Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

My mom needs your help. Shes in hospital. Not looking good.

My mom has had COPD, emphysema for awhile now.   It was never critical,  but she had to take inhalers to treat it, and she has quit smoking about a year ago.  Her breathing seemed to be improving.  

  She has severe kidney disease and had to get an operation done on her arm for future dialysis treatments and her arm blew up.  Shortly after the surgery she had trouble breathing and went to the hospital.  At first they thought it was a touch of pneumonia, than later they said it was her ephysema acting up.   They are putting her on steroids and shes been in the hosp for a week.  She seems to be getting worse to me.  Her breathing is not getting better,  her feet and legs are blown up swollen.  This all happened right after the operation so it has me thinking there is something more going on here.  
     Now her heart is acting up.  The beats are fast and erratic.  They put her in cardiac intensive care to keep her monitored.  Now the new theory they are thinking is a possible blood clot that was caused by the operation.
     They have also mentioned something about her heart becoming enlarged on one side or something.  Some kind of enlarging or swelling.  She has had numerous heart scans and echo's and never heard that problem before.   shes spitting up now flem that looks almost like an infection to me.  
    I was reading something about MOLD. Might be way out there
Her symptoms.

1)  wheezing difficulty breathing.  Now spitting up greyish colored thick flem.
2) fast and erratic heart rhythm,  Now in CIC.
3) swollen legs/feet from steroids?  
4) not sleeping not eating well.
5) possible enlargement or something on the right side of the heart I THINK.  i still have to confirm.

if there is an angel out there on the internet that could maybe by some miracle end up pointing me in a direction that can get her cured or at least find out the problem.  I owe them everything.

Sincerely,
paul
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Well an update.  they moved her out of ccu.  They said her heart is ok.  They already started her dialysis treatments.   Her lung function is supposedly clear and now she is in a regular room.

  Thank you for the help, and some of the things you have said make sense, and seem on par with what the doctors are saying, except for the line where you said multiple organs are failing and that she might die.  Her organs are not failing to my knowledge. Just her bad kidneys.  Her heart rhythm disturbances I think were due to a side effect of the steroids and all the other chemicals they have her on.

  I guess my main point is she didnt go into the hospital with all of these problems.  She went into the hospital. with trouble breathing and congestion.  With all the treatments she than started getting complications.  They say shes improving.  But she just seems so weak and tired.
Helpful - 0
242587 tn?1355424110
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Your Mom’s situation is complicated.  I strongly recommend that you and at least one other family member request a sit-down conference with one or more of her doctors, but especially including the lung doctor who is monitoring and treating her breathing.  There are several possibilities to account for her respiratory distress:  the underlying emphysema; infection of the lungs (pneumonia); one or more blood clots to the lungs; lung congestion secondary to fluid overload (also causing edema); heart failure secondary to fluid overload, abnormal heart rhythms and/or previously undiagnosed heart disease; complications, secondary to kidney failure such as fluid gathering in her lungs caused by failure of the kidneys to clear out toxic substances.  Any of the preceding may be associated with a condition called ARDS.  You might want to ask her doctors about this.

The way to resolve this is for the doctors caring for her to consult with each other; one of them should arbitrarily be in charge, the doctor most responsible for directing your Mom’s care doctor, and this is most often the lung specialist or a doctor who specializes in intensive care, called an Intensivist.  Between them, they should be able to determine and treat the primary causes of her failure.  And they should be able to share their thinking with you and other relatives, in readily understandable terms.

Your Mother is seriously ill, with failure of multiple organs and may not survive this illness.  This may come down to the need for dialysis and/or her needing mechanical ventilation.  You and other family members should seek to determine her wishes, should it come to this. You should also discuss what you and others believe to be the best course of action should her body continue to fail.  To do this, you will need to have a frank discussion with her doctors, including the likelihood of her surviving if dialysis and respirator support are provided.

Good luck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
   The post seems rambling by me and everything simply because I feel they keep misdiagnosing her, and it gets confusing.   3 doctors at first saw her chest xray and said it was pneumonia,  Gave her potent antibiotics and she already has a lot of health problems.  Than they said its not that.  And give her something else,  while she is just getting weaker and weaker.  I feel like the hospital is killing her and she means a lot to me.  
  Sorry about the bad typing,  The anxiety is getting to me.
   If there is a real life HOUSE (tv show)  doctor out there.  I need you  
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Forum

Popular Resources
Find out what causes asthma, and how to take control of your symptoms.
Healing home remedies for common ailments
Tricks to help you quit for good.
Is your area one of the dirtiest-air cities in the nation?
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.