Legionnaires disease in hospital caused my mums death.

[12345Kate]

I need some help here. My mum went into hospital due to she was a heavy drinker, she was only 45 and still would be she only passed away two weeks ago. But I can't stop thinking did she caught this in hospital???

My mother went into hospital and was getting lots of tests and scans and was in a general medical ward within the hospital for two weeks, to me she seem to be improving.

Then two weeks after being in hospital she developed a really bad so called chest infection at the time which just got worse fast, she was on a lot of antibiotics to help clear this, after a few days of going through this she was completely breathless and need to get oxygen regularly, it was a nightmare when I was visiting every night trying to flag down the nurse who were always really busy no where to be seen to tell them my mums turning blue due to coughing so much and required a temp oxygen mask.. She then got moved to a high dependence ward and was only there for a matter of hours then family got told she was getting sedated for the time being and moved to adult critical care where she was sedated for about a week or so, before being woke.

Within this time her kidneys failed and was on a kidney machine to support them. After being in this adult critical care ward for about two weeks ( total time in hospital 4 weeks ) they told us she has Leginella Anisa and is unknown where it was caught from. They did ask me a number of questions and did say they will investigate the general ward she was in for two weeks, and also investigate, my mums property , Think I told them she was staying at her mothers , my grans for 4 days prior going into hospital so they would obvious check there first, which they didn't check my grans and still haven't been to her property. I haven't heard one single thing about any of they results, which is shocking because what if it is in my grans house, isn't she at risk??

Things just got worse from there, she was in hospital for another 4/5 weeks fighting this on a constant ventilator & kidney machine, in and out of sedation. Sadly my mum passed away after fighting so long her body just got too tired and started giving up which lead the doctors to turning her machines off because they weren,t helping her anymore.

Multi Organ failure is what my mum died of, or did the leginella play a major part in me losing my mum?
Even if she didn't catch it within the hospital, they should of diagnosed this sooner than 4 weeks?

When she was in the general ward she wasn't on a catheter urine bag she was getting up and getting showered and going to the toilet on her own, so was her kidneys that bad to sudden fail, if they weren't monitoring them ?

[Yeasayer]

Firstly I'm so sorry for your loss .

I have no real advice or experience that I can help you with, only say have you contacted the PALS team at the hospital where your Mum was treated to voice your concerns? They should be able to look into the treatment your mum recieved and perhaps address your concerns regarding how and where your Mum contracted legionnaires.

I hope someone is able to give you more helpful advice. Xx