Aspiration pneumonia

[bubee]

My husband is 6 weeks now in ICU with aspiration pneumonia. It’s gone after multiple antibiotics. He is extremely weak. Anybody else had this and if so did you take a long time to recover Bubee

[Icequeen10]

Oh, I am glad that he is.getting better! I was 6 weeks in hospital for something simple and it takes TLC and time. Thinking they told me to expect three weeks for each week you are hospitalized. I had in home PT,. Helped me a lot 💖

[Icequeen10 in reply to Icequeen10]

Sorry,. Similar

[bubee in reply to Icequeen10]

Glad you have recovered. Thanks for the reply. Guess we have lots of work to do

[Bella395]

bubee - my OH has existing lung disease and other problems. He is awaiting a diagnosis of Parkinsons's Disease. He has recently had pneumonia and was in hospital for nearly seven weeks. I don't know if it was aspiration pneumonia but he was very ill. He is now home but it has been a challenge because he is quite frail. The after effects of delirium has affected his cognition.

My understanding is that even in healthy people it can take a few months for them to feel well following pneumonia so I know there will be no quick recovery for someone who is already very ill. He is improving but only very slowly. He has lost a lot of weight and I am trying to help him gain by fortifying his diet. The nutritionist has helped with this.

It is good that your husband has responded to treatment. When it is time for him to be discharged from hospital make sure that you are well prepared. Hospitals have a safe discharge policy. This will enable you to have the help and facilities needed to look after him. Obtain all the assistance you can get - do not refuse, thinking that you can manage. We have carers four times a day and have had a lot of support from health and social services but as I said earlier, it has been difficult and it is tiring caring for someone who has been so poorly.

I hope that your husband gains strength and that you will soon be together again.

[bubee in reply to Bella395]

Thank you for your reply. It is very helpful. Hope your husband does well with you nutrition plans for him. Weight loss is common with Parkinson’s. My husband has lost 50 pounds in the last few years yet eats well. Another mystery of Parkinson’s. Thank you again for your kind reply. Your husband is fortunate to have you

[Bella395 in reply to bubee]

Is he now out of ICU and on a normal ward? The reason I ask is that when I visited I used to assist with his care and talk to the nurses about it. In this way I had a good idea of how it would be when he came home. Even so, it has been very difficult. A step down facility might have been useful but we don’t have one and in any case he wanted to come home.

It sounds as if your husband has been very ill and might need more care than previously. I hope that you both get the care and support that you need.

[bubee in reply to Bella395]

Stil in ICU but can’t go home yet and no step down unit either. A dilemma doesn’t need icu anymore

[Bella395 in reply to bubee]

Our hospital has a safe discharge team and it was useful. We already had a social worker and that was very helpful. My experience is that he has needed a lot more care after this illness.

One of the problems is that his condition fluctuates, sometimes from one hour to the next. He has a high falls risk so I have to watch him constantly. For this reason I can’t go out and leave him unsupervised. I am woken every night to attend to him, usually at least twice. Sometimes I can’t get back to sleep. However, on the whole, he is making slow progress but I am not optimistic that the care needs will lessen very much.

I hope that your experience will be easier than mine and that your husband makes good progress. I can only reiterate that you should make sure that everything is in place prior to discharge so that you are able to cope.

[bubee in reply to Bella395]

I am hoping and praying for our husbands and the both of us that something great happens and our lives improve I think so often—just the simple act of walking our dogs would be a gift.

Good luck.

[Bella395 in reply to bubee]

Yes, taking my dogs for a walk somewhere different is what I miss. Currently I have to wait until the carers visit to go for a walk on our nearby field but I don’t have much time. A change would be nice but as yet I haven’t been allocated a sitter to enable me to go out.

[Hidden in reply to Bella395]

Bless your hearts- bella395 and Bubee. You will have forever the gratitude and blessings of your husbands. You are doing right by your spouses and your self.

My dad passed away in July at the age of 82 after being attended to by my 73 year old mother for a few years and she was exhausted. But she is immensely proud of her untiring attention to his every need. He didn’t have Parkinson’s. I do and having seen a very healthy man decline so rapidly, I have to be honest. I am terrified.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and sharing the best part about being human. If I can say just one thing: we as the ones eventually needing the help, always appreciate your sacrifice and although we’re not able to be always kind and understanding, it is never the intent to take you for granted.

[ddmagee1 in reply to Hidden]

Very nicely expressed! Thanks for your support and input, toward your fellow “Parkies”, and for those who are our caregivers.

[Hidden in reply to ddmagee1]

ddmagee, you’re welcome. I remember you very well. You too are an inspiration. I know that you are taking care of your wife while still taking care of your own issues. Life is hard sometimes, and unless others walk in your shoes, they will never understand what it’s like to live with disability. I only understood the true fragility of life and my own mortality when I created my father recently. Nothing else can compare. Modern life does too much to compartmentalize and hide pain from public view.

[bubee in reply to Hidden]

thank you for your support My husband is still in the hospital --9 weeks now--still has a tracheostomy's and still coughing and infected He has many many weeks of re hab ahead of him Aspiration pneumonia is a terrible thing Bubee

[chartist]

bubee,

Often times after a lengthy regimen of multiple antibiotics that will also kill good gut bacteria along with the bad, some rebuilding of the gut flora will be needed. It seems that doctor's main concern in this area is concern about SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and that is a very reasonable concern. Unfortunately, the treatment for SIBO is another antibiotic that is more specific to SIBO. Doctors often stop there, but I suspect that doctors are becoming more aware of the health benefits of rebuilding the gut microbiome with good bacteria, especially after a lengthy antibiotic regimen that required multiple antibiotics.

For your part, it would be worth discussing with your husband's doctors whether your husband can be started on some type of plan to help replace some of the good gut bacteria that has been lost or diminished from the antibiotics at the appropriate time. Some standard options would include probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, fermented foods, kefir, sauerkraut and kombucha to name just a few. The good thing about these gut friendly foods and bacterial supplements is that they can also have a positive impact on certain aspects of PD.

Good luck to both of you!

Art

[bubee in reply to chartist]

Thank you Art for your good information. Will talk to his doctors about it tomorrow. So kind of you to take the time to send me this info. Thanks

Bubee

[chartist in reply to bubee]

bubee,

I know it seems like such a simple thing to help repopulate the gut with good bacteria, but it can go a long way in speeding the healing process because these good bacteria do much more than help digest what you eat, they can also help facilitate the healing process through multiple pathways. Some of the most progressive studies are suggesting that PD may begin in the gut and there is much research being done in this area, so it is a worthwhile endeavor to try to to replace the good bacteria.

Art

[bubee in reply to chartist]

I’ve been reading a lot about the gut brain connection and think finally researchers are on to something. Let’s hope they don’t take 10 years to figure it out. Thanks Art. Will let you know what his doctors say. Bubee