Hypoxia

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

Has anyone had an experience like this? Dad took a turn for

the worse and improved dramatically after being put on oxygen.

Yesterday Dad's morning aide reported that he was weak, unsteady,

and confused. When my sister called at 4PM, he was confused and

couldn't finish sentences. That's not unheard of, but she was

calling to ask him to join her for dinner, and normally he manages

to rise for that sort of occasion. As I drove up at about 6:45,

she called me to say that she was about to call 911. When I got

there, she and I and the evening caretaker agreed that he was much

less responsive than usual, and very trey, and his face was slightly

askew.

We called 911, and followed the ambulance to the ER. By the

time I joined him, he was noticeably better, and on oxygen. He

went off to have a CAT scan, and when he returned, the nurse put

on the oximeter, but not the oxygen cannula. His oxygenation

varied between 88 and 92, and he became less responsive. A

nurse noticed the numbers and put the cannula back on - he

revived.

The diagnosis was a UTI, and they let him go home at about

11pm. Which is very good because he gets disoriented in the

hospital unless me or my sister is with him and the 24 hour

days are taxing. He's on antibiotics. They ruled out a

stroke based on the CAT scan and good responses to physical

tests - both sides were the same.

I've got a finger pulse oximeter, and will check regularly

for blood oxigenation.

Best regards,

Ann