I’m worried about my Nan...

[sophiebee21]

Hello, I’m new here.

My nan had an abdominal aneurysm which had grown large & needed surgery. She is 83. She had her surgery last week and the doctors were pleased with how the surgery went.

However, she has been in ICU since, on a ventilator and sedation. She’s also on dialysis as her kidneys aren’t working. She’s been pretty much asleep and out of it all week cause of the sedative, but last Wednesday which was a day after her surgery she was awake and trying to communicate (she can’t talk cause of the ventilator in her throat but she can move her mouth, so I have to try and lip read) she was telling me to go home & that she’ll be okay & she said “I’m not going to die”. However the doctors told me it’s 50/50.

She’s been making very small progress each day, today they tried to take her off the ventilator and she was doing well at first but then in a few hours they had to put the ventilator back in because ‘she was tired’ is what the nurses said.

Yesterday she was awake, she was trying to talk to me again. The doctor came and explained to me that they were going to take the ventilator out, and when she said that, my nan grabbed my hand and was trying desperately to speak and tell us something but none of us could figure out what it was she was saying but I’m certain she was trying to tell us she’s not ready to have the ventilator removed? She looked worried and scared, I could see it in her eyes.

She told me that I needed to go home, and that she’d be okay. She tried to smile at me and she waved too 😪

I’m terrified she isn’t going to make it. I’m upset the ventilator had to go back in. I know she’s strong as she always has been but I’m just so so worried she isn’t going to pull through. I’ve been praying for her every night & im keeping my faith. I’ve been so close to my nan my whole life, she pretty much brought me up along with my Mum & Dad, and now my daughter who’s 7 is really really close to her too.

I guess I just need someone to talk too and maybe someone who’s been through something similar and can hopefully shed some light 😔

[garry2017]

I have read your post, I am 63 and had abdominal surgery last xmas, the same as your Nan I was sedated, dyalasis, ventilated, catheterisation , the breathing tube was removed to soon and I had a cardiac arrest I am sure that you would not want your Nan to go through that , the drugs that are used to sedate can be 'hallucigenic' so the look of fear could very well be that, I went through a terrible time for weeks with hallucinations, just talk to her my daughter talking to me kept me sane, I actually thought that the staff were trying to kill me, it is not unusual, your Nan will recover but try and have some faith in the medical staff, wishing your Nan all the best, Garry2017

[sophiebee21 in reply to garry2017]

Thank you