In need of prayers

[Prisma]

I'm so sorry. Lend a shoulder and just be there is the best you could/can do.

 

[Schipperkesue]

I don't know what to do or say either. They are agnostic, so telling him she is headed to a better place falls on deaf ears. They don't believe in either a Heaven or a Hell, so there is no comfort in saying she will be with other family members who have passed, or that she will be looking down on him from above. His only true comfort is the solace in knowing that she knew he loved her, and they were together in her last moments of consciousness.

If she is an organ donor, perhaps some comfort may come from knowing her death will help other people.

 

[luvabunny]

I want to thank you all for your prayers, thoughts and kind words. The news hasn't changed. Dr's still say she is as good as she will ever get. The brain damage is irreversible and irreparable. From the brain down, she is fine as far as unconscious people ever are.

Many of you have said you no longer keep up with your meds or inhalers. The Dr's stated that had she been on asthma medication, this likely would never have happened. I know my son was after her all the time to go to the Dr and get medication. She did have an inhaler, but apparently on the day of the attack, it was either empty, or very nearly so. Best we can piece together, once she knew what was happening, she went to the car to use it. It was found on the floorboard. It takes 5 minutes without oxygen to cause the type of brain damage that she has. 5 minutes - and now there are multiple people who's lives are changed forever, not even counting hers.

Please, please, please, if you have asthma, take it seriously. She thought she could control it with just an inhaler. I have known her for 2 years and never seen her have an attack. We will probably never know what caused that Saturday to be different than any other day, but it certainly affected a lot of people, and will continue to do so.
The Dr has said her brain damage will not kill her. So, because she had the "it can't happen to me" attitude and didn't go to the Dr and get the proper medication, an 18 year old girl with a full life ahead of her will now spend it laying unconscious in a hospital bed. My son will pine for the loss of her person, tho not her body, the loss of their dreams, and the "what could have been". Her family, as well as mine, will never know the joy their children could have brought us all. At the very least, her 3 pet dogs will miss her.

Please, take care of your asthma. There may not be a second chance and tomorrow may be too late.

 

[Miss M]

My son is on a maintenance med, and knows when to take his rescue inhaler. Same with my mom, and my son helps make sure she takes it. My daughter... I'll talk to the doctor about her. She hasn't had any asthma issues or meds for years, but perhaps she should carry a rescue inhaler just in case.

 

[akane]

I used to not bother dealing with my asthma. I had one true asthma attack about 15 years ago when it was -20F out and after putting horses up I went running around playing in the snow with the dog. I had some mild asthma after testing a theory of shellfish allergy by eating a few crab filled ravioli. Confirmed and being careful to avoid that now. Sadly I shall never taste lobster. I've had minor symptoms when coming in out of the cold, around cigarette smoke (only cigarettes and no other form of smoke), and a certain mold that grows on the leather tack in humid weather. Those left me coughing a few times but I never got to wheezing. Lately though I've started wheezing here and there. I haven't tracked down the cause yet. I actually drug out and primed the inhaler that I fill every fall in case of cold weather asthma and then never even open the prescription bag. Need to narrow down the possibilities so I can avoid it and probably go back to the allergy and asthma clinic.

 

[Skyrocket]

Please, please, please, if you have asthma, take it seriously. She thought she could control it with just an inhaler. I have known her for 2 years and never seen her have an attack. We will probably never know what caused that Saturday to be different than any other day, but it certainly affected a lot of people, and will continue to do so.
The Dr has said her brain damage will not kill her. So, because she had the "it can't happen to me" attitude and didn't go to the Dr and get the proper medication, an 18 year old girl with a full life ahead of her will now spend it laying unconscious in a hospital bed. My son will pine for the loss of her person, tho not her body, the loss of their dreams, and the "what could have been". Her family, as well as mine, will never know the joy their children could have brought us all. At the very least, her 3 pet dogs will miss her.

Please, take care of your asthma. There may not be a second chance and tomorrow may be too late.

My father is a pharmacy tech, and I made sure to get a prescription to get a new inhaler when I went to the ER for my back. I couldn't afford to fill the script and my insurance wouldn't cover the $54 dollars to fill it so I asked him to get me one, he brought me two. c: I'm prepared now and won't leave the house without them. This whole thing has taught me not to underestimate my asthma. I was able to move the rabbits outside so now I don't have to use it as much inside the house but the weather shifting (was 70 yesterday, there's 2-3 inches of snow planned for tomorrow or Wednesday, I don't remember) and me emerging from the house from the winter and becoming more active. I find I'm needing it a hell of a lot more. I'm twenty-one and recovering from an opiate addiction. I'm still learning that the "It can't happen to me" attitude is slowly exiting my life, but it is leaving. This unfortunate event really opened my eyes to the horrors my asthma can unleash.

 

[the reluctant farmer]

April, I am so sorry. Thank you for your generosity in using this situation to remind the rest of us to take care of our selves and loved ones who may have asthma. I thought my youngest had outgrown it,but this spring is showing me otherwise. I am grateful that you reached out to the rest of us, and wish I could reciprocate with something to help all of you as well. My sympathy and prayers to you all.

 

[luvabunny]

I haven't been on in awhile. Life has been, well, hectic as you might believe.
I did want to post an update here tho, about Rachel.

Rachel's asthma attack was on Saturday April 5. Today is Friday, July 25. Rachel has never regained consciousness. She still cannot breathe without the help of a respirator. She has a tracheotomy and a stomach feeding tube. She has been placed in a "nursing facility" where I believe the only requirement is to keep her alive until the insurance runs out.

She is not receiving follow up MRI's or Cat Scans to determine if there is still swelling on her brain, or if it can be relieved in any way. She is seen by a Dr. one time per week. There is full time staff there, but they are not affiliated with any hospital. She has a lung and upper respiratory infection. She has been on a catheter since day 1. She only weighed about 90 lbs to begin with, and has lost a great deal of weight. She celebrated her 19th birthday in a coma.

Guys, this is not a way to live. I pray for her Mother to find the strength to get thru each day and accept the finality of what has happened. Her family continues to pray that a miracle will happen and she will get to come home, but honestly, she is no closer to that now than when she was moved out of ICU to this nursing facility nearly 3 months ago.

If I only reach 1 person with asthma, and cause them to re-up their script, or get them to go to the Dr for controlling medication, then, really, I have accomplished something, because there certainly isn't anything I can seem to do for Rachel or my son. I had no idea asthma could cause something like this, could destroy lives and families, but I hear more and more often that it is a killer.

This will be my final update on Rachel. Unfortunately, I don't foresee any change unless she is no longer fed or given the use of a respirator. That change will not be a happy one. My son, and our family, are trying to move on, but it is very difficult, and Rachel is still in our thoughts and prayers daily. Please, take care of your asthma. Yes, it can happen to you. Do you want to live like Rachel is living? I don't.

 

[Marinea]

I cannot begin to imagine the pain being felt by your family and by hers. If I had a way to share your update with everyone on the planet with a loved one with asthma, I would. I thank you for sharing it with RT.

Praying for peace and rest for both families.

*hugs*

 

[Miss M]

I am so very sorry... I had hoped she would start to improve.