I honestly can’t believe the healthcare system. I won’t elaborate anymore. Read my story for background. It’s just incredible how they will literally keep doing heroic measures when there is absolutely no way mom can survive long term what has happened to her. Why doesn’t some doctor step up and try to help them understand what her likely prognosis is? My mom continues to allow it because she doesn’t know what else to do and brother doesn’t have the guts to have the ‘talk’ with her as her POA.
In my book these heroic measures at this point are no more than methods of torture. No she is not under hospice care.
On the other hand, could it make her more comfortable for the short term? I’m open. Help me understand.
As already said, a specific type of wound called a Kennedy ulcer happens during end of life . My MIL had one . She lived another 2 weeks .
This post was a few days back. With everything you say in this post, I am very surprised Hospice (hospitals usually call it comfortcare) has not been recommended. Those sores could be Kennedy ulcers "a specific type of skin wound that develops during the final stages of life ". I would ask a Nurse if this is what her sores are. If yes, then why has Hospice not been suggested by one of the doctors treating her? No matter what they do now, its only going to prolong the inevitable.
I read Mom revoked your POA and now brother has it. Its not what you want or what brother wants, its what Mom wants. If she is competent to make her own decisions, then what are they? Does she want to take every measure to stay alive? Still wants to be poked and prodded. Then that's her decision and the doctors will continue to give her options if thats what she wants.
I know at 75 I would not want to be. And being the primary caregiver to my 89 year old mother, I knew she didn't want to be. She had Dementia and cried out when they did her blood pressure. Didn't like to be touched. Hated the male nurses so I requested female only.
Wag, my mom didn't go on hospice for another 3 years after that, because while she was eligible, my brother didn't think it was a good idea for reasons that still elude me.
If the lung taps bring your mom relief, that's good.
Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of options as far as getting info because of the family situation and it’s really causing me anxiety (obviously a side note). I have the hospital system portal to see Dr notes etc but I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to see that. (Once she goes to rehab, if she makes it there, things will go dark.) They are also always there standing vigil and the tension is palpable when I go visit her so I try to just act happy to see mom (and I am happy to see her even though truth be told I’d really rather be anywhere else). So I can never be there when the Dr comes. This is the first hospitalization where I’ve been unable to have any involvement in her care at all. It’s hard.
Another sad thing according to the portal is now they’ve called in wound care for skin issues. Not surprising being she is bedridden. Again, I truly believe not having hospice involved is a sad mistake for her, and all of us, as the issues keep mounting.
It's quick, relatively painless due to the numbing agent, and brings a near immediate relief so O2 levels bounced back into the upper 90s with supplemental O2 on the 1 setting. Many times it was performed on my mom in her hospital room so she didn't need to be moved. Mom reported it was much easier to breath, and she felt better.
At least that was my mom's experience. Your mileage may vary of course.
Still, This is a routine procedure. I know you've been through a lot with your mom, that she is frail and has a number of issues, and you are under a great deal of family turmoil. However, no health care professional would say a thoracentesis is a heroic measure.
Ask somebody from the interventional radiology team how many times the doc has performed the procedure. They will probably say greater than 10,000 over their career. Again, this is my experience. But I think if you talk with them, it will ease your mind.
That being said it can make her breathing more comfortable as in less shortness of breath . There is also a risk of pneumothorax ( collapsed lung ). But I agree with Alva that the doctor could better answer if this is just prolonging her life . My neighbor recently died due to lung cancer ( never smoked btw) . She had thoracentesis multiple times the last 10 days of her life because her husband could not let go .
I have also assisted doctors countless times for this procedure . It is not relatively painless . The numbing agent does little . And some doctors have better aim with the numbing agent than others and seem to be better at making it less painful .
What I think about a pleural effusion is its very difficult to breathe normally when you have one! Fluid becomes trapped between the lung and the chest cavity wall. A needle is inserted with local anesthetic between the ribs to remove that fluid and ease breathing. It's not a big deal, but a comfort measure. My DH had one in 2021 and went from terrible shortness of breath to normal breathing.