I dont even know where to start... my mom has eng stage COPD.... she is constantly in and out of hospital...... Her last discharge papers said she had 24% lung function, but she had an appt with her lung specialist a week ago and her last breathing test was 15%!!!!
She was discharged from the hospital just over a week ago with hydropmorphone to help with her breathing... a long prescripton of prednisone..... then her lung specialist suggested taking something called NAC, and gave her a saline nebulizer to try and get the crap out of her lungs. Shes apparently getting a CPAP or BIPAP machine as her carbon dioxide levels are really high.... shes been doing fairly well this last week....... and she told me this morning she was going to go back in to emergency cause her breathing wasnt great and her legs are all swollen........... its normal to have swollen ankles the last few years... but legs now? She had two week long hospital stays last month and they did monitor her heart....
I am freaking out... I am an extreme worrier... I am sick to my stomach every day over my mother.... I am not ready for her to go.... obviously I hate that she is gasping for breath all the time.... but she is my mom... we need her....
She doesnt do any sort of pulmonary rehab.. I believe it was just suggested at her appt on Monday... she doesnt go anywhere or do anyting.... and she is still smoking.... it kills me.. I give her crap about it all the time.... she has roughly 2 cigarettes a day, and says she wont quit.....
She just checked in to emergency, and she says last night a pain in her lung started, and its still there..... I hate this! I am so glad I never started smoking, and my children better not ever let me see them smoking either!