Covid 19-ICU and not able to breath on his own

[Olwethu]

Good day, im new here, my partner was admitted on 24th May and send to ICU tesst were done and came back he is Covid 19 positive, Dr called to advise he has been intubated and on ventilator. On the 27th May they switched off all three sedation machines to try and wean him of the ventilator, he woke up and was then put on one sedation machine. Dr came back on Friday the 29th and advised that that he has a lung infection, his kidneys and liver is functioning very well. Today 01 June we get a call, his condition is not improving,they tried to wean him off but he cant breath on his own, he was also given antibiotics, it seems as if the Dr's are giving up.

[Sepsur]

Too early!!! From what you have said. Many people on here have been sedated & intubated for weeks - myself 8

[Olwethu in reply to Sepsur]

my thoughts exactly.

[Sepsur in reply to Olwethu]

What has been decided today? Is it possible that you have misinterpreted their mood - consultants can be very pessimistic at times. If you read this forum, people come through what sounds like impossible odds.

[Sepsur]

Welcome by the way 😀😀

[Olwethu in reply to Sepsur]

Still waiting on the dr to call me.

[Sepsur in reply to Olwethu]

It just about stating your case quietly & calmly and don’t be fobbed off - insist!!!!

[Olwethu in reply to Sepsur]

will do just that, just too scared to call but will eventually call.

[Sepsur in reply to Olwethu]

It’s scary - but we’ll hold your hand - let us know how you get on 😊

[Olwethu in reply to Sepsur]

Called the hospital now. His oxygen saturation is on 85%.They are positive though.

[Sepsur in reply to Olwethu]

You are going to be asked to draw on strength you probably didn’t know you had, critical care really is for grown ups- like everyone here - it is unplanned, unexpected & worse than anything you could imagine. But you will get through this like we all have ( in our different ways) people will support & understand you here - ask & say whatever is troubling you - there is a mine of info here. You are not on your own.

[Chanlib]

Exactly what @sepsur said. My father was intubated for nearly two months until he did not need the support anymore and was weaned off successfully with the help of a trach as well x

[Olwethu]

Called the hospital now. His oxygen saturation is on 85%.

[Marcita]

That's very early! It took 25 days to start weaning off my mom from the ventilator.

[Woo2]

This sounds very much like what happened to me.

I was in ICU for 18 days and they tried to wean me off multiple times.

I also had a secondary infection and was on antibiotic drips.

As others have said, there's plenty of time yet. Don't give up hope, I'm sure the doctors haven't given up.

[Olwethu in reply to Woo2]

I actually just called the hospital, they advised that he is in a prone position currently. When they place him on his back and not sedated he starts to cough. Dr also worried about his low oxygen levels when lying on his back.

[RockRunner]

That’s no time, my husband was 61 days with 5 of those weeks with a tracheotomy and two weeks waking up from sedation. It can take the body a long time to fight the virus and then a long time to repair itself enough for patients to breathe on their own. In fact my husband was finally weaned last Friday but still requires breathing support via CPAP at the moment until he is well enough to leave ICU. I have not heard of ventilators being switched off before patients are ready but if there is any suggestion of that absolutely refuse x

[Mikesanuk]

Hi there, don’t lose hope and don’t let the Doctors give up on him. It is still early days. Does he have any underlying health issues before Covid?

[Olwethu in reply to Mikesanuk]

Hello, no underlying conditions.

[Mikesanuk in reply to Olwethu]

I was intubated for 6 weeks, touch and go at times. I pulled through. Speak to the Dr’s daily. Don’t be put off. You need to go through this journey too and be strong for your partner. There will be difficult days ahead but I am sure he is a fighter. I wish you and your partner well and keep in touch- we are all behind you..

[Olwethu in reply to Mikesanuk]

I actually just called the hospital, they advised that he is in a prone position currently. When they place him on his back and not sedated he starts to cough. Dr also worried about his low oxygen levels when lying on his back. Just waiting on Dr to call me.

[Mikesanuk in reply to Olwethu]

I was proned and it does seem to help, although I trapped a nerve which has left some neuropathy- but that is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Time will tell, it is still early days. Stay positive x

[Olwethu]

Hi All,update-This morning dr called to advise that his blood pressure is a problem,new concern now is his kidneys if still persists they will have to put him on dialysis.They did bloodworms to check his kidney Function, xrays still showing lots of infection, Dr will conduct with other drs to find out if they can change his current medication. His oxygen saturation is now on 95%.

[Hsakka in reply to Olwethu]

Hello, I am sorry that you are going through this. It is not easy. My father has been in the ICU for about 7 weeks now. Has had his ups and downs but finally stable now. He will be discharged to a rehab maybe today or tomorrow.

My fathers kidneys had failed and has been put on dialysis and doing well on it. The doctors hope that his kidneys make a comeback soon we just don’t know when yet. My father had complications with blood pressure as well. The doctors were finally able to get them under control with medications but specifically when they stopped the sedation.

Since your partner hasn’t been in the hospital too long, here is my advice to you. First of all, remain patient and positive. This will pass! Next, don’t wait too long... ask the doctors about performing a tracheostomy and completely stopping the sedation afterwards. This will help your partner recover faster and will be much more comfortable for him. The doctors may say that it’s too soon for a tracheostomy but trust me, it’s not. The sooner the sedation is stopped the less complications... this is what’s causing all of these problems. The doctors will argue that the virus attacks the organs but believe me, being sedated for more than 24 hours is the culprit.

Wishing you the best of luck. Any questions, please feel free to ask.

[Olwethu in reply to Hsakka]

Thank you so much, was his case also Covid related?

[Hsakka in reply to Olwethu]

Yes. His case was COVID related.

Sorry I left out a very important detail. Please ask about receiving a plasma infusion. This is what was able to get rid of the virus for my father. He started to improve the very next day!!

[Olwethu in reply to Hsakka]

Good to know, how long was your dad on a ventilator, its his 11th day on ventilator. They tried to wean off last week but he starts coughing when he placed on his back.

[Hsakka]

He’s been on a ventilator for about 5 weeks. He’s still requiring minimal ventilator support as his body is still very weak. They will work with him at rehab to wean him off of it.

[Olwethu in reply to Hsakka]

Hi Hsakka so the dr called me yesterday, they will put him on a trach hopefully today , he is not on dialysis as yet, Dr said he still had infection though.

[Hsakka]

Thanks for the update. Hope this helps with recovery! Hope is doing better today.

[Olwethu in reply to Hsakka]

Oh got a call now, apparently he is deteroriating, the ENT suggest no trach for now.Im soo confused.

[Sepsur in reply to Olwethu]

Critical care is an diabolical rollercoaster / but hopefully your partner will stabilise soon. There are many family members who know exactly the agonising uncertainty that you are experiencing - we ( as patients) dip very quickly but we also bounce back just as quick

[Hsakka]

I’m sorry to hear this. Hoping for the best.