Relative in ICU with heat stroke and is not going to make it

[SmokeyMountainRain]

Posting for traffic. Has anybody been through this? Close relative, relatively young 50s), was found incoherent last Wednesday. Rushed to hospital straight to ICU as she'd fallen into a coma. They've kept her asleep, tried to wake her twice and she cannot breath on her own whatsoever. They've ran repeated scans which show due to the heat stroke damage the part of her brain that tells her to breath is severely damaged. They've pretty much said she's incompatible with life now and we will have to turn the machines off this week unless by some miracle she wakes up. Her core temp was 41 degrees for 4 days, she's now at 40. Not responded to any medication, antibiotics etc.

She wasn't even doing anything strenuous. Just in her flat watching telly. Has anyone been through this? Does anyone have any advice? I don't even know what to think and feel it just seems so so cruel. No brain bleeds or blockages on the scan. Substantial brain swelling and damage.

posting for traffic as can't see any similar threads

Any advice or miracle stories please send them my way. Thank you x

The COPD won’t have caused the heatstroke but it will have made her more susceptible to it.

This is the thing with underlying health conditions, people don’t always know they have them until it’s too late.

During COVID for instance there were reports of perfectly healthy people who had died from COVID, including one who was a 13 year old boy, which turned out had an underlying heart condition he didn’t know he had.

Anyone can get heatstroke, but one’s susseptability to it does change depending on your actual health at the time.

So although she believed she was healthy, she wasn’t, so it’s not the same as saying a perfectly healthy 50 something year old woman just collapsed from heatstroke so it could happen to anyone, it’s more the case that no-one knows they don’t have an underlying health condition, sometimes until something like this happens to them.

The current state of her health is because of the heatstroke, but the heatstroke may not have happened if she didn’t have the underlying health conditions that she does.

The undiagnosed underlying heart condition I had meant I was more likely to suffer significant consequences if I caught the flu. But when I caught the flu I didn’t know that. The flu damaged my heart valve and caused sepsis, but had I not had an underlying heart condition this likely wouldn’t have happened.

None of that is a criticism, and the tragedy of anyone dying from a serious condition is not reduced. But there were clearly contributing factors which, while they don’t need to be considered after the event because what’s happened has happened, but they do need to be considered when you’re putting out a message essentially saying we could any one of us just collapse in front of the television and have heatstroke with no other conditions. That’s just not accurate.

I’m so sorry for everything that you’re going through. It must be such a shock for you

Let's be clear about one thing, the op wasn't "putting out a message essentially saying we could any one of us just collapse in front of the television", she was posting for support when a beloved relative is dying horribly.

As I said before, this is not a public service announcement. If you want to go down the messaging route, create a different thread. This is not the place.

I am so sorry @SmokeyMountainRain I'll be thinking of you, your family and your aunt 💐

Please stop. This is so unacceptable

OP isn’t putting out a message of any kind. She posted for support, and unfortunately posters like you are insisting on using her thread as a platform for your own narrative, despite her asking for it to stop. She has now left the thread because of posts like yours - they’re not helpful and they’ve actively caused her distress. Another OP chased off her own thread by insensitive posters determined to have their say no matter what.

Still praying for your miracle, but if it doesn’t unfortunately come I hope you all support each other and get through ok.

Oh strange,this thread was taken down last night and now it's back.

I wonder why

Because i dont want this to happen to anyone else. Its tragic and its FUCKING PREVENTABLE

Riddle me this. Loads of threads about school kids on here getting heat stroke in classrooms but i havent seen posters scrabbling around making excuses on those threads insisting that those kids must have had underlying health conditions and nor have i seen posts saying that its not the fault of the buildings. In fact ive seen completely the opposite

Yet when it involves overheating social housing its a complete about turn vice versa. So another one to add to the MN hypocrisy list

This is not the thread to discuss that. Start your own thread if you must.

OP, I hope everything is going as well as it can given the situation and your aunt is being kept comfortable.

This is inappropriate, I understand you maybe struggling but please start your own thread and stop hijacking this one

There isn’t anything to suggest that the SH flat OP’s relative was in, was responsible for her overheating. At all. You’re posting words like ‘tragic’ and ‘preventable’. How the fuck do you think that makes OP feel ? Get off it. If you can’t be supportive stop posting, and if you feel as though you have something to say on this subject, start your own thread. In these circumstances this is neither the time nor the place for this discussion.

Jesus wept i meant tragic and preventable in the same way its tragic and preventable in schools it should be tragic and preventable in housing. I wasnt blaming the OPs relative at all.

Incidentally i went back through this thread and none of my "inappropriate" posts have been deleted. Unlike others.

@JenniferBooth your comments havent been deleted but your behaviour is nevertheless very inappropriate. Start your own thread.

Smokeymountainrain has posted here for support from MNetters for the situation she/her relative is in, not for you to rant and argue your own agenda.

I didn't think pedant was a term of abuse, but hey ho

Start a thread about awful conditions in social housing. I will contribute as I have come across a lot of unacceptable situations in my professional career. But please don’t do that here. It’s as insensitive as hell.

@JenniferBoothYou seem unable to read the room.

No it is not.
The poster just explaining something that is relevant. It doesnt retract from the awful situation OP is in.

Of course it does. Several posters have insisted that they know better than the consultants advising OP and she’s found it distressing as a result. But still some posters are determined to have the last word and use OP’s thread as some sort of platform.

Sorry,I havent noticed people thinking they know more than doctors. People are being very sympathetic as far as I have noticed. I just hope her relative does recover..
While there is life,there is hope .

This post was not saying they know more than the doctors, but it was useful context, particularly for anyone anxious reading the thread.
op, I’m sorry you and your family have gone through this.

For anyone who is anxious reading the thread, they can exercise some basic research skills and Google heat stroke - or even ask chatgpt. This is not the place for "context" about heat stroke.

Or they can start their own thread.

I cannot believe the number of pig-headed insensitive posters on this thread, who insist on using it for their own agenda. Or the number of those so determined to say their piece, they ignore the many replies already addressing these things.

Hi everyone.

My lovely auntie passed away yesterday morning, it was as peaceful as can be and she was in no pain.

It has been such a shock for the whole family. But we're all sticking together she muddling through.
Please be careful in the up and coming heat, make sure to stay cool x