My COPD mum is in hospital

[MyNameIsAlexDrake]

Shit, shit, shit the bed. The last place I want my mum to be at the moment but she has been taken into hospital as her oxygen sats were so so low and the paramedics could hear a 'rattle in her chest'

My mum's baseline sats are about 85% and have been for about a year, she goes as low as 60s, sometimes 50s but is on supplementary oxygen at home which brings her up to her baseline normally. She gets aspiration pneumonia regularly, and is more often than not on antibiotics and steroids. She has also recently been diagnosed with vascular dementia.

Today though my dad did his normal oximeter reading and it was in the 40s and my mum was complaining of chest pains so no choice but to call an ambulance and they've taken her in.

I don't want this to happen, we cant visit, she's confused, will be upset, we can't be with her.

I'm under no illusions that my mum is very very ill indeed, we've been told before that they will offer palliative care only, which still involves treating infections eg the pneumonia, but she is too ill to be ventilated if that was ever needed.

I believe my mum runs a real risk of catching Covid in hospital. What can I do? I would rather she be at home and have us around her. Can we insist on that? What would you do? Can any healthcare workers advise please?

Am so sorry. If she (as the patient) wants to come home, accepting she might die, the hospital should be able to discharge her with a fastrack palliative discharge, where support services are put in rapidly. They might keep her for a day or two to stabilise a bit and then get her back. Am so sorry you’re going through this.

Thank you for your reply. We have support services at home already (council 45 mins per day for getting my mum up and washed). Will just have to see what the next few days bring I suppose. I would much rather she was home though. With my mum already having dementia and her sats being so low I doubt she is any fit state to assess her own needs, fortunately we've been in the process of getting medical power of attorney and while not formalised I'm hopeful that my mums care team will support us. It's just so so risky for her in hospital at the moment, no way would she survive Covid.

Op
How is your mum xx

She got back home yesterday tea time. She's still very poorly but so glad that she is home 🙂