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Rod's Update


Staciecee

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I feel guilty for posting today, in lieu of Sandy's loss. I have to get my thoughts out to some faceless stranger that might be able to validate my feelings and thoughts.

I am so very hurt and angry that not only did pneumonia intrude upon our lives but cancer thought that it was a party and decided to join as well. As of my post on Friday, Rod as doing so/so. As the weekend progressed, I really thought we were making headway here, at least as far as the vent was concerned. He was down to 40% assistance from the machine, the machine was giving him 10 breaths per minute and he was taking the rest. We were able to get physical therapy in on Saturday to teach his mom and I how to move him so that he could get a little exercise and things seemed to be going great. The dr. stopped in and was very hopeful about removing the vent somewhere in the neighborhood of Tuesday. Imagine my surprise on Sunday when I show up at the hospital after being in church all morning, to find that my loved one was breathing on his own from a mask!!!!! Oh happy day!! Until.....

One thing led to another and he wasn't doing so well on his own with a mask of forced oxygen. The flow of the oxygen would be like that of a dog sticking it's head out of a moving vehicle going 40+ mph. Anyway, it was uncomfortable and causing Rod to have panic attacks and becoming claustraphobic. He lasted, thankfully, until 11:30pm last night when they chose to intubate as his sat level plummeted. Now, Monday, they are talking about a tracheotomy, temporary, or so they say and I'm wondering if things just haven't gone from bad to worse. They will be able to test his blood later in the week to find out if the chemo is working and I'm praying that it is and praying that if this trache comes to fruitition, that it will actually only be temporary.

I feel so helpless and I wish, more than anything, that I could crawl into his head and help him get through this. Answer questions that I know that he must have and give him reassurance where it would help the most instead of having to guess and hope that I hit something.

I hate this!!! One minute I feel like running as far away as possible and the next minute I'm holding on to his hand so tightly as if he were going to float away.

ARGGGGG!

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Stacicee

I know how you feel, dont try to look to far ahead, take one day at a time, and enjoy. My husband also receive a trach they did it on sunday but he was to far gone by then i wish we had the trach last week, it is more comforable you dont have a tube in your mouth. Try to relax you dont now what will happen only God knows, Just try to enjoy the time you have together.

Sandy

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Hello,

I have been a lurker for a while. I would just like to share with you my Mom's experience with the vent and trache. She had open-heart surgery in June and was on the vent for 2 weeks. She just did not seem to want to be weaned off it. She would get panic attacks, shortness of breaths, etc. The doctors talked us into putting on a trache on her. They said that this might be better because she would be more mobile and can communicate more with us and also it would lessen the possibility of infections. My sister who is a nurse agreed with them. She also said it is easier to wean a person from the trache than from the vent. My Mom was on the trache for 2 weeks more, but when she started getting ready to be weaned off it, she went by leaps and bounds. One day she was off the trache for 2 hours (huffing and puffing) and then the next day, 12 hours. There were some setbacks but one day she just stayed off the trache for 24 hours and was never on it ever again. She was sent home a couple of days after that. It seems like the person just needs

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Stacie,

My husband was first dx with LC because he had seizures due to a tumor hat had met to his brain. By the time he got to the ER they had to do an emergency trach and put him on a vent.

They weaning him off the vent in about 5/6 days, but he stayed on the trach for probably 5/6 weeks. He came home from the hospital with it. At that point it was capped and we just had to put him on a humidifier at night. They said they kept him on the trach for so long because he had a paralyzed vocal chord.

Now, all is great. Other than that little scar (which now goes along with his appendix, gall bladder, brain surgery and chest surgery scars) he is fine.

The trach allowed my honey to be comfortable, to breath easily. In the long run it was no big deal.

You are right, it is a very confusing time. I felt totally out of control. All I wanted was for my sweetheart to be comfortable and GET BETTER. We are optimistic that will happen but right now we take one day at a time and do whatever is needed to move forward.

Take care, try to relax - that will come through to your honey.

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