Living on the Edge

My mom is sick.  Very sick. She has a history of COPD, CHF, depression. She has been O2 dependent for 5 or so years.  She called me on Wednesday saying she needed to go to the hospital..

I arrived at her home. She was at the table, struggling for breath. She said she had given herself a breathing treatment but it wasn't working.  She was having chest pain. Tingling in her arms.  Coughing so much all of her abdominal muscles were sore. I told her I would not take her to the hospital, she needed an ambulance for that.

The ambulance came and she was off.  The ED staff worked long and hard with her.  She fought the BiPap machine and she allowed them to intubate her.  I don't think she ever thought she would but when you are struggling for air, you will try anything.  She was extremely dehydrated and her B/P continued to drop.  She was placed on the ventilator and had 3 pressors going trying to keep her pressure up.  The physicians did not think she would make it through the night.  She had pneumonia and was septic.  She had suffered a inferior MI.  She was starting to go into renal failure.   They found a bed and took her to CCU.

So, here we are in CCU.  Yesterday she was worse but today is doing better.  I think the antibiotics are beginning to work . She has decent urine output so kidneys are functioning.  She is getting rid of all of the fluid she was third spacing yesterday.  She can look at me and respond.  Her BUN and Creatinine are WNL today. Her ABGs are better, not great but better.  She seems to be coming around a bit. I hope that by early next week they can get her off of the ventilator.  They are talking about starting tube feedings today.  I guess I am okay with that considering she is improving. I know she would not want to live like this long term.  By no means is she out of the woods.  Anything can happen and things can turn so quickly.  She was just at the doctor's office on Tuesday and now all of this.  It kind of gives a new meaning to living on the edge...