Posted on 10/19/2004 4:20:52 AM PDT by Conservative Kay
Any medical people I need answers. My mother has Chf. She went into the hospital 2 weeks ago for fluid build-up and was on 20 mg. of Demadex a day. They released her on 40 mg. a day. Last week she went back for the same problem. This time they released her on 120 mg. a day and put her on oxygen 24/7. She had not been on oxygen at home. The doctor said she is in end-stage CHF. When I asked him about the effect of so much Demadex on her kidneys he said they had already started to fail. He said we were in for a grim winter. My question: from this small amount of info. can I get an estimate based on the changes in meds,etc. of how much longer I have with her? Weeks,months,days? I'm truly sorry for this but I find peopole are reluctant to tell you bad news face-to-face and I desperatly need to what is going on. Thank you very much for any info. you can give me.
My prayers are with you. You must, however, clearly communicate with the doctors and get their best answers. They may not have all the answers either. In any event, my thoughts and prayers are with you with many other freepers I'm sure.
Who knows? No one for sure. Cherish every moment - every day.
Prayers in your times of distress.
But, please do not ask strangers for medical help.
Talk to you local doctor face to face.
If you don't believe him/her, then find and talk to another one.
Information from virtual doctors on the internet is not to be believed.
Red "The Ph Mircle", by Dr. Robert Young.
Have you contacted Hospice? If a person has less than 6 months to live, they can be of great assistance, and often are able to assess health situations for the family.
No one knows how long your mother has. Here's an EXCELLENT website to give you info:
http://www.chfpatients.com/index.html
Best wishes, Mame
Red = read
"can I get an estimate based on the changes in meds,etc. of how much longer I have with her? Weeks,months,days?"
You must ask her Dr. in this direct manner.
Cherish the time you have.
There is no predicting. But in the case of something like CHF, it is very important to guard from infection. What often happens is the cold that we shrug off is too much for the person in this condition.
Wash hands, especially after a trip to the grocery store or such, and spray doorknobs, phones, etc with lysol.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
So sorry to hear about your Mom. I lost my Mom the same way. She refused to go to the hospital anymore and we contacted Hospice. They were wonderful and Mom got to spend her final four months at home with us, free of most medications, diet restrictions, needles, tubes, etc.. The doctors really don't know when the end will come.Try not to dwell on that but rather the gift of being with your mother. They told us Mom would not leave the hospital and she did and was a real trooper. If you can, drop everything and spend as much time with your Mother as possible. You will never regret it. My prayers are with you and your family.
I do. Luckily she lives with my husband & I so I get this time with her.
PRAYERS.
Compassion.
Am also praying my Alzheimer's mother graduates from this life ASAP. She can hardly tolerate the state she's in.
I noticed her feet were turning a darkish color...black even. I went to the head nurse and talked to her about it, thinking it was due to a couple of pressure sores grandmother had on her feet but the head nurse told me that it was due to her body shutting down and that her kidneys had not functioned for about 12 hours.
I asked the head nurse how long grandmother had, the head nurse said it could be at anytime but no more than a week. That grandmother was a strong woman.
The next morning I delayed going to the nursing home for about 30 minutes because I felt I'd interupted her breakfast the morning before. If I'd have gone at the time I'd originally planned that last day, I'd have been there when she passed on.
Kay, went thru some of this myself a couple of times. TALK to the Dr.'s !!! Demand more info ! Sometimes you cannot pin them down on an exact time but if you speak to them on a personal level, away from others, you may get a better estimate. The advice given recommending hospice care was good, solid advice. My father wanted to pass his last days at home and hospice made it possible for us to fulfill his wishes. I have just prayed for strength and wisdom to be given you and I will continue to lift you up.
There was a nurse from Home Health Care here yesterday and she said mom's 1- yr. old granddaughter had to wash her hands & wear a mask when she visited. She also said they had no flu vaccine and mom would have to go out to get one. Why is it Krogers gets flu vaccine but the medical community doesn't have any?
You have received excellent advice. Prayers for you and your Mom!
The granddaughter is 10 not 1. Typo.
If your doctor can't tell you bad news face-to-face, he doesn't deserve to be a doctor! You're the patient's family member and you deserve answers.
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