“I really want a hamburger!”
by Brian Wright

[Previous: Omamacare V]
On Wednesday early a.m., 1/23/13, Mom was short of breath and her pulse was racing by my feel. She eventually insisted on going to ER (I had actually become inured to her seeming out of breath and was balking at taking her in!!). We arrived at emergency about 9:00 or 10:00 a.m.

The ER physician saw her fairly quickly and because pulse was remaining high w/nitro and other meds, he suggested entubation to enable breathing with ventilator assist; I agreed (not fully realizing the ramifications). At ~1300 she was moved—unconscious, because sedative is used for inserting the tube—to ICU. This is where Omamacare VI starts. Mother, unconscious, is basically breathing with ventilator assistance in ICU, while ICU diagnoses the root problem. I’m a bit foggy on events and personnel in this early hospitalization timeframe. Continue reading →