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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM , where we instantly improve the lives of Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can have PEACE OF MIND, real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making fast, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!
This is another episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” and in last week’s episode I answered another question from our readers and the question last week was
“My mother sustained serious brain damage after a stroke and she now is in multi- organ failure!“
You can check out the answer to last week’s question by clicking on the link here.
In this week’s episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to answer another question from one of our readers and the question this week is
MY WIFE WANTS TO DIE IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER SHE HAD A LUNG TRANSPLANT
Graham, from Portland USA
Hi Patrik,
my 54 year old wife has had a bilateral lung transplant 18 months ago and initially she was doing quite well and she had a good quality of life for the first 12 months after the transplant.
We were travelling, she was able to exercise regularly and she managed really well, until over the course of the last 3-4 months, when she became quite unwell.
She has now been readmitted back to hospital, initially with shortness of breath and also an infection in her lungs. A couple of days after being admitted to Hospital she had to be transferred to Intensive Care as her breathing was getting worse and she couldn’t be managed on the ward.
She has now been in Intensive Care for the last three weeks and she is not getting better, if anything she is getting worse.
Initially she was ventilated and after a week or so they tried to wean her off the ventilator but she failed and she ended up with a Tracheostomy. So she now has been on the ventilator with the Tracheostomy for about 2 weeks.
It’s terrible watching her and she is mouthing that she wants to die. This is extremely upsetting and frustrating not only for her but also for me and our two adult children.
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Does she mean it or is she just confused by all the drugs she is getting? It appears that she is getting weaker and weaker every day and that she really is losing the will to live. The Intensive Care team is talking about the infection causing the difficulties breathing and they have also mentioned rejection of her donor lungs, despite all the drugs she is on to minimise the rejection.
I am not the expert, but I have been shown some of her chest X-rays and even I could see how bad her lungs on the chest x-ray looked. The Intensive Care team is quite positive and wants to continue treating my wife and me and my children are hesitant and we are wondering how much is enough?
Do you think she will get better, or do you think we should start thinking about limiting or even ending her suffering?
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Hi Graham,
I’m very sorry to hear about your wife’s and your Family’s ordeal. It sounds like your wife is very sick in the ICU and it looks like she is not in a good position.
First of all, unfortunately it is not too uncommon that Patients after an initial successful lung transplant are returning to Intensive Care with their condition deteriorating because of organ rejection and/or infection. Often one goes with the other.
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This is even more frustrating, especially since your wife has been enjoying a good quality of life initially. It is often the case that Patients with organ rejection and/or chest infection after lung transplant end up back in Intensive Care, only to find that the initial successful lung transplant was not as successful as everybody thought it was.
Unfortunately some lung transplant Patients do come back to Intensive Care with organ rejection/ infection and then they end up with a Tracheostomy and a long term stay in Intensive Care. Those Patients often approach their end of life in Intensive Care and in some cases I have seen this to be over many weeks if not many months.
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I think your question regarding how much is enough is a reasonable question. Keep in mind however that even though the outlook currently might be bleak that you may want to give it a little bit more time, before making such a major decision as if and when to limit your wife’s suffering.
Even though your wife is currently very critically ill, she may improve and if she’s getting better, she will probably also find the will to live. It is difficult for me to say whether your wife is serious about wanting to die, however most Patients in Intensive Care, especially when ventilated and sedated for a prolonged period tend not to remember anything about their ICU stay.
Having said that it doesn’t mean that your wife isn’t serious about wanting to die and ‘having enough’ about the situation she is in. It is a very difficult situation and there are often no right or wrong answers, as those situations often tend to be grey in nature.
If your wife’s condition will be improving, you and your family will be glad that you continued treating her and if she deteriorates further you might feel guilty that you and your family haven’t stopped her treatment in cooperation with the Intensive Care team.
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Also, think about other situations in your wife’s life where she has been dealing with adversity. How did she do? I think the answer to that question will give you an indication of what to expect and what decisions you should make.
As a rule of thumb, stay positive and support your wife as much as you can! My advice is that you should give it a little bit more time and see how things progress and then make a decision from there. Continue evaluating your wife’s response to what she is going through and since you and your family know her best, make a decision from there. All the best!
Send your questions to [email protected] !
How can you get PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence quickly, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care?
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In Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report you’ll learn quickly how to get PEACE OF MIND, real power and real control and how you can influence decision making fast, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care! Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” Report gives you in-depth insight that you must know whilst your loved one is critically ill or is even dying in Intensive Care! Sign up and download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT now by entering your email below!
In your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT you’ll learn how to speak the “secret” Intensive Care language so that the doctors and the nurses know straight away that you are an insider and that you know and understand what’s really happening in Intensive Care!
In your FREE report you’ll also discover
- How to ask the doctors and the nurses the right questions
- Discover the many competing interests in Intensive Care and how your critically ill loved one’s treatment may depend on those competing interests
- How to eliminate fear, frustration, stress, struggle and vulnerability even if your loved one is dying
- 5 mind blowing tips& strategies helping you to get on the right path to PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence in your situation
- You’ll get real world examples that you can easily adapt to your and your critically ill loved one’s situation
- How to stop being intimidated by the Intensive Care team and how you will be seen as equals
- You’ll get crucial ‘behind the scenes’ insight so that you know and understand what is really happening in Intensive Care
- How you need to manage doctors and nurses in Intensive Care(it’s not what you think)
Thank you for tuning into this week’s “BLOG” and I’ll see you again in another update next week!
Make sure you also check out our “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” section where I answer your questions or send me an email to [email protected] with your questions!
Or you can call us! Find phone numbers on our contact tab.
Also check out our Products section where you get more Ebooks, Videos and Audio recordings and where you can also get 1:1 consulting with me via Skype or over the phone by clicking on the products tab!
This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I’ll see you again next week with another update!
Your Friend
Patrik Hutzel
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My 57 year old Dad has been in Intensive Care with Cardiomyopathy and Pneumonia for 5 weeks! He’s still in an induced coma and still doesn’t have a tracheostomy, HELP! (PART 6)
My 57 year old Dad has been in Intensive Care with Cardiomyopathy and Pneumonia for 5 weeks! He’s still in an induced coma and still doesn’t have a tracheostomy, HELP! (PART 8)
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