I've been hovering around the forum today,wanting to ask your opinions and advice,hesitating and wondering how best to write or word what i need to say and ask..
My mum who I live with and care for full time,is in hospital with pneumonia and kidney damage,she was on iv fluids and antibiotics,but has been swapped over to tablets and normal/usual drinking,I think-due to her pulling the cannulas out.One of her arms and hands are swollen like oedema and I guess this may be due to the trauma of cannulas,along with the ongoing infection she has.
The doctors don't know where the infection is based,but she is and has suffered from uti,due to her being catheterised permenantly.
I know she is very ill,crying for her long dead mum,she is refusing food,which again I can understand to an extent as she's feeling so poorly,but she's too weak to pick a beaker of water up to sip,let alone manage to use cutlery to eat.
I had managed to get her to take a few sips of water and squash while I was there for five hours today,but hardly enough to make 80 mls at all.
Should I be discussing palliative care yet? It has been a week since she has eaten anything and is still taking a little fluid,let alone not enough to keep a fly alive!
I know the nursing staff can't be with her and encourage mum to drink,so what can I do? This is so hard to watch,like she is suffering or hanging on to life,I don't know.
I've come home and just sat and broke my heart,as I'm feeling so helpless.Thanks for letting me vent.
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My mum who I live with and care for full time,is in hospital with pneumonia and kidney damage,she was on iv fluids and antibiotics,but has been swapped over to tablets and normal/usual drinking,I think-due to her pulling the cannulas out.One of her arms and hands are swollen like oedema and I guess this may be due to the trauma of cannulas,along with the ongoing infection she has.
The doctors don't know where the infection is based,but she is and has suffered from uti,due to her being catheterised permenantly.
I know she is very ill,crying for her long dead mum,she is refusing food,which again I can understand to an extent as she's feeling so poorly,but she's too weak to pick a beaker of water up to sip,let alone manage to use cutlery to eat.
I had managed to get her to take a few sips of water and squash while I was there for five hours today,but hardly enough to make 80 mls at all.
Should I be discussing palliative care yet? It has been a week since she has eaten anything and is still taking a little fluid,let alone not enough to keep a fly alive!
I know the nursing staff can't be with her and encourage mum to drink,so what can I do? This is so hard to watch,like she is suffering or hanging on to life,I don't know.
I've come home and just sat and broke my heart,as I'm feeling so helpless.Thanks for letting me vent.
Sent from my iPhone using Talking Point