Some of you lovely people know I care for my mum who has end stage emphysema. She is now receiving palliative care and has just been introduced to the hospice at home service.
We have been made aware that her next infection could be her last 
She has home and ambulatory oxygen, and a nebuliser, four times a day, contains ventolin and respontin.
Over the last week or so, she has become increasingly breathless, and after putting it down to the weather etc., she started her rescue pack. Our matron came on Wednesday and couldn't detect infection, just wheezy, but to carry on with antibiotics and increase steroids just in case.
Today, mum was worse, really struggling for breath even at rest, so we got the matron out again, still no infection but really wheezy. She suggested doubling the ventolin for her nebuliser, but she was a bit puzzled as to the cause of her excessive wheeze.
I set the nebuliser going and my mum piped up that the nebuliser had been a bit iffy for the last few days, it doesn't seem to be 'steaming' much and was leaking.
The bloody thing hadn't been getting anywhere near enough drug into her lungs, the matron and I looked at each other and both said ' eureka '.
It sounded perfectly normal, but barely anything coming out of the mouthpiece.
After a phonecall to the chest clinic, we got a replacement ( thank goodness we found out today and not over the weekend ), so hopefully she will start to improve now.
We have a wedding next Saturday and she is desperate to be well enough to attend, fingers crossed she will be
Sorry for waffling
Val xx
Poor mum
