← Return to Caregiver/spouse of kidney recipient with personality change

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@lulujj777

Hello @IndianaScott & @jesfactsmon

Thank you for sharing your stories & suggestions. It does help knowing I'm not alone in this.

Being a caregiver certainly is not for whimps. I'm not feeling like I'm much of a caregiver though as he will not let me help him most of the time. But then occasionally he will blow up & accuse me of not helping him. Its great that he has actually been able to physically do more, but some of the decisions he has been making are not in his best interest & some could be life-threatening. I just don't know what to do to when he refuses my advice. As I'm typing now, I realize I should probably keep informing his social worker and continue praying for him & our marriage.

@IndianaScott to answer your question, yes he does have times when he is calm. He also has times when he gets very emotional. However the times of anger, being short & rude are much more frequent.

@jesfactsmon he was treated a few times with very high doses of steroids recently and he takes a small dose every day. He is also on a couple of blood pressure meds that could be contributing to the personality change according to the research I've done. Thank you for suggesting I look up his other meds.

I appreciate the support!

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Replies to "Hello @IndianaScott & @jesfactsmon Thank you for sharing your stories & suggestions. It does help knowing..."

@lulujj777
Well, if his personality is drastically different now than before the steroids, I'd definitely suspect the steroids. Just google "steroids causing mood changes" (which I'm sure you have) and you see the articles. Prednisone especially, which is the one I got, can cause major personality issues. I'm no expert, but if and when he is no longer receiving steroids his mood symptoms will hopefully subside. It is scary what some drugs (and steroids are definitely drugs) can do to the brain. Bill, the man I described in my other post, was exactly like your husband.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I do believe you need to have a friendly ear from someone to listen to you as you deal with this. Do you have someone you can talk to, a good friend or relative who understands and can give you some solace and comfort? Even if abuse is coming to you through artificial means (such as steroids) it still affects you the same, it feels BAD, it hurts. I imagine what you are experiencing is the hardest thing to cope with as a caregiver. I feel for you and hope your husband comes back from this soon, for your sake as well as his. All my best to you, Hank