Good Morning
I am a caregiver for my 74yr old mother. She has COPD and stage 3A lung cancer. The COPD is the bigger monster right now.
She was receiving chemo and developed a bad cough. It was rather glazed over at the oncologists and they simply gave her cough medicine..it turned into pneumonia. She was hospitalized for two weeks then into a horrible rehab that should not even be in business. I checked her out after 2.5 weeks and she is at her appartment now with home healthcare beginning and in home rehab starting this week.
Her big O2 concentrator at home is set on 3. Her resting O2 level is between 88 and 94. As soon as she gets up with her walker to do anything(very small apartment) her O2 will drop to the low 70’s and even 69 yesterday, heart rate about 105. Her O2 rebounds within 5 minutes of sitting. We cannot seem to get any education on how to manage. They just tell us if we raise her oxygen level it will hurt her body with COPD.
I am so scared for her. I cry constantly. I visit her twice a day and tend to everything she needs.
She has an appointment with her oncologist Monday and a pulmonologist on the 4th of December.
She uses Breo once a day and albuterol as a rescue inhaler. She does have a nebulizer, but needs a new one so hasn’t used one since the hospital.
Can anyone give me some guidance in the meantime or some positive words? Her dr immediately started talking about end of life and hospice and my mother isn’t there yet and it does more damage to our psyche than it helps.
Thank you very much.