lilblueheron
New member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2013
- Messages
- 4
- Reason
- Loved one DX
- Diagnosis
- 05/2012
- Country
- US
- State
- IL
- City
- Naperville
My sweet brother is in the hospital with pneumonia after aspirating on his own saliva last night. He did not want visitors tonight, but my thoughts are with him. I pray that he is not in pain or distress, but I don't know. I hope to see him tomorrow.
Much has changed in the past month. Aspirating occasionally led to use of the feeding tube; now he is almost 100% on the feeding tube. He has been using bi-pap and DP for about 6 months, as well as other respiratory therapies such as cough-assist (there are a couple others but I can't remember their names right now). Now he aspirates often and is short of breath more and more.
I am so scared about many things. Primarily, I'm scared that he is suffering. I can see it in his face when he's in distress, and it's heart-breaking. Secondly, I'm scared about aspirating on his own saliva. Is there anything non-invasive (non surgical) that can be done to prevent that from happening? Finally I'm scared for his wife, his grown children, and our parents. It's so hard to witness this in my sibling; I cannot even imagine what they must be going through.
We are all stunned by the rapid progression of this disease, especially in the past month. I don't know if he is in the last stage of ALS or not. I hope this slows down a bit. Selfishly, I want more time with him; but I don't want him to keep on suffering. Not sure what to pray for, but I hope god is with him to ease any pain.
I really hate ALS.
Much has changed in the past month. Aspirating occasionally led to use of the feeding tube; now he is almost 100% on the feeding tube. He has been using bi-pap and DP for about 6 months, as well as other respiratory therapies such as cough-assist (there are a couple others but I can't remember their names right now). Now he aspirates often and is short of breath more and more.
I am so scared about many things. Primarily, I'm scared that he is suffering. I can see it in his face when he's in distress, and it's heart-breaking. Secondly, I'm scared about aspirating on his own saliva. Is there anything non-invasive (non surgical) that can be done to prevent that from happening? Finally I'm scared for his wife, his grown children, and our parents. It's so hard to witness this in my sibling; I cannot even imagine what they must be going through.
We are all stunned by the rapid progression of this disease, especially in the past month. I don't know if he is in the last stage of ALS or not. I hope this slows down a bit. Selfishly, I want more time with him; but I don't want him to keep on suffering. Not sure what to pray for, but I hope god is with him to ease any pain.
I really hate ALS.
