Mom had gotten pneumonia november 11,i had called 911 after she started to hallucinate and act strangely..she was alert, and aware, although confused at times.. - then co2 levels rose drastically the next morning and she was admitted to hospital.. and was intubated..she was alert after this, she couldn't speak - but mouthed words... she had difficulty being weaned off of the tube in her mouth - her levels rose again.so they needed to perform tracheostomy..she was sedated several times..they said they were afraid she would remove tube... and then after vent operation, they had to surgically put feeding peg tube in her stomach so that she could eat, and also be transferred from hospital....so 2 operations in the space of 5 days.. and antibiotics to knock out the infection...the hospital could do no more for her.. this was one month after arriving in hospital.. she became lethargic at times, and then woke up right before she was transferred to Nursing Home/Rehab..again she was given something to sedate her for transport.. she has been in a very deep sleep ever since then.. she arrived at NH dec. 11, and woke up only once to my knowledge where she actually spoke some words, and acted as if she knew who i was and that i was there..basically acted like she was there.. not out of it.. that was on the 8th right before going to NH..since then, only recently she opens her eyes..i believe she tries to wake up.. but can't for whatever reason.. maybe she is exhausted, or she is in the healing process.. but only the last few days i have seen any improvement in her consciousness at all.. yesterday she didn't open her eyes ( and once or twice turned her head at the sound of my voice) - but she started to move her lips and smack them..not awake..but looking more like she is really sleeping.. not in a semi unconscious state.. is this normal? does the ventilator have this effect on people? she is 84.. has emphysema..stopped smoking 12 years ago.. but her lungs could not get strong ernough to breath on her own.. hence the vent, and the NH.. i'm hoping she will wake up.. the only thing wrong with her is that she can't breathe on her own..why won't she wake up?? does anyone have any similar situations or advice?? i am her only daughter. i don't know what to do.. i have to start making some long term decisions and i don't know where to begin...
As a former ICU nurse I can tell you that patients usually "wake up" after being taken off sedation unless there has been some damage done to the brain. At 84, it wouldn't take much to sedate your mom...my mom is 84 and something as simple as a benadryl will knock her out for hours. I hope you find answers and that your mom recovers. I know what you are going through...the decisions for my mom rests on my shoulders as well. Praying for you and your mom.
Obviously, I don't know about your mom's outlook for any meaningful recovery but, from my experience, the people at the health care facilities who DO know her prognosis, won't take it into account when deciding whether to order tests, procedures, life-support, etc... Mercy is a quality that's hard for the elderly to find in healthcare these days. Doctors used to take responsibility for guiding a family through end-of-life decisions; offering their insight and experience to help us make choices about our loved ones. Not so anymore. As patients, we are simply a collection of conditions.
This is a painful time for you. Find one of your mom's doctors who will speak candidly with you about her prospects for recovery.
I just found out they were giving my mom an anti-anxiety med 24-7 at her ALF. I would come to see her, she looked like she was near death. They said "she's only on a very tiny dose". They told me "it leaves the body in fewer than 6 hours".
All untrue.
If they are giving her benzodiazepines, it is VERY DANGEROUS for you. This class includes drugs like Xanax (alprazolam), Ativan (lorazepam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam). This class includes the drug known as "date-rape" (Rohypnol). Others are ProSom (estazolam), Dalmone (flurazepam), Restoril (temazepam) and Halcion (triazolam).
Many of these drugs are actually very dangerous for elders;
They gave it to my mom every 8 hours, but Ativan has a 10- to 18-hour clearance time (longer in older people)! She was overlapping and overdosing and it was making everyone think she was dying.
Good luck to you.
It was time.
I fought their prejudice and willingness to just give up on an 85 year old man. It wasn't the first time I challenged the "quitter attitude." Eventually, 7 months later, Dad came home, after being decannulated and having speech therapy. A few months later he passed a swallowing test and began eating real food.
He'll shortly celebrate his 98th birthday. He still walks and causes me great anxiety when he's out walking in this heat.
I read all I could on his situation and asked doctors and nurses a lot of questions. By the time he came home, I had two 3 ring binders filled with medical information downloaded from online.
Your mother may be sleeping b/c that's what her body needs, or b/c of a combination of meds, etc. Even after Dad came out of the coma, he slept a lot, especially when he was hemorraging internally.
So, don't give up; hang in there! Learn as much as you can about all the complicated and interactive situations and ask as many questions as you feel necessary.
And just keep holding your mother's hand when you visit her. Although we don't really know how much she's sensing now, I do believe that the power of touch can communicate words that can't be heard.
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