My best friend, recently died from COPD. There
is a question which is not letting me sleep at night. Let me explain the situation.
She was
diagnosed with COPD few years back and she quit smoking. She was 60
years old. She had been doing well but for past one year she would sleep
a lot and remained tired. In feb she fell ill and was found to have
severe pneumonia. She was put on ventilator but got off of it and was
doing better now. She was sent to a rehab where initially she was on 3
liters of oxygen which was reduced to 1 liter by the end. She was able
to walk only using a walker now. Though before this incident, she could
walk fine.
On 25th last month she was sent home from
rehab and the oxygen was removed as according to them it was no longer
required. She was supposed to call me right after reaching home but I
never got a call. After 4 hours I called 911 and she was found dead on
the floor.
She would have immediately called me after
reaching home, this means she passed out right after entering. Then I believe due
to lack of oxygen, she died.
My question
is- how long do you believe it might have taken her to die after passing
out?
Would the passing out have been quick or would she have struggled and tried to reach for phone etc. ?
I know there is no exact answer to this, but I wish to know if I
had called 911 sooner, would she still be living.
I also
wish to know that as per her doctors her COPD wasn't that advanced, and
that's why only 1 liter of oxygen was enough. And even that wasn't
required at times. So how could she die from lack on oxygen so quickly?
I would accept a harsh truth if it be. Kindly provide the answer which you believe is best based on your experience.
I would be really thankful to you if you could answer.