I would be so incredibly grateful if someone could maybe offer me a little comfort or perhaps some advice right now.
I don't have my mom's medical files right here with me, but to give you the short version, she has non-compaction cardiomyopathy, NYHA Class III, with her heart function at about 30%,
and she has a CRT-D defibrillator implanted. Things actually seemed to improve a bit after the implant,
but about three months ago, Mom suffered a pretty severe burn on her leg that just won't heal, so according to Dr. Morris, she's currently in the hospital waiting for skin graft surgery.
I did try to talk with the doctor about her cardiac condition and whether her heart can even handle anesthesia—since we are dealing with heart failure, after all—but I guess it didn't really seem to resonate much with them... it felt like my concerns just weren't being heard.
I am just so, so worried... I wonder if anyone else here has gone through something similar?
hollowridge88 said:I’m honestly just terrified of everything right now. My mom has been having these breathing fits since this morning that last a minute or two, and then this cough just absolutely wipes her out, making her look all pale and yellowish. It really feels like such an agonizing struggle. I feel so incredibly bad for your friend, too; I don't even know what to say other than that I'm just scared, I am truly frightened of this disease.
I totally get it, especially since you were right there seeing exactly what she was going through... I wasn't by my friend's side until the very end, but I know how much she suffered... she ended up passing away after seven days once things took a turn for the worse... she fell into a coma... and I have to admit, I am REALLY scared of this illness too....
But I guess we just have to keep moving forward and try not to dwell on her constantly... if we don't, it might just paralyze us, you know?
Maybe try to get a little rest if you can.. maybe step outside for some fresh air for a few minutes... just try to gather enough strength to keep going.🙂
Reading this is honestly just so heartbreaking.... I decided to stick around this thread with all of you after my friend passed away. I mean, I truly don't even have the words for how much you all are struggling and hurting, and I guess it’s just incredible how you've managed to find strength when you're pushed past every possible limit... and seeing how much mothers have to suffer is just even more devastating, because I really don't think anyone should ever have to go through that.
I'll be praying that God gives you all the strength you need to get through to the end.....😢
Zachary Howard2.. wishing you nothing but the very best.
😢😢 I just want to say that I truly feel for all of you... my grandmother was going through something very similar during her final days... she eventually stopped talking and just spent most of her time staring blankly into space... she would scream and call out for my mom whenever they had to change her catheter, and I remember feeding her yogurt just two days before she passed, even though she seemed to be looking right through me while she ate... on that very last day, the doctor couldn't even get a blood pressure reading... she was just rasping and wasn't really conscious anymore... then, she just went quiet and fell into an eternal sleep She was battling pancreatic cancer....
Please try to find the strength for everything you have ahead of you... hang in there, okay? 🙂
Thanks everyone... she fell into a coma, and she hasn't even been able to eat or drink anything for seven days now.😢😢 My goodness, I am just praying this illness goes away...
Edward Grant3, I truly feel for you all, because everything you've shared really reminds me of my grandmother's final days when she was battling pancreatic cancer.😢 😢 I hope God gives you all the strength you need to get through this; we were trying to moisten her lips with a little cloth... though we weren't very successful... she just kept looking at us, or maybe looking right through us...
Angela Wright said:Dear Jamie Jones8, I totally get why you feel this deep need to reach out to her and really grasp what she's going through, but maybe we should keep in mind that this is primarily her battle, you know? It’s honestly so much harder for her—emotionally, mentally, and physically—than it is for anyone else, so I guess it might be best to respect her wish to not talk about it or share details with anyone. She probably has more than enough reasons for wanting privacy; it just makes things easier for her, clearly. As for that bloating issue, it could be anything, really, but it's most likely some kind of blockage or issues around the gallbladder and intestines... so please don't let it weigh on you too heavily because even if you had all the answers in the world, there isn't much you can do to fix that part of it. The doctors are just doing what they need to do to make her life as comfortable as possible. Just try to be the friend she needs right now, which I think means talking about everything else, since her whole identity is so much bigger than the cancer and metastases that are taking up so much of her focus lately.
In these two years of her being sick, I think we’ve only mentioned cancer maybe three times... and even then, it's usually just when she's heading in for chemo, and that's pretty much it. Honestly, I've stopped asking "how are you?" for a while now because I realized it just drives her crazy.. It's actually because I don't have anyone else to talk to about what she's facing that I end up typing here to you all... thanks so much for explaining that, too, because I was so confused about what "stomach bloating" meant when they had already removed the whole thing.. I understand everything... it's just so hard—I'm just so incredibly sad seeing her suffer.
A close friend of mine is fighting stomach cancer... there are metastases present, so she’s still going through chemo.... She’s really withdrawn lately, and she just sent me a message saying, "I feel terrible, I don't feel like talking," and honestly, it just breaks my heart because I can't seem to reach her.... and I really don't want to be pushy about it either... She’s currently at a hospital in another state getting her abdomen "perforated"... could someone please explain what that means? Like, what are they actually doing to her? She’s dealing with ascites, too.
I don't have all the specific details since she’s never been one to talk about this damn cancer... but if anyone could help me understand what they're doing for her right now, I would be so grateful.
A dear friend of mine was recently diagnosed with stomach cancer... they had to perform surgery to remove her entire stomach... and according to her doctor, she actually caught it "just in time." She lives out of state, and I honestly never could have imagined how incredibly heavy it would feel to talk about this disease... I try so hard to stay positive and keep things upbeat, but I think my feelings are pretty obvious, so I don't really know what to say... All I know is that my heart just broke when she told me tonight that the cancer has spread to her bones, and now she’s starting a new round of chemo and radiation, which just sent me into tears. ...she’s started feeling these pains in her back lately...😢😢😢😢 and she’s been complaining that they're really intense for days now... I was just so terrified to hear what the bone scan results would show.
I guess I'm wondering if the therapy can help at all, and if there's any real hope of stopping the disease from getting worse?😢
I am seriously so annoyed with AT&T right now😠😳 😠 Those totally inconsiderate seniors who always seem to be rushing to get through the door before my belly—which, let's be honest, is already starting to make its own entrance—and then they just let the door swing back and smack me right in the stomach...
And I looked in the mirror and realized my face looks all "weird," which honestly caught me off guard, because I don't think I even recognize myself sometimes...
I’m really hoping we get some better news tomorrow, and I just pray that my dad isn't in too much pain; I actually witnessed three people passing away right next to me in the hospital from pancreatic cancer recently, and honestly, I wouldn't wish that kind of struggle on anyone at all.😢😢
My heart is just breaking, especially since she called me today just to ask what she should eat?? It's because she doesn't want to touch anything that might upset her stomach or mess with her health, I guess.
We'll just have to wait and see what tomorrow brings, fingers crossed...
I mean, I’m fully aware of how this works now.. But still... back in '94 when she was dealing with cancer, I honestly just assumed that "it" was just what happens to elderly people as they age. She was feeling so weak, and she had a fever, some diarrhea, and her blood pressure was dropping, but we just brushed all of it off as her getting older.
The ultrasound should show if there's actually a mass in her abdomen or not??!!
Their face, neck, and stomach have all turned noticeably yellow, though they aren't complaining of any pain; I haven't seen the actual lab results yet, but I know the liver enzymes aren't looking great either. CRP 44
It’s just so scary, and I really don't want to think that this might be the end, especially since this person is so incredibly special to me and honestly has such an indescribable, fierce will to live.
You know how people always say that older folks just have this amazing way of pulling through against the odds? Well, we're heading to the hospital tomorrow to get an ultrasound done.😢
Oh man, I had this absolute nightmare where my recliner slipped and landed right on my big toe! I was screaming my head off from the pain, honestly... Eventually, the nail started lifting at the base and just ended up falling off completely. A brand new nail finally grew back in, but it looks so weird and uneven now—kind of bumpy and just plain ugly, I guess.
So, I’ve actually got this little lump about the size of a mandarin orange right where my deltoid meets my tricep, and according to my medical report, it looks like some fatty tissue—basically a lipoma near my armpit—but even though they told me I really ought to go in for a biopsy and a puncture, plus see a surgeon, I just haven't been able to bring myself to actually go . I’m really hoping it isn't anything serious since I guess I've totally ignored it for way too long... maybe even a whole year now 😲 😲
Besides just being nervous, things like sugars—you know, like the lactose in milk—or even sorbitol from sugar-free gum can definitely trigger diarrhea for some people... maybe you’re dealing with some kind of irritable bowel syndrome here. There are honestly so many different reasons why this happens...could it be parasites or something?
I don't know for sure, but since I deal with my own gut issues, I'd really suggest checking in with a doctor before you try anything else... in the meantime, maybe give probiotics a shot... or perhaps some fennel or peppermint tea might help settle things down.
Honestly, don't even overthink this... you should definitely reach out to your doctor right away. Autoimmune issues can be such a struggle, and yeah, I guess they really do have a tendency to either flare up or settle down during pregnancy...
I actually deal with an autoimmune condition myself!!