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Lscott71

Active member
Joined
Aug 22, 2017
Messages
57
Reason
CALS
Diagnosis
05/2017
Country
US
State
Texas
City
Fort Worth
My PALS aspirated his yogurt a few days ago. This is our first trip to the ER because of this. They are doing breathing treatments and suction every four hours. Doing IV antibiotics. SATS staying around 90 until last night when he wouldn’t use his bipap and he was in the 80’s. My daughter came in this morning and they had put him on oxygen. She made them take it off.

My PALS has dementia also and is DNR status. He will be going to a skilled nursing facility tomorrow when they release him. Is there anything I need to know or ask or do?

My daughter is afraid he won’t pull out of this. I’m not sure what this will do regarding his progression with his breathing ability.
 
I am sorry to hear about the aspiration. Have he/you opted out of a feeding tube? Why specifically is he going to a SNF? Do you feel unable to care for him at home?

Short-term oxygen to get through an active infection could be helpful; is there evidence of pneumonia?

As you know, at the end of life, oxygen may be used for comfort.

It sounds like you may want to take stock of your goals -- quality, quantity of life -- what defines quality and how you think your PALS would want to trade them off -- at this point given this episode.

Before you leave the hospital, you may want to ask for an ethics/palliative care consultation. A third party who is trained in these kinds of issues may help you clarify your own questions and answers and has access to the medical record to understand where he stands medically.

Best,
Laurie
 
Yes, his needs are beyond what I can take care of at home now with the dementia.

We did consult with a palliative care person and the doctors at the SNF will meet with me to decide on Comfort care.

It’s just so sad to see him coughing and hearing all the phlegm rattling in his chest. They’re treating him as if he had pneumonia, but I don’t think he actually has it specifically.

He has a PEG tube, but we were doing some pleasure eating. Yogurt was one of our so called safer foods.
 
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