My Mum (69) has had Shingles for 2 months around her ribs, she was admitted to hospital last Saturday with suspected Covid-19 which wasn't but turned out to be Pneumonia.
She was in the High Dependency Ward initially but has now been moved to the Respiratory ward. Last Sunday my Dad was called and told that she may get moved to ICU but they drained her lung and this wasn't necessary. No visitors are allowed in the ward due to Covid-19 and she is very low so we call her regularly.
They took her off IV antibiotics and onto orals a couple of days ago but they told her today that she has congealed pockets of infection that they believe they will need to operate on via keyhole (VATS?). She is in the home counties and was told that the operation would be done at Guys Hospital. This panicked her as she associates London Hospital as being for high risk/highly complex surgeries but her town is in the catchment area for Guy's Thoracic department. It is my understanding that the operation is minimally invasive? She has been told that it will be 6-7 weeks for the operation. She was in floods of tears when I called her as she is so lonely in the hospital. Do you think they will keep her in hospital for all that time? Do you think she will be discharged with oxygen therapy at home if she is stabilised?
The nurses there are rush off their feet so we get this information from my Mum who gets confused or upset and doesn't always ask questions.
She is swabbed every few days for Covid-19 and I am worried sick that she will end up getting it in hospital. Will they keep her there for the whole 6 weeks? I would have thought that 6 weeks is far too long to wait for an operation like this. Is it likely to be because of pressures on respiratory services due to covid?
Surely they can't keep her in hospital for 6 weeks?
I'm just beside myself at the moment. Any advice appreciated.