Trying to Help My 75-Year-Old Mom

My mom has been seeing various doctors for many years regarding her ailments which are mostly head related (tinnitus, intense facial pain (trigeminal neuralgia was all but ruled out, but seems to be the cause of an arthritic joint in her neck), hair loss, poor eyesight, poor dental health (multiple infected root canals that led to 12 extractions), extremely poor short-term memory including confusion and dizziness and getting scarier by the day).

This forum is filled with many knowledgeable users, though many of the technical concepts are over my head.

She has been through the ringer with doctor appointments for years. Many of which have been a complete waste of time. Luckily she was able to find substantial relief for her facial pain by taking Lyrica, but she still has some discomfort in her face from time to time.

I can't help but feel that something can be done to greatly improve her quality of life. We live in Hawaii (Big Island) where quality health care, despite the health care premiums we pay, is nonexistent.

I'm currently planning a trip to Bangkok to Bumrungrad Hospital (one of the most frequented International hospitals by foreigners in the world) to tackle as many of her issues as possible. I'm unsure if this is the best strategy, but it fits the budget and the care level seems to be miles above what is available here in Hawaii.

I know this is a tinnitus based forum, but maybe someone reading this has some insight and can point me in a better direction for how to troubleshoot these problems in the most methodical way possible. Being that these issues are all head related, maybe there is one underlying cause of most or all of them. I'd like to take her to a single place where I can feel confident no stone would be left unturned in pursuit of improving her situation. Perhaps such a place doesn't exist, but my tireless research has validated that one doctor is not the same as another.

Recently, I was blown away to learn about a dental implant that's been around for many years called "immediate loading" or "mini" that is around 50% cheaper than a traditional implant and can give a person a working tooth in about 5 days when traditional implants take months to finalize? An implant that costs $6,000 here in Hawaii can be performed in a small fraction of the time for around $1,000 in Bangkok (and yes, the implantologist has impeccable credentials). After battling ill-fitting partial dentures for years, my mom is now on track to receiving affordable dental implants so she can eat properly.

Tinnutus seems to be a more difficult nut to crack though. I suspect her dementia-like symptoms along with her tinnitus, facial pain, and hair loss, may be related somehow. Thanks to anyone in advance who can provide some insight.

 

You seem to be on the right track with the dental work. Tinnitus is extremely difficult to treat though as a brief trawl through this forum will show. There are literally hundreds of potential causes. People have bankrupted themselves trying to find causes. Even if causes are found there is usually no cure. You obviously care for your mother a great deal. I would concentrate on making her physically as comfortable as you can but realise that most of her problems are not solvable with medical science as it exists now.

 

Thank you for your reply. I'm fully prepared to accept the fact that there may be no cure. I'm astounded by how far some have gone in this forum to cure themselves. It's very inspiring.

 

@shakedog... I have the same thoughts about finding that golden place where they can treat everything. However the reality is these doctors don't want to put in the time and don't talk to different doctors in other fields. You would have to be a multi-millionaire and hire a team of doctors to get stuff done and nothing would still get accomplished fully. Like the previous poster said, just make your Mom comfortable and take one day at a time while reassuring her that you understand her problems. Just try to make her happy as possible in this tough world.