOTE] I asked her two out of the three of the “stroke questions” (and ironically, she was the one who sent me the email about them). I forgot the third one, which was “have the person raise their arms.” I don’t put a lot of stock into things which go around email as medical diagnoses but for what it’s worth she could both smile and form a sentence. When I asked her what day of the week it was and she said “Ha! They always ask you that,” and then answered the _wrong day_, I wondered if she was just messing with me, but that wouldn’t be typical of her, either. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473/24 "2007-07-12T19:56:57Z")
[QUOTE=Cat Fight] It sound slike someone spiked her drink. With acid. Or shrooms. Is she on any sort of medication? [/QUOTE] She takes a lot of pills. Something for arthritis, something for bone loss, pain medication for chronic back and hip pain caused by scoliosis, antidepressants. So yeah, there’s a lot of room for pharmacological interactions there. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473/25 "2007-07-12T21:13:22Z")
As another possibility…I had a teacher who did this once. She ended up having a fatal brain tumor ☹ Definitely keep in touch with her, and the husband. That’s not right to act that way. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473/26 "2007-07-13T05:26:57Z")
Thanks to all you good folks who responded with helpful information. I’ve talked to her today (she’s much better, making a lot more sense) and I’ve talked to her husband, and she’s going to see a doctor tomorrow. The thinking is that what’s going on is, in fact, a conflict between a drug she’s taking for arthritis and an antidepressant. But apparently it’s an odd reaction. Something she’s taking is an appetite suppressant which is why she’s lost so much weight lately, and the weight loss might have queered the dosage she originally got. I feel a lot better knowing she’s getting checked out. Thanks again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-ahead-need-advice-long/411473.md?page=1)