Hi all,
My 84 year old father has COPD and CHF. He ended up in the ER this morning because he was extremely short of breath. They were able to get his breathing under control, and also found his CO2 levels were elevated, which they also took care of. He’s back home now, resting.
The ER doctor did not see a correlation between high CO2 levels and his being sob. For the second time in a year I was planning 3 days off in a row from caregiving starting today. I found someone to cover for me who he knows and trusts, but I think he got stressed worrying about me not being here - any change in routine is tough. With COPD, it seems anxiety is very common. I know he feels bad that he had to “ruin” my days off.
My question is whether any of you have found stress to cause an exacerbation? I’m pretty sure that’s what caused this episode, but it’d be good to get your input. Also, have any of you found that CO2 retention caused any sob issues?
Thanks for sharing any thoughts you might have!