My grandmother is 85 years old and has been bedridden for the last 6 years. She has psws come in 3x per day, everyday. They change her and wash her in the morning, and I change her at night. She's always had trouble with vomiting, while eating, or while being changed. Very recently she's lost a lot of weight from not eating and she's very weak now. She sleeps a ton and barely eats anything :(. I just got a homevisit dr in and he said that her Oxygen levels are good, bp is good, breathing is good, no fever. He said she is weak from not eating (obviously!) and to try and get her to drink some ensure and keep trying to give her food.
I'm really scared and not sure what I should do. It's really just me in her life.
My mom spent 3 days in the ER and 3 in the hospital during the height of the pandemic and she was fine. She would have died had she not been transported to the hospital.
Sometimes we just have to have faith that what is to be will be, but we must act reasonably.
If you are worried about your grandmother, call 911 and have her taken to the ER. You will both be given a mask and that's it. More people are being allowed to die at home rather than going to the ER for necessary medical care, all over the worry of a virus! My DD is an RN in a downtown hospital and works there every day, even before they had N95 masks available, and she's been just fine. Same with her co-workers.
Also, answer the questions Alva is asking you........does grandma have a dementia diagnosis? Why does she have swallowing issues? From a stroke? How much does she weigh?
Alva is a retired nurse who can guide you if you answer her questions.
Best of luck!
2. She doesn't use dentures , not sure why ,just never did. I make her meals that are soft to eat. She will be eating then all of a sudden start sneezing. A lot of the time she will vomit after eating.
3. i would estimate she weighs about 100=110lbs
It sounds quite clear to me that your grandmother is in her end days, but that cannot be predicted in terms of days or weeks or even months. Is there something you feel you could do that you are not doing? Because as a nurse I honestly don't. Forcing foods or fluids she no longer has the drive to take in or the wish to have could cause aspiration of food into the lungs, with aspiration pneumonia.
Have you asked Grandmom's doctor if there is anything more that you can do or should do? Or are you giving vent really to the great grief you feeling coming at you? I wish there was some way to help you with this, but I cannot imagine what that would be. Hugs. Please take care of yourself.