Anesthesia issues

[starente15]

My dad had "simple" outpatient procedure today and had to be admitted
Because he wasn't coming out of anesthesia. His CO2 levels were over four times
Normal. Has anyone ever experienced this after surgery
? He's on bipap now as the they wait for the levels to drop.

 

[Barbie]

yikes! hope things turn around quickly for him. do you have a pulmonologist? what was his CO2 levels? normal is 35-45mm/hg I think

 

[starente15]

139! He does not have a pulmo but they are bringing one in tomorrow.

 

[krnNdug]

I have to have a surgery to change the battery on my pain pump and have been told to have it done sooner that later. A friend who lost her husband to ALS in 2011 said her husband had to stay longer in the hospital because of low oxygen levels and he never got back to where he was before the surgery. Not sure about his CO2 levels. Don't want to be a downer but realistic.

 

[Barbie]

wow that sounds high! was he using the bipap before surgery? do you know what his wishes are concerning a vent? ya'll should discuss that.

I am no t a doctor or nurse, but I would assume that his lungs were not exchanging gases properly during surgery. I wonder if the anesthesiologist was familiar with ALS. I would ask if the bipap will be able to reverse the issue and bring him back to his baseline.

 

[starente15]

They used a bipap to reverse it. He will be getting one soon. My parents are avoiding the living will / advanced directive conversation which makes me extremely nervous. I have no idea what his wishes are.

 

[Barbie]

yep that is a hard one. You will probably just need to say that--as difficult as it is. the thing is, any of us could die at any time or be incapacitated in an accident or have a stroke. pussy footing around a living will is silly.

I made mine when my husband made his--because something could happen to me too. sit down with them and say to them hey, no one lives for ever--and now you are really facing death. lets all take care of this today and get it out of the way. do it for yourself also. all of you will feel relief that it is done.

 

[MaxEidswick]

>pussy footing around a living will is silly

yup, next on the list!

 

[GilWest]

They used a bipap to reverse it. He will be getting one soon. My parents are avoiding the living will / advanced directive conversation which makes me extremely nervous. I have no idea what his wishes are.

I can tell you from experience that advance directives can (and do) change when the time actually comes. Mom agreed to everything she was against in the beginning. They asked if she wanted to stay on the vent when it was obvious it was becoming necessary, and she said yes. So she is now at full code status.

 

[MaxEidswick]

>So she is now at full code status.

= locked in?

 

[GilWest]

>So she is now at full code status.

= locked in?

No, she can still nod for yes and shake for no. That is the extent of her communication. She pretty much refuses to use any CAD I have bought or made for her. I have gotten really good a phrasing questions to require a yes or no answer only.

 

[gooseberry]

Starente15, I started the conversation with I know you dont want to have this discussion and I know you dont want to think about dying. But I worry all the time about what it is you would want to happen if you end up in the hospital. I wan tto fulfill your wishes and I dont know what they are.Would you want to be on a ventilator with a trach? Would you want a feeding tube if you couldnt eat? Would you want to be revived if you had a heart attack?. My pals walked away. A few days later, I saw he had started a list of his decisions. Before his first clinic, I told him they would ask about a peg and vent. Gave him info and left it alone. At clinic he said yes to the peg, no to the vent. The day of the peg surgery, he laid out all of his wishes in great detail. We had done the legal piece in the days before. He neede dtime to process it and get to an okay place. It takes a good 6 months...