12/07/2024
UPDATE: 12/06/24 Hello everyone, I want to provide an update as of 6pm this evening. He is stable, and his vitals are stable. He responded well to the fluids given last night. He has pneumonia, which was caught early. According to the doctor, it is very treatable, but his health history means it can take a turn for the worse quickly. To prevent this, he is on strong antibiotics. He has been moved out of the emergency department and into a step-down unit, which is a critical care unit, just below ICU. They did test for sepsis and initial tests came back negative, they also did blood cultures and are letting them sit for 24/48 hours and will look for bacteria in the blood if they find bacteria in his blood that means he is septic. This is the worst case scenario for him as that along with pneumonia can be fatal. They are hoping the initial test was right but said that because his sodium levels were elevated they suspect it may be wrong.
What are they doing to try and counter this:
Well the answer is actually very complicated. The reason it is complicated is because he has a DNR (Do not resuscitate) so what this means is the doctors can not do normal care. They are only able to treat with medication they can not do advanced life support or ALS. So they are using some of the strongest medications they can to fight the pneumonia but it is typically treated by intubation and other medications. The doctor seemed pretty confident they could treat this without using the ALS techniques.
What does all this mean?
Well we have done everything we are legally allowed to do without removing the DNR.
What happens next?
We wait and hope this treatment works.
What am I doing as DPOA:
I have instructed the hospital to do everything they can to treat it within the guidelines of his DNR. You may wonder why this is in place. This was put in place in march of 2022 at my dad’s request. We met with the doctors and went over what it means and what he is okay with in regards to how we handle this situation. He asked that he be taken to the hospital but no life saving messures be taken. He further specified that no CPR or chest compressions be done. After this was completed in march of 2022. I went to his care team some time later and asked if this sort of document was needed as he was doing fairly well and didn’t seem to be showing signs of decline. His whole care team agreed that it was very necessary and should stay in place.
How can you help:
honestly just pray for him. Please feel free to ask questions! I am more than willing to hear what my other family members have to say. Please know that any and all decisions made during this time and any other times are made based off what the doctors are recommending we’ll also looking at the bigger picture of how it will affect quality of life as well as other factors. I do not take this responsibility lightly and I am doing everything I can to ensure my dad gets the best care possible. I ask for everyone to be respectful and understand that I am following the advice of his care team and the legal documents in place.
Can I visit him?
Yes you can visit he is at Tucson medical center. Just go to the front of the hospital and they will direct you to his room. You can also call Tucson medical center and ask to speak to his nurse. Below you can find the contact information to the hospital. If they will not talk to you please message me on here and I will tell them to speak to you.
Hospital information:
Tucson Medical Center
5301 E Grant Rd
Tucson, AZ 85712
United States
Phone number: (520) 327-5461
