AboutMargot RN BScN CGN Expertise I nursed my own Mother and Grandmother at home when they were dying so I have personal experience with the emotions involved. I have also spent the last 15+ years as a Registered Nurse caring for The Elderly and Terminally Ill and it has brought me great satisfaction. I am willing to answer any questions I can.
Experience
Past/Present clients Hundreds of Long Term Care Residents as well as hundreds of Cleitns and families in the community (including my Mother and Grandmother).
Question Hi Margot, my mum has had copd for a good few years now, she is 72yrs old, has home oxygen of which she is on 4 litres most od the time, she is breathless on exertion of any kind. For the past 5 weeks she has been in hospital, the day she was admitted her o2 sats were only 84%, she was treated for a chest infection, then she developed a urine infection on top of this and they said she had sepsis. We got the dreaded phone call on the Saturday that she had a heart attack and was deteriorating and we sat with her for 2 days but then she picked up again and after some time was moved to the rehab ward, while there we were waiting on some services being put in place for her and she was due for discharge this week, however last Friday I spotted the signs of another chest infection but when I spoke to the nurses they weren't convinced so nothing was done until the Sunday when she was complaining of chest pain, they did an xray which showed a consolidation on the left side of her chest so yet again she was commenced on iv antibiotics. She is not eating is on continous o2 and is very weak, she has also been put into a single roombecause apparently her white cell count is very low, only 2.2 so her resistance is very low, I just wonder how much more her body can take, she has been through so much, like the other post that i read i want someone to tell me when anything is going to happen so I can prepare my children but I know that know-one really can. Thank you if you have read this far Margot, you do a wonderful job, Morag.
Answer Hi Morag and thanks for writing,
This is very general and may not be the course your Mom follows, but I can tell you how an average COPD patient may proceed.
Basically the COPD deprives the body of oxygen and the patient becomes short of breath, tires easily and will rest more and more as they grow weaker. Occasionally Blood Transfusions will provide temporary relief if the Haemoglobin falls too low, this can also cause Angina (chest pains).
Eventually the patient will be so weak they don't want to move around too much and may stay in bed or sit in an easy chair most of the day; just washing and dressing will be exhausting. They often lose their appetite due to decreased energy so it's a vicious circle: low oxygen causes low energy & weakness which decreases appetite, and decreased appetite leads to weakness.
Treatment is generally "Comfort Measures" like oxygen to ease shortness of breath, maybe some medications to ease the heart's workload, and some puffers to open the airways, but it's not typically aggressive treatment as COPD is progressive and irreversible.
In the end the patient is often weak and bedridden and simply slips away quietly after a slow peaceful decline. The patient will feel weak and will be short of breath after exerting themselves, but do not "gasp for breath". Low oxygen levels can cause confusion though and occasionally the confused patient can become agitated. The most common symptom of COPD is Anxiety related to feeling of not being able to catch your breath – doctors often prescribe anti-anxiety medications such as Ativan for their COPD patients, but use these only as required as these medications are sedating and can increase weakness and increase the risk for falls in the elderly.
I hope this has helped to answer your questions and I wish you both all my best; please write again if I can be of any more assistance.
