ARDS

[Cindy T]

Mom got sick on July 4, 2008. She was rushed to the emergency room by ambulance because she could not breathe. Her oxygen levels were at 40%. Once at the hospital, she was admitted to the intensive care unit and put on life support. She was diagnosed with ARDS. She was heavily sedated in the hopes she would relax and let her lungs heal. The doctors were running every test they could think of to try to find the underlying cause of the sickness. A blood transfusion was given to bring up her hemoglobin. Mom was getting better a little bit every day. They brought her out of sedation and she was able to communicate with us by writing on paper. At first it wasn’t legible but day by day her handwriting became clear. Each day her lung x-rays showed improvement. After about three weeks the life support was removed and she was breathing on her own! Mom was transferred to rehabilitation for ten days. She was doing great, walking with a walker, talking, eating and loving her family. The day she was going home we noticed she was easily getting out of breath, she said she felt fine. She was sent home with oxygen to use when needed. The following night, she was rushed back to the hospital because she was unable to breathe and spiked a fever.

At that time, she was put back on life support and ten days later a tracheotomy and feeding tube were put in. The doctor said her lungs were worse then the first time she was admitted. ARDS was full blown. They were still trying to find the underlying infection. They tried to paralyze her so her body would let the machines take over but each time they tried, she would start to go into cardiac arrest, so they stopped the paralysis medication. She was kept under deep sedation. They did a bronch scope where they went down the tracheotomy tube to withdraw mucus. When they did this procedure she again started to fail. It took an hour to get her sats under control. She was brought out of sedation and was getting a little better every day. A blood clot was found in her left leg. We convinced her to have a filter put in her groin to stop the blood clot from moving to her heart and lungs. Mom was transferred to another rehab facility but only for twelve hours until she was rushed back to the emergency room because of difficulty breathing. They told us she would probably never come off of life support because her lungs were so damaged.

A couple of weeks later, she was transferred to a long term acute care facility. She was doing well, off of the ventilator for short times and started rehabilitation, sitting in a chair and able to dangle her feet. She was beginning to drink water. At one point they put a valve on her tracheotomy and she was talking with her own voice! Two days later (ten days after being at this facility) she became unstable, could not breathe and was again rushed by ambulance back to the hospital.
This time, Moms doctors told us that it did not look good. Mom was back on full life support and was still struggling to breathe. Tests indicated she was taking air in but her lungs were so damaged that she was not able to release carbon dioxide. We were told by five doctors that her lungs were 85% permanently damaged and she would never come off of life support. The doctors and nurses were all talking to us about her quality of life and suggesting we remove the life support. We said she was just talking to us, how can we remove the life support?!!? She had been diagnosed with ARDS, COPD VRE, sepsis and bacterial pneumonia Her heart was enlarged and the doctors said that she had Pseudomonas and the antibiotics they were trying were not working. She was very swollen and her hands and fingers were turning blue. They still could not find the underlying cause.

That night, my sister and daughter stayed with her. They watched Mom suffer all night. For three days, we asked her what we should do. Mom just looked at us with tears in her eyes. We asked her something at one point and she shook her head yes. One time she mouthed “what”. But each time we asked her if we should remove the machines so she would stop suffering and she could go and be with God and grandma she just shed tears. She would not respond at any time when asked about removing the life support. Mom was a nurse for thirty years, I honestly believe she knew she was dieing but was too worried about us kids to tell us. We could not let mom suffer any longer.

Twenty minutes after removing her life support, with all of us surrounding her telling her we love her, she went home to be with God.

On September 28, 2008, Mom died at the young age of 70.

[Davy9]

Cindy,

I am sorry to hear about your moms plight. From what you write it does sound as though the correct measures were taken at each juncture in her care. ARDS can be a real bugger at any age. She is at peace now.

[ziggysmum]

im so sorry for your loss,and i do believe you did the right thing.
Im very fortunate as i survived ARDS this time exactly 2 years ago and put up a very hard battle for my life and never would i want to go through that again.
It sounds like your dear mum would have agreed with you had she been able to communicate...that she knew she probably wasnt going to make it.
I was in a close state and my mother brought our priest in and were told to make preparations...but i responded to the anti biotics and if your mum didnt well she wouldnt have i believe.
Once you get ARDS and like as bad as your mum had it...well i would have hoped my family had made the decision to let me go as well...she is at peace now...
ARDS is cruel and nasty...i suffer every day and to be honest with you...on numerous times asked my mum why she didnt just let me go as my memory is affected so bad because of the lack of oxygen for so long and in someone older than me recovery would(i believe) be very slim or the chance of getting ARDS again (yes one can get it again) and i dread that and have told my mum if i do get it...please let me go....
So GOD bless you...your mum is at peace and loves you

[Cindy T]

Thank you for your response. May I ask if they knew the underlying cause of your ARDS? If you would prefer to reply by email my email address is [moderator note: e-mail address has been removed]