Bad week

[Rolex]

Well, it's been more than a week. On the bright side, I've saved a friend's life. It's probably about a week and a half ago I called a friend and when she didn't answer I called her cell phone. She ALWAYS has it with her and answers.
When I didn't get a response I went to her apartment and found a note on her door 'not to disturb'. When a neighbor said she had been falling asleep during lunch and saying she thought she should get checked out at the ER, I decided to disturb her. I knocked and knocked and her dog barked and barked. I kept knocking and he kept barking. Finally she knew she had no choice but to answer the door and when I asked, "What's going on?" she replied with a gurgle. I pushed past her grabbed the phone and told her I was calling an ambulance. She said not to, that she was going back to bed. I called, they came, and she barely made it to the hospital alive. She was so congested that her rapid breathing couldn't supply her with enough oxygen to stay awake and they started life support in the ambulance.
She's been sedated and on life support for 6 days and her lungs had to be suctioned out. Now she's been fitted with the trachea tube in her throat. She's now conscious and almost breathing completely on her own. She just had her first feeding by mouth and has gotten her color back.
I'm simply ecstatic seeing her with her eyes open and able to write since she still can't talk.
She's gonna' make it.

 

[olds97_lss]

Wow! What was wrong with her? Pneumonia?

 

[JAMMER]

Sorry to hear this. What was her problem? My wife has been coughing a lot and spitting up a lot of flem. She smokes, I try to get her to quit but to no avail.

 

[hamz9561]

Glad to hear she's okay. You don't need to get another "watch" dog that way.

 

[Rolex]

It was Pneumococcal Pneumonia, followed by a severe bacterial infection through her whole body. I saw her go through severe teeth chattering chills one afternoon and the next day she was fine. 2 days after that she was really sick. The intense chills are the first symptom, from what I've read. She's also a smoker but I think I've talked her out of it now.
I had the keys to her apartment, another lady was caring for her dog, so I gave her the 6 packs of cigs she had when I went in for dog food.
I told her when you quit smoking the first week is the worst week and she was lucky enough to sleep through it. She PROMISED me she would quit, so we'll see.
I told her she had a new lease on life, and if she chose to keep smoking, what she just went through would just be a taste of what life with lung cancer would be like except for one thing...she won't get better.

 

[Rooky78]

@Rolex my hat's off to you for doing something. A lot of people in the silly world wouldn't have. Prayers for your friend.

 

[Rolex]

Thanks, @Rooky78
She had a lot of prayers going for her. There's a lot of power in that.

 

[wacmartin]

This is exactly what is going on with my mom right now! Except had pneumonia, and influenza, my mom also has Myloma so the flu really did her in. Myloma is a blood cancer which essentially destroys white blood cells so she couldn't fight the infection very well at all although the Myloma isn't very actice right now at all it played a big part. She was sedated and placed on life support, it got worse to the point were her lungs are inflamed and has a significant amount of fluid in them. Thing's were looking up for a couple of days and she was awake, but Thursday night things took a turn for the worse. She's Been on life support for close to 3 weeks now and her cognitive function will never be the same because of it, that's if she gets out of this. Right now her lungs have got worse since that small window when things were looking better, there also getting worse every day. They have her on nimbex and a high dose of fentanyl, to essentially paralyze and keep her in coma like state, this is so she can conserve as much energy as possible.

Sorry for thread jacking Rolex, but I thank you as well. It's nice to get this off my mind a little, I can only talk to my wife about this, as my family other then my oldest brother and sister don't really understand the severity of the situation.

 

[slowngreen]

Good timing @Rolex. Glad you decided to disturb her. If she "can't" stop smoking, which really is understandable, its so damn hard to do, maybe suggest a vaporizer. Getting the nicotine she craves without all the nasty crap a cigarette has will make a world of a difference for her and will also be way cheaper for her. Plus the 2nd hand smoke from a vape is just vapor, so its not going to hurt her pets lungs any more too.

Sorry to here that @wacmartin I wish you guys the best, hope things will turn around for her and she will pull through.

 

[Rolex]

Sorry for thread jacking Rolex, but I thank you as well.

Not thread jacking, at all. That's the beauty of this forum, we feel like family. Things like this go a long way to cement our friendships. It's amazing what's been discussed here through the years. Lots of illness and family losses when just a little extra prayer or comfort is needed and through the years we've even gotten some members talked out of suicide or helped them to quit smoking.
@wacmartin please keep us posted on your mother's progress.

 

[ninnon]

I hope she makes a full and quick recovery, and you should feel good rolex, you just saved someones life, for sure. Pneumonia is one of those problems that people always underestimate until it strikes- then you realise how life threatening it is... Quitting is the best thing she can do right now, and I'm sure you'll help her through.

 

[wacmartin]

No changes today. I feel bad because I live 3 hours away from my parents, and I have to leave to go back to work tomorrow. I work in healthcare as well, I do home healthcare. I have a lot of people that depend on me. I'm also thinking that being by my mom's bedside all day and night yesterday and friday and all day today may not be helping her, just because she is in a induced coma that does not mean she can't hear or isn't aware of her surroundings. I feel that might be stressful to her cause she can't respond us.

 

[Rooky78]

@wacmartin you may be right, but don't forget that when you're there, she knows you are. My grandma broke her hip going on two weeks ago. Her therapist says she does better when no one is visiting, so your theory may be true. But that won't stop me from going to check how she's doing, so if you feel you need to be there, be there. My point being, you have to take care of you and yours, but don't think you shouldn't be there if you feel you should.

 

[Rolex]

Visiting is a tough call. Sheila can't talk because of the trache tube, and every time she tries the monitors spike and beep. I brought her a clipboard and paper to write on since I can't read lips.
When she was deeply sedated and in the ICU with tubes in her nose and down her throat into her lungs, her stupid mother sat there and said, "I don't think she's gonna' make it." Her mother lives in the other building and was also telling people that Sheila was dying from the Zyka virus.

 

[Rooky78]

Yes, visiting is a tough call. But I agree, if you feel the need to say something as asinine as "x isn't gonna make it" do it in the other room.

 

[Rolex]

Remind me to steer clear of that hospital if I ever need help. The only really upbeat and friendly person I've spoken to there is the cashier in the coffee shop. It seems no one wants to be bothered by visitors wanting updates. They almost seem annoyed if you ask. That's not just my opinion, but also the opinion of her boyfriend and her sister. When they removed the ventilator and put the breathing tube into her trachea they moved her to a "less critical" intensive care unit. Well, I had brought in cards from people, including one with over 2 dozen signatures that she hadn't seen because she was under sedation. After they moved her, and she's now conscious and able to read, no one knows where the cards are.
Maybe I got it wrong...maybe she was in "Insensitive Care".

 

[wacmartin]

Hospitals here only give information to whoever the power of attorney is, My dad is taking it to hard so he gave that right to my sister. The nurse will give updates but only a few of them will.
Right now I'm hoping for the best, but trying to prepare for the worse. She's is a dnr right now, but she's the strongest woman I know. I know she can get through this. What makes me break down is I just want to talk to my mom.
Rooky78, I know from seeing it at work but a lot of people don't know the impact a broken hip can have on an elderly lady. I wish you and her the best!

 

[Rolex]

If she "can't" stop smoking, which really is understandable, its so damn hard to do, maybe suggest a vaporizer.

I always thought they were really stupid, but if you can use them to quit cigarettes, I'm fully in favor. I'll suggest it if she thinks she'll continue smoking.
Weren't you one of the first members here to quit smoking via the "Rolex method"?

Hospitals here only give information to whoever the power of attorney is

I was given a pin number so they would even give me updates on the phone. So was her sister. The ONLY time I did it by phone, before I could even finish the phrase "Thank you", the nurse had hung up. In person they keep passing it off to someone else.
I just never encountered anything like it.

 

[HPIguy]

Ralph, glad you did what you did and best of luck to your friend for a full recovery.

Wacmartin, I wish your mother all the best.

 

[Rooky78]

@Rolex and @wacmartin ... I was wondering how you guys and your loved ones were doing. No offense would be taken at being told to mind my own.