My mother in law who is a vent protocol survivor was on the mend and was killing it on the rehab front (she was up and walking around, getting dressed, the works, almost on the verge of coming home) when she managed to get sick with a stomach bug and was reinfected with aspirational pneumonia yesterday. She's been submitted to ICU with high CO2 levels. Different facility this time and the docs are doing everything to keep her off the ventilator. She's been seeing her CO2 levels drop a bit in the last few hours, but she's got a long haul again. You pedes did it the last time with the power of prayer and I'm asking for help once again.
Thanks!
Love you guys!
Rusty...
I use a CPAP for sleep apnea. From personal experience, it's harder to breathe with CPAP if you tense up and fight it and attempt to take deep breaths, then shove them out when you exhale. If you relax and take normal breaths that aren't quite so deep, then it's much easier. I know, it's sometimes easier said than done. Your lungs will eventually get used to the pressure and will adapt such that you will barely notice it over time.
You may want to inquire into what air pressure they're using and see if dropping it back a bit might help. It's definitely something that you need to work your way up to, as your lungs will get stronger over time.
I know they had tried backing it down a bit, and they were monitoring it.
I'm glad to hear they are monitoring it. There is definitely an adjustment period for getting used to it. I don't know how they do it in a hospital setting, but one thing that can be an issue is the mask leaking. It can blow air up into your eyes and dry them out. If this should become the case, I can recommend using a sleep mask. I've tried a bunch of them and the ones I like best are ones you can get at Walmart. They're around $2 or $3 or so. The only problem with them is that the foam inside off-gasses for awhile and stinks. I stick them in front of a fan for a day or two to air them out before I use them. They're made in China, but what isn't nowadays? I've tried ones from the drug stores, but sometimes their elastic is too tight or the foam is too thick and then the mask squishes too tight against your eyelids.
More prayers sent your way, fren. I hope all goes well for your m-i-l!
Thanks for the tips, I will pass the info along. Thanks!
No problem, fren! Glad I could help.