Hello, My mother is 82 years old and was very very weak with lots of muscle wasting when she was finally diagnosed in September with mixed connective tissue disease. She continued to be weak despite treatment and fell about 2 and half weeks ago fracturing her sacrum. They found a mass, operated and found ovarian cancer. She has now contracted moderate pneumonia and a fungal esophogitis infection. Her diaphram is not strong enough to cough up the mucous so she panics and they have to suction it out. Twice she has gone into respiratory distress and now is back in the icu. They remove the cpap for 3 to 4 hours and then her co2 elevates or her blood pressure rises or heart rate rises and they put it back on her. I am getting very mixed messages from the drs. although I believe it is all from a good place and in an effort to help her. Do you feel like now that the last distress was two days ago and she is not off the cpap for more than 4 hours that we are reaching any kind of point where this is not reversible? I personally do not think she will be strong enough for the suggested course of treatment, chemo. She has only been out of bed four times since dec. 29th for short periods of time.
Hilearning from the above history, doctors are doing right by managing her vitals in ICU and once she stabilizes on respiration and other vitals, chemo can wait as of now.reverses do happen with management in ICU. Connective tissue disease treatment also can wait till she recovers and is safe to take more medicines, steroids etc please wait and watch and pray for the best thanks