Fluid retention and shortness of breath - 999?

[worriedgranddaughter]

Grandmother, 81, up at her house and she’s got severe oedema - can’t fit her trousers on properly, cant fit her shoes - and shortness of breath on movement - visibly SOB i.e. gasping at times when she moves . Hx of heart disease, medicated for hypertension - family hx of coronary disease . She’s determined I’m being dramatic .

I’m sitting on hold to NHS for 45 minutes but I think this needs a 999, what would you do?

I would. It sounds as if she is in heart failure and that can progress very fast.

No open access to A&E for non emergencies or I’d be taking her there - she’s determined I’m making a fuss about nothing .

Hang up & call 999.

Yes that’s what I thought - congestive heart failure .

Is she on diuretics ( water tablets)? Has she been taking them/ run out?

Yeah, this is an emergency... 999

Something like furosamide or bendrofluazide? It only takes a couple of missed tablets to get into trouble.

Keep her sitting up, slightly forward, leaning over table arms apart to expand her chest. Legs down, even though they are swollen, you want the fluid away from her lungs.
The paramedics can probably give her an injection, but she needs hispital trwatment.

She’s not on diuretics no, just ramipril for BP and nitroglycerin for angina . And a statin I think . Have dialled 999 and waiting on a paramedic ringing me back . Not sure she’s happy at all but she’s ill - and needs seen today, I can’t go home and leave her - my granda died of heart failure three years ago because they ignored his .

Thank you - this is helping - reassuring that I’m not overreacting .!

Definitely not overreacting. You are saving her life. Hang in there

Thank you - still waiting on call back . Frustrated as closest relative is away for weekend, and other relative is 400 miles away . Don’t know when to call them .

Yes , she needs oxygen so an ambulance is what you need.
Pack an overnight bag while you’re waiting .

She’s in hospital now ... am sitting on sofa totally shocked . Work training kicked in but bloody hell . She wouldn’t have survived the night, I can’t get that thought of my head .

Well done! I hope she feels better soon.

You did really well OP. You called the ambulance, you got her to hospital. You did everything right. Have something to eat and drink then rest. Maybe now is the time to update family.

@endofthelinefinally

You did really well OP. You called the ambulance, you got her to hospital. You did everything right. Have something to eat and drink then rest. Maybe now is the time to update family.

Thank you, I’ve rung through everyone thankfully . Managed to eat a bit and hopefully get some news soon . If it wasn’t for you guys telling me I’d have sat on 111 - I was worried I was exaggerating!!

hope she's back home soon

Hope she’s ok op must’ve been quite traumatic

I can’t get over it; I’ve had severe mental health problems and anxiety for a couple of years; my self esteem has been at absolute rock bottom for ages .

I woke up about an hour ago and just lying here thinking fucking hell, I did all that, I knew what I was doing to a large extent, I told the paramedic what I thought it was (from previous work) and I was right and she’s safe. If I hadn’t called them when I did ... up until they left I kept thinking I’ve caused problems here and in reality if I hadn’t made a fuss ... it doesn’t bear thinking about .

Am absolutely shattered and thinking through next few days is tiring too so hopefully I get some more sleep .

Hope you can rest a bit. You did brilliantly.

You did the best thing for her.
She's in the best place for her condition.
Give yourself some credit. Try your best by banishing the negative thoughts by putting them in the box. I sometimes do this when I get home from a hard shift.
Visualise putting the thoughts away and congratulate yourself on doing the best you could in a tricky situation.

How's your Gran doing today @worriedgranddaughter?

How’s your gran, and how are you?

If it helps any my Mum had similar a few years ago.
She spent a week in hospital whist they put her on a furusimide drip and drain fluid from her lungs. Scans showed she had heart failure and she came home on oxygen. She managed to come off the oxygen after a few months and is still doing well. She is on various medications and the heart failure is well managed.