Why no recent updates of poor Borris?

[whodunit3]

Just that really, I have been checking the news almost hourly over the last few days and up until yesterday morning/lunchtime we were getting quite a detailed review of how he was doing but this seems to have stopped.

I’m worried after Dominic Raabs flippant “he’s a fighter comment” that things are now much worse.

I’m not sure why I’m so invested in his well-being other than I spent the last month tuning in to watch his daily briefs and (while I don’t think he is a great politician) quite liked his “can do” mentality.

Do people think he is on the mend and will pull through?

[SockQueen]

Sorry if that was abrupt, it's just that I do know quite a lot about ICU, and the amount of speculation and wild misinformation is crazy! I have no idea what's going on with Boris, so I don't try to guess, but I can't imagine any possible reason he might need an epidural.

[vera99]

@SockQueen Thanks for your knowledgeable update.

[SockQueen]

@vera99 that "nurse" doesn't sound like s/he knows much about ICU. Central lines don't go into arteries (arterial lines do; central lines go into the large veins in neck/groin), and why on earth would he have surgical drains or a "spinal epidural" (they are two separate things)?

[MockersxxxxxxxSocialDistancing]

I expect he's disappointed with the reality of nursing uniforms in 2020. Was hoping for Barbara Windsor wiggling in black stockings and suspenders. Fwaaaaar!

[Ibloodylovewomen]

I'm sure the staff are all enjoying 'engaging' with him after his actions which show a wreckless contempt for their lives.

[YangShanPo]

The reason I'm interested is partly because I hope he gets well and partly because I think how he recovers will have an impact on the government at an important time.

[YangShanPo]

They just announced he is still in icu but improving, sitting up in bed and engaging with staff.

[Frownette]

He's sitting up, apparently (newsfeed)

[mrbob]

Why on earth do you need to know? He is just one person who is not related to you. What difference will knowing make?

[CrystalAlligator]

And to people desperate for frequent updates: my god. Get over yourselves. I’m no fan of the guy but he’s entitled to his medical privacy like anyone else. I swear some people want to know every time he passes wind. This is someone’s life, the situation will be changing hour by hour, do you really expect them to either provide false hope by saying it’s been a slight improvement or cause panic and worry by mentioning every turn for the worst? If you’re having difficult managing your worry and anxiety about another person you’ve never met’s medical situation you genuinely need psychological input to learn better coping strategies. That’s not sarcastic.

[CrystalAlligator]

HappyHammy I’m glad you said that.

Sooo much is made on MN of the concept of next of kin in a hospital setting when it’s pretty meaningless. By people who clearly have never actually been in a relevant situation to understand how these decisions are made, but enjoy using it as a stick to beat unmarried partners with: ‘you won’t even be allowed in the room! They won’t ask you what you want! You can’t make medical decisions for them!’. It’s irritating.

I speak as someone who’s been sort of on both sides. When my mother was dying the doctors were fab and made it very clear that they were asking our opinion regarding whether to keep trying or whether to stop, but that it was only to take our thoughts into account: the decision would be taken by them with my mother’s best interests at heart. We could not demand treatment that wouldn’t help or refuse treatment that would save her life. You just don’t have that authority. They took the opinion of me, my older brother and her unmarried partner into account equally. I guess some people while grieving if they have doctors with poor communication skills might translate that to ‘I decided to switch off life support’ but that’s not how it works, they won’t put someone through suffering if it isn’t likely to help.

And on the flip side, DH being a doctor, they have these situations arise every day. They don’t ask for marriage certificates before taking on a relative’s opinion ffs. And they make it clear the relative doesn’t have the final say, they do, in the patient’s best interests. It’s a complex discussion and of course they might try a little longer if a family are desperate to if there’s a tiny chance of success and no suffering but if it’s hopeless the family can beg and plead all they like, it’s heartbreaking but they can’t put a patient through more suffering just to appease grieving relatives.

It’s done to death on MN and people rarely have the foggiest. So misleading.

[vera99]

From a nurse on another forum.

They said earliier in the week he’s on 40l free flow oxygen. He’s probably got ECG sensors and an oxygen/blood level monitor. And feeling proper poorly.
In my experience in ICU you also have a couple of central lines direct into your arteries, surgical drains, two cannulas, a catheter and a spinal epidural. As well as the inability to lift your chin off your chest. So being stable in an ICU means he’s okay under the circumstances.

[vera99]

If he is indeed conscious he will be seeing and hearing things that no-one could be prepared for, they wish they had never experienced and will no doubt never forget.

[Frownette]

We'll see, we're just going to have to be patient with a lot of this like lockdown etc.

I'd like more updating on PPE for staff and testing/where they're getting the equipment from.

[SybilWrites]

I think they're underplaying it. I saw a tweet that said if Johnson doesn't need oxygen, is in good spirits and is awake and alert (as I believe has been reported), why is he using up an ICU bed?

He wouldn't be in there if he didn't need it.

As someone says, we'll only find out if he leaves ICU or if he dies. I'm guessing like everyone else who is admitted to ICU, he has around a 50/50 chance of survival.

[NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite]

MayDayHelp

They’ve downplayed the whole thing all along.
He was claiming only to have a cough when he looked like a bag of shite, then the next day he was admitted to hospital ‘for routine tests’ - on a Sunday night?
You clearly don't understand the nature of this virus. There is nothing to suggest anyone downplayed this. He could have just had a persistent cough. Yes, he did look bad but maybe his cough was disrupting his sleep and he was very tired as a result. He is not an unintelligent man. If he was feeling very breathless I'm sure he wouldn't be stupid enough to ignore it.

If you look on the Lungs thread you will see that on certain days (8-9 for one) there can be a sudden deterioration and this could easily have been the case with Boris on the Sunday he went into hospital.

Some of the tests show oxygen levels in the blood falling when the patient is not necessarily experiencing breathlessness. So he could have had low oxygen without feeling breathless. It was actually his doctor, who hadn't seen him since the Wednesday, that noticed the signs of deterioration.

Obviously the Govt don't want to unnecessarily instil us with fear and worry but there is no reason whatsoever to think we have been lied to.

[ArkAtEee]

Well, it's cheery news for once...

[MarieQueenofScots]

I was wondering why on earth you posted a link to pandas shagging

Well because we’re in the middle of a global pandamic of course....

[BlackCatSleeping]

I was wondering why on earth you posted a link to pandas shagging. It made me laugh anyway!!

[ArkAtEee]

Now I realize someone has already posted it anyway, RTFT

[Frownette]

@UYScuti I think he was trying to pretend it wasn't happening and everything was fine

[ArkAtEee]

Oops, that was the pandas!

Correct:
mobile.twitter.com/TimesPictures/status/1247627467822596096

[ArkAtEee]

If you zoom in on this you can read it.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-52204078

[ArkAtEee]

The Times reported this morning that his temperature has come down. I don't have a link, but it was on the front page.

[UYScuti]

In hindsight he was so obviously ill prior to his hospital admission and it seems terrible that his condition wasn't taken more seriously😔