My mom seems to be getting worse with her COPD, Please Help!

Thank u so much for your reply! I have not heard of this treatment with COPD. I will have to look into this. Thank u again!

I don't think so, this is an emergency situation, not a time for checking out abstract possibilities.

We went to her doctor last week and he has sent her for a ct scan, blood work, a heart scan, and a sleep study test. It seems it's taking forever to have them done. They have done the blood test and ct scan and so far the ct scan showed no pneumonia or blood clots and we don't know the results of the blood test yet. It seems with Medicare they have to make sure they will pay them before they do them so it's taking awhile. Which is ridiculous! We ha e tried as a family to get her to go to the ER but she is so stubborn. She won't go, and the only way we could probably get her to go is if she fell out and was unconscious.

Not sure exactly how to word this Tonya, regarding your Mom's stubborness to go to the ER.  Better safe than sorry springs to mind.  I have had MANY visits to the ER and it certainly is not a place that I enjoy visiting; however, in two instances turns out I had suffered minor strokes.  If I hadn't called an ambulance and gone to the ER could have been much, much worse, ie. could have ended up not getting my speech back and possibly disabled physically.  As for the COPD it was an ER Dr. that ended up prescribing an inhaler than worked for me.  Good luck with your Mom and I wish you the best. 

 

If that's the case there's nothing you can do except learn to detach.  People who won't look after themselves and worry their families are quite common but I"ve never heard of one of them changing to look after themselves b'cause their families are worrying about them.

I also think it's somewhat unreasonable of you to expect immediate tests:  you say her doctor saw her last week and it's taking forever - sorry, that's not forever, that's a week!   I don't understand your reference to Medicare:   if that's Australian Medicare you're talking about, the schedules are quite clear on which tests they cover and which they don't and for how miuch:  there is talk of changing that but it hasn't happened yet.

First of all, it's my mother and I can not detach myself from her, no mater what the circumstances are. Secondly, when u are worried to death about a loved one, waiting to hear back from a test is hard. Most of the test he's ordered have not even been done, bc we have to go through certain channels before they are done. So, I'm sorry if I seem to be irritated bc I feel they are taking too long to see what is going on with my mother! I've already lost one parent bc of this terrible disease and now I'm watching another go through the same thing. I only wanted to know if anyone else has gone through what she is experiencing so I could help her better!

Of course you can't detach completely from someone you care about, but you seemed stuck in worrying about things you have no control over:  not only the tests but your mother's stubbornness.

It must be very hard for you to see this happening twice to a parent and I feel for you, but it seems clear to me that she has rapidly deteriorating COPD and that's terrible, but after a certain point unstoppable.

Can I suggest you take care of yourself too?

Hi Tonya

Just checking how your mums going, it's a tough time too over Xmas with a lot of dept closed, have you been able to get her to the er yet ?