I wrote recently about my Dad and was being told he is end stage COPD.
He has been in the hospital a pulmonary embolism for the last 8 days.
He was in rehab center for a month after he was walking too fast and tripped in mid February.
He was doing fine, walking around, eating nuts and food and still drinking his wine.
But since he was taken to rehab he fell apart.
Now that I am reviewing things, it appears that his current state has more to do with shoddy medical care than his COPD.
We believe he developed the Pulmonary Embolism because he wasn't being turned in bed.
He was rushed to emergency room at the current hospital he in.
They found a bleeding bed sore.
Besides the embolism, he was diagnosed with hospital acquired Pneumonia and MRSA.
He was in ICU for a few days.
Since then my Mother is intent on him going into hospice asap.
I don't feel the same, as I feel he isn't being given any time to heal.
Plus the very young Doctor in charge of his care seems clueless.
When I ask him specific questions about my Dad, he gives vague answers and sounds like a used car salesman or politician.
Here are some concerns that make me think my Dad is in a bad hospital that will be the death of him. (the hospital has bad reviews on Yelp and Google and this bothers me a lot)
After extubating my Dad that did not put him on a bipap right away.
Instead they gave him oxyygen and he was breathing on his own. His co2 levels went up very high.
Instead of keeping him on a feeding tube, they gave him clear liquid calories by mouth (some clear ensure and protein jello. High carb, mod protein, no fat)
After his breathing became ragged they finally put him back on the bipap, but only at night.
Dad's Doctor put him on a diet of clear liquids instead of keeping him on the feeding tube for the weirdest of reasons.
His Doc says he usually fasts people after being extubated, but gave my Dad the diet of clear liquids. What? Fasting COPD people for days?
No feeding tube when my Dad is very skinny?
So the Doctor doesn't seem to be offering care that makes sense for critically ill COPD patients.
Feeding them just a few hundreds calories today and only using bipap at night?
Plus my Da'd is still getting oxygen by cannula instead of a mask. So his co2 is not being controlled and it appears he is getting too much oxygen.
Additionally the nurses who work at the hospital have bad attitudes.
We observed as a nurse put dad's mask back on his fact upsidedown.
When we pointed out her error, she got defensive and made up some crazy excuse and was angry.
So I am very concerned that Dad is not getting optimum care.
We have plenty of money, but my Mother wants to just rely on medicare and seems to think hospice is the only answer.
But since my Dad is still being treated for his embolism (he needs to take meds to clear it up) and is in the middle of pneumonia, that it's a bad idea to just throw up our hands and move him to hospice. (My Mother doesn't want him at home for hospice)
I would love and appreciate some input on what's happening here.
1. Is it normal to fast COPD patients after being extubated?
2. Is it normal after extubation to just give oxygen and not a bipap to remove high co2 ?
3. Is it normal to give fat free clear liquid diet instead of a feeding tube?