Dad off of Sedation and Vent but still not respon... - ICUsteps

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Dad off of Sedation and Vent but still not responsive. Help

Mizzko profile image
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Almost 6weeks ago my dad drove himself to the hospital saying that he had shortness of breath and swelling in his feet. When he checked in, his blood pressure was around 200 which is really high. The nurses say He was talking and everything but while on his hospital bed the Nurses say he had a seizure so they had to intubate him and placed him ICU. The doctors say my dad had pneumonia, kidney failure, and other chronic illnesses. My dad was in ICU for over 10 days so they performed the tracheotomy. My dad would move his legs and arms, sometimes open his eyes but wasn't responsive or following commands. They started doing dialysis because his kidneys were functioning at 20%. Eventually they took him off the vent but w/ little oxygen so he started breathing on his own. Once my dad got stable and vitals were good they took him out of ICU into a step up rehabilitation part of the hospital because he was not well enough to be on the regular floor but stable enough to leave ICU. While he was there they would perform physical thearpy were they would sit him on the side of the bed and sometimes he would catch himself from falling but still not following commands or keeping his eyes open long. After about 3 weeks at that hospital the case manager said he would need to be transferred to a long term acute care facility where they would be more aggressive with his mental health. He's been at the long term facility for about 3 weeks now but he's still in the same state so now the insurance company is wanting to discharge from there and transfer him to skilled nursing facility that's almost an hour away! My dad was improving just very slowly. He yawns, moves, and sometimes I see him scratch himself but still not fully awake. My dad had a normal life before all of this and rarely got sick besides a cold or allergies. He Worked a regular job, lived by himself and all of sudden all this happened. I'm so sad and frustrated. When Im talking to him I know he hears me because sometimes he will squeeze my hand or start moving his feet but for the most part it's like he's sleeping. I would love some advice on how to handle all this. Thank you for reading.

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Mizzko
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Brady1234 profile image
Brady1234

Oh I really feel for you, I know how your feeling I bet your dad is on your mind 24/7 I can't give you much advice other than these things take time I know it's difficult.my dad had a cardiac arrest on the 4th August 2016 and his had most of the things you said, unfortunately he has brain damage 😥 Dad opens his eyes and moves his feet etc but I'm not sure he knows I'm there, this site is really good I email a lovely lady on here who's dad is similar to mine and it's so nice to be able to talk to someone who knows just how you feel.so hang in there and take a day at a time Xx

Mizzko profile image
Mizzko in reply to Brady1234

Thank you. It's definitely hard but hearing similar stories reassures me that I'm not alone. I'm still trying to be patient and stay hopeful. Prayers for your dad as well. 🙏

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