Pneumonia question....can it get this bad?!
Question: I didn't know pneumonia can get this bad. My uncle is in SICU (I think it is) He went to the ER Saturday b/c he couldn't breathe. He has pnemonia and they drained tons of fluid off his lungs. They said it sounded like he was under water they had so much fluid on them. They put him on a ventilator that night and he has been on it since then. They have tried taking him off twice but he can't breathe on his own. Does this sound like pneumonia to you? I am worried about him, he is not coherent....could he die from this? Thanks.
Answers: I didn't know pneumonia can get this bad. My uncle is in SICU (I think it is) He went to the ER Saturday b/c he couldn't breathe. He has pnemonia and they drained tons of fluid off his lungs. They said it sounded like he was under water they had so much fluid on them. They put him on a ventilator that night and he has been on it since then. They have tried taking him off twice but he can't breathe on his own. Does this sound like pneumonia to you? I am worried about him, he is not coherent....could he die from this? Thanks.
I am sorry that he is so sick!
Unfortunately,yes,he can die from pneumonia,and scar tissue can form from the infection in his lungs.Pneumonia is fluid in the lungs that block his ability to inhale oxygen through his lungs..if he has a pulmonary history like emphysema ,COPD, or asthma, it can make it worse...(or if he is a smoker)
Sounds as if they are trying to wean him off of the vent so it seems as if the Drs. don't think he is hopeless.
Recovery can be long,but it is possible. He may have to change his lifestyle/habits afterwards.
Hang in there,having a sick family member can be really overwhelming....Hope he gets better soon.
y mom had the same thing she couldnt get off the resperator either when they finnally took it off by her choice she died that night i hope its not the same good luck
It definately can be pneumonia! There are a couple types on pneumonia, one caused from bacteria, and one caused from a virus. The bacterial kind can be treated with antibiotics, the viral one just kind of has to run it's course, altho sometimes antibiotics are used also. I don't know how old your uncle is, but pneumonia commonly hits older people harder, especially if the have other medical problems as well, especially anything respiratory ( such as asthma or emphasema, or they are a heavy smoker) Having these people on ventilators is not uncommon, but very scary for you I'm sure. I'm sorry to say, sometimes, pneumonia can be fatal.
Get well wishes to your uncle!