Urgent advice is needed for our elderly mum with COPD placed on end of life meds
Urgent advice is needed, especially independent medical advice, and legal regarding our elderly mum.
Our mum has just turned 80 and has had COPD around 10 years, as well as asthma breathing related issues since giving up smoking around 1993. She also has mild glaucoma, diabetes and mild dementia caused by a series of mini strokes these last few years. Her health has deteriorated imho possibly as a result of the covid vaccine and one boaster shot this last 18 months. She very nearly died after the first covid vaccine. I am very much well aware of the VARS and Yellow card statistics and follow UK Column, The Corbett Report, etc. and other independent media for many years.
Certainly she has lost a a lot of weight this last 18 months and has not been in great shape having being admitted into hospital for either low oxygen levels or respiratory infections quite a few times. She has been on oxygen these last 2 years or so. She is currently being looked after at home by various state carers and my sibling when home.
Around a week ago she was admitted again via ambulance to a HDU, high dependency unit. I was constantly told via my sister that she is at deaths door. Turns out this is not the case, certainly a corrupt version of the truth.
Upon discharge my sister discovered that without permission from anyone including my mum, sister and other family, that my mum has been put on end of life treatment drugs, including morphine sulphate, haloperidol, midazolam, glycopyrronaium bromide, lorazapam. My sister was shocked but even more shocked when I told her what all these drugs do and are intended for. Bear in mind our mum has never suffered any form of psychosis ever.
When one of the nurses caught my sister reading my mums chart the day she was being discharged, the nurse literally angrily snatched it out of her hands and told her it was confidental. My sister explained that now she understands every time they told her she was dying she realised our mum had simply been heavly sedated. If there is nothing to hide why snatch away such information and with such anger?
My understanding from UK Column and other such independant media that there is something awry in the NHS regarding elderly persons. It seems that upon being admitted to hospital this time, someone made the decision of a course of action that what amounts to a planned euthanasia of our mum.
She has only been home now for 2 and 1/2 days. While there is a district nurse attending daily to adminster some of these end of life drugs it seems our mum has started to withdraw causing a state of hysteria, mass confusion, panic to the point of screaming, and screaming ‘please help me, ‘please help me, ‘please help me, ‘.
She has been grabbing onto things and lashing out with them such as her oxygen tube. None of this has ever happened before and is clearly a result of the combination of all these very powerful drugs, or her withdrawing from them. My sister said it is like a psychosis, albeit one caused by these drugs, or the withdrawel from them. Apparently also since coming home she has refused to eat a single meal and is not talking, that is not communacatiing at all. All of this is extermely distressing for everyone especially our mum.
I am of the mind that we need to safely, medically start a plan to withdraw her from these end of life drugs to give a her a fighting chance in her last few years or even months as well as seeking alternative treatments, such as manuka honey, herb based etc which we have already been doing. My understanding that aside that they have already induced panic, screaming and some form of psychosis that she would be better off without some if not all if them.
I am no medical expert though, neither is my sister and we are kind of at a loss of what to do. Certainly I feel the haloperidol and midazolam, are most definiviely unecessary as until 2 days ago she has never had any form of psychosis, and the lorazapam in itself is already a very strong anti anxity medication. Also if we decide to withdraw her from some or all of these new medications she has been on for only about 2 and 1/2 weeks, where do we stand legally?
What is the best thing to do? What is the best course of action?
I am not a medical or legal authority. But I want you to know I understand the pain of your mom and you and your siblings.
My dad's second wife had her hometown doctor dose my dad on Haloperidol for years because she said he became mean after having a stroke. When we were able to move him across the country to live with us, we found many medical atrocities had been committed. I do know that withdrawal from haloperidol causes nervous tics and other bad symptoms if not done correctly. Tardive dyskinesia, for one. I would get another opinion, right away.
I hope you find the help she needs.
Hi there. I'm glad you've come here and my heart goes out to you for what you and your family, especially your mother, are enduring. As others have said here, we are not medical experts or lawyers, so for your own safety we can't give that sort of advice here. However, in addition to contacting her GP or other regular doctors she's been seeing for her care, you might want to consider contacting a social worker. Here in the US there are usually social workers affiliated with the hospital and other care agencies to help you navigate, figure out next steps and get the resources you need. Withdrawing from any medication should only happen with the careful supervision of a doctor, typically slowly over time. It seems like a good course of action would to meet with her care team and find out exactly what each medication is doing, why she is taking it and what the plan is moving forward. And we always encourage consulting additional doctors for their opinion if you are uncomfortable or unsure in any way. You deserve to feel knowledgeable, comfortable and supported as you care for your mother -- please let us know how things are going and what the doctor says. Take good care of yourself! -Melissa, copd.net team
