Diabetes and Sepsis

[Tigerbomb]

I wrote about my vulnerable exDH back in April as I was trying to get help from Social services - he has uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes
Thankfully I managed to get him 2 carers for 30 mins each day but tbh he hasn't had any other real help either from the social or medically
Friday morning he was found collapsed on the floor and comatose. The hospital said he had septicemia, probably from the gangrene that was found in his toes
He is currently in intensive care with a diagnosis of Sepsis and his chances are as low as 30%. In fact yesterday he wasnt responding to treatment at all and the consultant was telling us that we were probably going to have to make a decision to turn off his life support. Thank god he finally showed an improvement in his blood pressure only 30 mins before the deadline
We have already been told that if he goes into cardiac arrest that they will not resuscitate him and he can't go on dialysis (his kidneys aren't working properly) as this will almost definitely make him go into cardiac arrest.

Please can anyone tell me if they know if this is still possible to survive or am i just clinging onto false hope. I am out of mind with worry and obviously our adult children are besides themselves. He's only bloody 46, it all seems so unfair.

Not the same reasons for it, but DD#3 has just recovered from serious septicaemia that landed her in intensive care. No diabetes complications however, but she did go into acute renal failure and had problems with her right foot as a results of the illness (not the cause) and recently had part of her foot amputated sadly.

We were terrified we would lose her but the things modern medicine can do are truely amazing and thankfully despite the odds being stacked against DD she pulled through. Like your ExDH our DD had serious blood pressure issues and required pretty much all the support they were able to give - there was not a lot else they could do if she didn't respond herself too. Once the BP started to improve she gradually day by day did a little better and they could gradually start to withdraw the supporting drugs. She did have dialysis but only after about 8 days and in her case via her abdomen, not the blood dialysis that they considered doing earlier at one point. Her kidneys improved themselves after a few days of dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis is a bit kinder I think in the way it is done, but the hospital know best what he needs/can cope with too.

Sorry to hear that you are all facing this scarey scenario. I have every sympathy for what you are all going through. There is hope, keep strong. Know he is in the best place and they will do the best they can for him.

My father died from this at the age of 71 and it was horrendous. When he eventually passed away he had been through so much we were grateful he could finally be at peace. He had a leg amputated which bought him two years before the other leg started to go, they wanted to amputate that one but he didn't and allowed the infection to spread and the sepsis to finally kill him. It is a bloody awful way to go, diabetes/sepsis is cruel and unforgiving and I can't believe how few people really understand the full extent of diabetic illness. Your exDH is young and I really feel for you and your kids every individual case is different but I would brace yourselves for the worst and pray for improvement.

Both, thank you for your replies. Such sad stories. Beautifulgirls I am so glad that your DD recovered and Doowrah I am so sorry to hear about your father.

It truly is an horrendous thing isn't it. The ICU staff are so keen not to say anything but you grasp on to any positive just for that faint glimmer of hope. It just seems that we are on a constant rollercoaster, firstly talk of turning off life support, then the immediate high that his blood pressure is climbing so they will continue treating, then the low of being told that is heart beat keeps going into a rhythm that is "not sustainable to life". Being told that is heart beat has settled into a rhythm but his kidneys are failing. It's just neverending. He's not even well enough to amputate the toes that have gangrene!
I will just keep praying and hoping. I knew Diabetes was a cruel disease and worried about coma's and Ketosis but I had never ever thought it could end like this

It doesn't help that exDH is malnourished and weighs about 6 stone, he has nothing left to fight with. My heart is breaking

Oh Tigerbomb I am sending a reassuring hug.......(squeeze). The hospital should have made him comfortable and be managing his pain. Put some vaseline on his lips, they get very sore and they won't do it. I hope today is an easier day for you all, be kind to yourselves...

oh tigerbomb im so sorry, a dear friends husband found himself in a very similar situation his feet were gangrene but no surgeon would touch him because of his heart.sadly he died he was only 37,heres hoping your situation will be different your right when you say diabetes can be a cruel disease.

Thank you all for your hugs and your kind words and Pinkstarlight I am so sorry to hear about your friends husband.

Well despite everything he is still with us - I am overjoyed. His heart has settled into a stable rhythm and they are hoping to be able to put him on dialysis, possibly in a few days

He is still sedated but not so much and he appears to be aware that we are there but not of what we are saying iykwim

He is still too sick to have most if not all of his right foot amputated and possibly a couple of toes on his other foot but they are optimistic

I just cant believe that despite everything he is managing to fight it so far. He is nowhere near out of the woods but I have hope at last , something that I had completely lost.

Me and the DC are overjoyed

Good news...may it continue.

Still keeping everything crossed for him and you. Sounding more hopeful at least.

and it all goes shite again. He had a cardiac arrest. His heart stopped for 12 mins. They are unable to tell us anything and he is back on life support. HIS CT scan shows old lesions on his brain which they said suggests a stroke in the past but they cant tell us anything except that he is very very poorly.

If your heart stops beating for 12 mins does this mean that there can be brain damage? The dr's cant or wont comment on this

Oh Tigerbomb nightmare...if your heart stops for twelve minutes I think brain damage is possible if they are not telling you it is possible they don't know and they won't tell you until they know for sure. I also think your heart can stop and you not sustain any damage and go on to lead a normal life. Thinking of you , him and kids and praying.

If he had a cardiac arrest in ICU there were presumably people there to start CPR within seconds, so even if it took a while to restart his heart, brain damage might have been avoided. If he'd had a cardiac arrest outside hospital, with no CPR, after 12 minutes I'm pretty sure he would have had irreversible brain damage or be brain dead. (NB I'm not a medic, just unfortunately have had reason to find out these things - DH died of a sudden cardiac arrest).

My DF is diabetic and has twice landed in ICU with sepsis; the first time they really didn't think he was going to make it - he was in the ICU for nearly six weeks, multiple organ failure, dialysis etc; in hospital for six months, and came out virtually skeletal and bedbound, tube fed etc. No amputations though. It took a year's intensive physio to get him back walking with sticks (he also uses a wheelchair for longer distances).

Then seven years later he had a heart attack and sepsis again, back in the same ICU, but this time, despite being over 70, he bounced back much faster and was out of hospital within three weeks. So there is hope. I'll be thinking of you.