Myra Adriano nars2k@yahoo.com

Hi, I'm Myra. My 4 year-old daughter Iyana was diagnosed with ARDS just yesterday. She is our only daughter, and my husband Larry is at the bedside with her now. She is on a paralytic agent for the oscillator, and other medications to support her vital signs. We almost lost her yesterday, but now she is stable and they are slowly titrating the meds she is on.
 

posted 3/3/2007

Nicolas Hoots nic_hoots@earthlink.net

My 4 year-old daughter went to the hospital with upper airway problems, and they thought it was croup. They gave her breathing treatments and steroids and it didn't help. She stopped breathing and was revived, and then she vomited. She aspirated her vomit and was then rushed by helicopter to the nearest Children's hospital. Now she is on her third ventilator, really an oscillator, 3 chest tubes, 7 medications, has a hole in the lung, and tubes in both nostrils. Her cO2 level keeps elevating and they can't seem to get it down, her pH level is below 7.2, and her oxization is only 85%. Her settings on the oscillator are at the highest setting for her and nothing seems to be helping.
 

posted 2/25/2007

Anthoni ahmore1@yahoo.com

I'm not sure if my mom has ARDS, but she has bronchitis, a fib, osteoporosis, hiatal hernia, and she is only 58! I am the oldest son, and my mom has been in the ICU for 3 weeks now. She was in one hospital, where she had been intubated, and then sent to a nursing home, and then to another hospital, where she was re-intubated again. Her O2 level had been dropping and that's why she was placed on the vent. She had a tracheotomy and is on 30 percent O2 on the pressure machine. I am very confused. My mom is also heavily sedated and really red and swollen. I call and try to go every day, but they all said she is the same. her PCP and lung doctor say she is stuck. I miss my mom and the guilt of my behavior is driving me crazy. Can anyone tell me how easy is it to be weaned off a respirator with a tracheotomy? She is on insulin, feeding tube, the trach, all kinds of antibiotics, and her labs haven't really changed. Doctors don't know if she is too tired to try to recover of if her bronchitis has gotten worse. Please help and keep her in your prayers. I'm turning to alcohol for relief because I feel consumed. My family here in the US and in Colombia is praying!
 

posted 2/24/2007

Dale Swanzer dale.swanzer@thrivent.com

My brother was in an accident a little over a week ago that broke the upper and lower part of his leg. He underwent surgery for the upper portion of his leg on 2/16/2007. Later that evening he became ill with a low BP reading, fever and low oxygen; on Saturday morning he was placed into the intensive care unit. He has been sedated and is on a ventilator. At this time we are not seeing much progress. The number is on the machine is at 70 and his oxygen level is at between 89-92. They lowered the oxygen level that they are giving him to 55 yesterday but now they increased it back up to 70. I have come to believe that this is going to take a very long time and was wondering if anyone can give me some insight on what to expect in the coming days.
 

posted 2/23/2007

Susan Streight suzyk8855@sbcglobal.net

My friend, Jackie, fell and broke her hip in November, 2006. The next day she developed a fatty embolus that located itself in her left lung. All this led to ARDS. She got over the first bout in December, and was doing much better until a month ago, when the ARDS came back in force. Now both lungs are involved. She has been on a ventilator for over 3 months now. Now there is talk that there may or may not be brain damage. Her husband is about to have a nervous breakdown from the ups and downs she has encountered. Please, if anyone can help me help her family in understanding and continuing to keep hope.
 

posted 2/20/2007

Darryl Bush darrylpix@sbcglobal.net

Dion hasn't been given a diagnosis. The patient has severe respiratory difficulty, and is on a respirator. The lungs are stiffening, and the patient is taking steroids and antibiotics. The doctors offer little help and say they're doing all they can. The patient had a recent staph infection, but the hospital says it isn't related.
 

posted 1/20/2007

Jason Harrison j.harrison@picoworld.com

My mother was in an accident three weeks ago and had injuries to her lungs, ribs, and liver. Her right lung was slightly bleeding but was repaired internally. Her liver had a grade 4 laceration but healed on its own shortly after the accident. Mom was awake and talking to the doctors when she was brought to the hospital. She is on a respirator and was given sedation and paralytic drugs to keep her stable. She developed pneumonia as well. The pneumonia has been cured with antibiotics and she is no longer on the paralytic or sedation medication. She still has a central line IV giving her antibiotics. She is only given pain medication as needed. The main issue is that she still requires the respirator and she is not as responsive as the doctors would like. She has her eyes open and can open and close her mouth and will occasionally try to move her head and eyes toward the person who is talking to her. She has not moved any other body part and seems paralyzed. A few days before they gave her the paralytic medication, she was able to move her arms and head and seemed more responsive. The doctors have done a CAT scan and it didn't show any signs of a stroke. All blood flowing to her brain is unobstructed. We are all concerned why she is not responsive after 7-10 days of being off the medications. The doctors are scheduling an MRI and an EEG to see if there is something else going on. All of her vital signs are good and her oxygen level is acceptable. If anyone has any advice on what may be going on, it would be much appreciated. We are all confused and concerned for my mother.
 

posted 1/18/2007

Gaye gbw1007@optonline.net

My dear friend was misdiagnosed and treated for a sinus infection, when he really had pneumonia and now is fighting for his life with ARDS. It sounds exactly what you describe in all the info above. Right now he is in a sedated paralytic state and on ventilation. I was wondering if there are any ARDS support groups, or people in the Littleton, Colorado area that I can
put in touch with the wife of my friend. Although she is surrounded by good friends, she is so alone, with no parents/siblings around to help. Their family lives back East. Thanks. Warm regards, Gaye
 

posted 1/18/2007

Ilze ilze@vipconsulting.co.za

My twin brother Stephan had an "epileptic fit" and vomited. The vomit went to his lungs on 7 January 07. On 10 January 07, he went into septic shock. His right lung collapsed and infected the left lung; under the right lung he generated fluid and they start with medication to help with infection. The medication worked so far, but the lungs don't want to work. He is sedated but can hear us. After a week, they did a tracheotomy and took all the pipes out of his mouth, and he is getting liquid food liquid. He has a fever, sometimes past 38�C, and high blood pressure. They are going to put a pipe in to get the liquid out and turn him to lie on his stomach. I don't what to expect next.
 

posted 1/17/2007

Julia jewells17@juno.com

My brother is 55 years old and has ARDS. After a few weeks on the vent, he is on the trach. He is coughing a lot and agitated at times. Please pray for him.
 

posted 1/4/2007

Malia meadollfin25@yahoo.com

My 47 year-old mother has just been diagnosed with ARDS. This is her second round. She had it in May 2005. She is on 100% o2 with talk of a vent. Her CT scan is grim. She is awake and talking, a little forgetful however. She went in the the ER with back pain, and 24 hours later the ARDS was back. Anyone with information, please let me know.
 

posted 12/30/2006

Heather hexnrand@gmail.com

My friend Tracy had Gastric Bypass surgery on December 18th and should have been discharged on December 20th. When going for an X-ray to determine if there were any leaks in the new pouch, it was determined there were leaks. Another surgery had to be performed to eliminate the leak, but apparently, too much fluid had leaked out and caused an infection. She was placed in ICU on December 20 on a respirator/ventilator and has since been classified with ARDS.
Yesterday, she attempted to push out the tube with her tongue and succeeded, but could not breathe on her own. They changed her drugs to place her into a further drug induced coma. We pray each day for her to come out of ARDS. It has been 7 days with little or no change.
 

posted 12/28/2006

Ola Jacobs olajacobs@msn.com

My nephew has Chrohns, and had a minor procedure done 9 days ago. Following aspiration in the OR, he developed ARDS. He is not responding to treatments and remains on 100% o2 at 15 of PEEP. He did survive another surgery today to look for an abscess. We are going minute by minute. He is presently on nitric oxide. We need prayers.
 

posted 12/24/2006

Beth momonmeds@yahoo.com

My mom had undiagnosed cellulites in her legs and pneumonia when she was taken to the ER by ambulance. She had also gone septic. They did a trans-esophageal echocardiogram and tore her esophagus which caused severe bleeding. She was sent to the ICU and really went downhill from nasal cannula to cpap mask to ventilator in just a few days. She was put on the vent just about 5 days ago and every day is a question. Some days it's baby steps forward, but usually it's no progress at all or something negative. The doctors have been hopeful, but we've seen a big difference in the nurses. Some are extremely helpful and informative, others have asked about an advanced directive and been quite negative. I have several children, my dad doesn't drive, and neither of us can be there all the time. I am so torn as I need to take care of my family, but I feel like I need to be with my mom. It's tough to find a balance and keep positive and hopeful. We try to have faith and believe that she will overcome this.
 

posted 12/11/2006

Sandra Smith ssmith@perdueoffice.com

What a roller coaster. Mom is 78, and after experiencing some chest pressure, she had the usual stress tests, and then a heart catheter, and then 2 bypasses. The day before, she had mowed her huge lawn. She was very healthy before all of this. She did not need to take any medications, short of osteoporosis medication. BAM! What a hit! She did fine through the surgery and 3 days after, developed the breathing problems. She has been weaned off the vent once already. This round she has been on the vent for 4 days as of today. The biggest problem I have right now is the pessimistic attitude of the doctors, and dealing with so many doctors and their varying opinions. Every day is a guessing game. One day things look better, and the next day they are not. How do you get through this? Some of the doctors are very pleasant and will answer any question and give you their time, and some not at all. Because the pulmonary doctors belong to a large firm, we are always seeing a new doctor. Did anyone else experience any of this?
 

posted 12/6/2006

Julia jesqueda@hotmail.com

On September 14, 2006 my mother (59) began experiencing inexplicable severe pain in her side and back. After visiting a general physician she was told to go the local hospital emergency room as she was probably dealing with gallstones. The pain continue to become more severe until she was finally diagnosed with acute pancreatis and given pain medication once in the emergency room. The course of treatment was explained and our minds were put at ease knowing that this was a temporary condition and that she would be better in a few days. The following day she continued complaining about the pain and began reporting difficulties breathing. Thinking she was hyperventilating because of the pain we reminded her to relax and rest...not knowing that she had been accumulating fluid in her lungs which was making it harder and harder for her to breathe. The following morning she wasn't in her room when we arrived - and it was then we were informed she was now in the ICU and a on a ventilator. It's been almost 2 months now that my mom has been combating ARDS. The first weeks were the worst...she was so obviously struggling and in a drug induced coma. At the end of the first month we began to see some improvements and she began to weaned off the sedative medication. Now - she is conscious, though at times appears tired and frustrated due to her immobility and having a trach. We can now see the light and though this hasn't been a fast recovery we feel blessed at the support we have received from doctors, family and friends.
 

posted 11/8/2006

A. Lydestad amy@surge.ca

My mother underwent triple bypass surgery on September 5th. She hemorrhaged and they had to go back in 3 times in 3 days and then she had a massive heart attack. She has COPD damage to her lungs from smoking & a paralyzed diaphragm and frenic (sp?) nerve damage from a chest surgery when young. She's had pneumonia 2 times plus more infections. 2 weeks ago we were told she would die in ICU and it was a matter of when. Yesterday, my mom was sitting up and off the ventilator for 8 hours-miraculous is what they're calling it now. I am so grateful but my mom has a long way to go. Mom is having memory problems. Does anyone know if this will get better? Any advice would be appreciated.
 

posted 11/6/2006

Karen KarenGabel38@msn.com

Andrea went in on Friday, September 29, 2006 for pulmonary valve replacement. She was in ICU for recovery and then moved to a room Saturday afternoon and complained about not being able to breathe. They started nebulizer treatments, but after a lung collapsed early Monday morning, she was moved back in the ICU, where she remains to date. She was on the Oscillator vent for a week, weaned from that to a regular vent and then trached. She was off the vent today for 12 hrs with blow-by, and is starting PT, but our big concern is agitation. She hasn't slept in almost 3 days, despite heavy narcotics to make her sleep. As her sister, I don't know if I should talk to her about how long she's been there and if she would even comprehend it. She is constantly mouthing, I want to go home, I want to drive my car. Doctors seem happy with her lung progression, but I'm concerned about ICU hallucinations...
 

posted 10/25/2006

Jim Sigler jblaines@hotmail.com

Our daughter Teri fell and broke her shoulder. At first the doctor said surgery was not needed, and to come back in a week. She returned in a week and was told after an x-ray she needed surgery. I tried to get her to get a second opinion, but he was pushing to do the surgery and she wanted to get it over with. I can't understand why they did the surgery, as the surgeon made several things clear before putting her under. He told her he saw something on the xr-ay ,but they would do a CAT scan and address that after the surgery. She had bronchitis and was coughing when she went in. She had been running a low grade fever before going under, but he said if it was less than 100 it was OK. After the surgery she was coughing some, and my wife asked if he would keep her in the hospital to observe her. He said he could not justify doing so. Her cough continued to get worse, so we took her to emergency three days later and she was diagnosed with double pneumonia. They treated her for this three days with normal antibiotics etc. She was getting worse so they sent her to ICU. She was put on a ventilator there and scheduled for an open lung biopsy. On the day they were to do a biopsy, she developed a blood clot in the shoulder and they had to cancel the biopsy so they could use blood thinners. After treating the clot for a few days, they stopped the blood thinner and did the biopsy. The diagnosis was ARDS. She has been placed in a special bed that rotates her body and all of her bodily functions are controlled by machines to allow her body to only work to try to help clear her lungs. She has been in this bed 23 days. The only positive results we have seen so far is a slight clearing of the left lung and a gradual reduction in her oxygen requirement from 100% to about 40%. She continues on a ventilator but they are planning to do a tracheotomy in the next couple of days. She has had no previous heart trouble but she has had two occasions where her heart rate dropped drastically.
 

posted 10/10/2006

Pat and Nancy spurlock@npgcable.com

Our 27 year-old daughter Polly, has Prader-Willi Syndrome, which has caused her to weigh almost 500 pounds. The doctors just discovered ARDS. She has been on a respirator for a couple of weeks and yester day she was put on a bed that allows her to turn on her stomach.
 

posted 10/7/2006

Nancy lavin1234@aol.com

I have never even heard of ARDS! My Dad had abdominal surgery on August 14th, and about a week later, aspirated and ended up in the ICU. Has developed ARDS. He has been on a respirator since August 28, and on dialysis since September 4. They plan to do tracheotomy in three days. He is a heavy smoker, has atrial fibrillation and lots of problems, but has loads of spitfire and is a decent man. I think the odds are not good, and it hurts to see him so frail and distressed. The ICU team is doing that balancing act -- rolling, suctioning, adjusting oxygen, pressure, medications. Dad really wanted another ten years, and I hope he gets it.

posted 9/25/2006

Sharon and Gerald Mister sharon.mister@comcast.net

On June 23, 2006 my father-in-law John went in for a surgery. He was only supposed to be in the hospital for 4 days, which was to remove the top upper portion of his right lobe, which was scar tissue from emphysema. His admission and surgery day was Friday the 23 of June, 2006; by Monday, he was in intensive care on oxygen, diagnosed with pneumonia and heavily sedated with restraints. He has made it out of the ICU and in a normal room on 2 different occasions, only to turn around and be put back in the ICU on oxygen. He was due to possibly come a little closer to home this past Friday, Sept 15th, only to be told to loved ones by doctors on Saturday, September 16th, that his oxygen level had dropped and he was put back in the ICU. Today is September 19th, and his loved ones were told that he now has a blood infection. I would really like to know if this is part of the ARDS or this is something different. With everything I have researched, I cannot tell if that is part of the ARDS. Just to let you know, he has been diagnosed with pneumonia 3 times, had a staph infection, the good lung collapsed and had to have a drainage tube in, he has had black fungus drain out of the lung that he had surgery with, fluid on the lungs, swelling (severe) on arms & lower extremities, 3 months of feeding tube in stomach & nose, and now he has a blood infection. I would love to hear some response and help. If you can give me anything reassuring or not, I would love to hear from you, due to my husband needing some education on this subject to pass on to the rest of his family. Thank you. Sharon Mister

posted 9/19/2006

Bayla baylainphilly@hotmail.com

My mom's initial hospitalization was for bowel obstruction, which ruptured while she was hospitalized and caused her to become severely septic. Post operatively, the patient appeared to have aspirated and fell into ARDS within
24 hours of emergency surgery. The patient is currently recovering and considered to be out of ARDS from the physician's standpoint. Cistracuriun, Levo and Versed have all been discontinued after 8 days of administration. Fentanyl is also being weaned at this time, but antibiotics are still being administered. The patient is still on the vent. ARDS was a major complication to an already serious intestinal surgery, which the patient is also trying to recover from as well as ARDS.

posted 9/18/2006

Cheryl Wommer wnnabdwnundr@kc.rr.com

My husband had a heart attack in May of 2006 and had 2 stents put in his heart. He was diagnosed borderline diabetic and had only 50% of his heart function left. He quit smoking right then and there and tried to stay on his diet. He was also prescribed lots of different medications. In July, he got sick and had to go to the hospital and they diagnosed pneumonia, but then he got worse and the antibiotics they were using weren't working. He is now on a ventilator and has been the last 3 weeks and he has developed numerous complications. He's very critical and the next step is tracheotomy. He cant breathe on his own without struggling too much. The doctors feel its going to be a long recovery, or he may not recover. He's in God's hands.

posted 9/13/2006

Ian Boyd livingwell@gmail.com

My wife Angie was rushed to hospital two weeks ago with severe abdominal pains. After a CT scan, they found a blockage in her bowel. They operated, and four days later she was in severe pain and a lot of pus/fecal matter was oozing from her wound. Another scan showed the bowel had split, causing severe infection into her stomach. She started having trouble breathing and is now in the ICU on a ventilator in a drug induced coma so her body can fight ARDS and the severe sepsis. The doctors told me it doesn't look hopeful, but we're taking it one day at a time...she's a fighter and a lot stronger than me....

posted 9/10/2006

Mary livingwell@gmail.com

My friend is 60 and has lung cancer. He just had a surgery to remove a lung and did well during the surgery. A few days later, he seemed to crash and was diagnosed with ARDS. He's been on the vent 2 days so far, and we have no idea what to expect...

posted 9/8/2006

Grayce Cruden sealed3@yahoo.com

My father had sudden anxiety out of nowhere, passed out, and now needs sedatives and morphine. He is on a vent, cognitively alert though drowsy, and not septic. He has had asthma since birth, and has COPD. He is a retired physician, and his vital signs are stable. He was never sick in life until 2001. The last three months he was OK, then suddenly he couldn't breathe. Now my family is thinking of removing him from the respirator, and bringing him home. I can't agree since his labs are so good and he is mentally aware. Help me...I am having a hard time concentrating on all the medical. He has been in the hospital for three weeks; he was supposed to come home this past Wednesday.

posted 8/31/2006

Dr. Abraham ashkuttan@hotmail.com

Alphin is a six year-old female who joined her dad in England from India in April 2006. She was a previously healthy child without any hospital admissions in the past. On June 28, 2006 she came back from school being unwell, she was taken to the hospital and x-rays revealed that she had severe pneumonia. She went downhill in the next 72 hours, and went into respiratory failure. She was ventilated and shifted to the Bristol intensive care unit. Every possible test has been done on Alphin and everything came negative. It is presumed that she may have developed ARDS secondary to EBV or Parvovirus as they had identified the capsid antigen for both on PCR in her BAL. She was on the ventilator and HFO for 3 weeks when she was shifted to Great Ormond street London for ECMO. She has been on ECMO for 5 weeks. It has been extremely frustrating for a dad to watch his child alert and talking while she is on ECMO, and at the same time her lungs are totally not in a state to ventilate on her. This is her second round of ECMO and her last chance of survival. Currently she is on methyl prednisone, and antibiotics. If anybody has any clue to add to her management, please e-mail me back. I'm a pediatrician, and it is hard being a totally helpless dad.

posted 8/25/2006

Paul paul.shaw@earthlink.net

Many of the observations (anger, frustration, "why don't they know why this is happening") I share. My Dad has been in ICU for close to a month now, and he is possibly improving slowly, but it is not dramatic. I have faith in the caregivers, but fear what they cannot tell me: how will this end?

posted 8/22/2006

Renee Mitchell bogle7@earthlink.net

My niece was born last Tuesday through c-section and at 3:30 in the morning, she was rushed to the children's hospital and has been on this machine since then. The doctors are still trying to figure out what is wrong with her. My sister and her husband don't know anyone out there with this, and there is no support group for them to talk to. They have no idea who to talk to.

posted 8/22/2006

Marlee tha_playett@hotmail.com

My 20 year-old brother is in the hospital fighting for his life. He was the passenger of a terrible car accident. It has been 21 days now and the doctor told me he may not make it because he had developed holes all over his lungs from the breathing machine. He also has pneumonia in his lungs. I�m confused...this is all a nightmare. I just don�t understand.

posted 8/19/2006

Leanne Davis readnskate2@aol.com

On the 17th of July, my Dad was mowing our yard. There is a pond really close to our house, and part of the bank is really steep. He turned the mower too far, and the mower went over the bank, and into the pond with my dad under it. When it landed, my sister heard a crash, and him calling for help. She called 911, and they got him to a hospital, where they thought he would make a quick recovery, even though he broke a bunch of ribs and his collar bone. They had to do a small surgery on him. After the surgery, he started to go downhill. They put him in the ICU, and he still needs to leave it. We are hoping he will.

posted 8/14/2006

Lee Foreback foreback@earthlink.net

My uncle went into the hospital with an infection, and after a week was placed in the ICU on a vent. We were told he had ARDS. That was over 30 days ago. Some days are good and others are bad. This is becoming very frustrating for us. HELP!

posted 8/11/2006

Diane treemakrgen@yahoo.com

My husband Michael is currently in the CCU with ARDS. He is being given nitric oxide in addition to ventilator support. This is his second time being diagnosed with ARDS. The first time was 2 years ago after bowel surgery. Last time he was on the vent for 56 days.

posted 8/11/2006

JoAnn Grande tgrande@neo.rr.com

My husband Tom was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on March 1, 2006. He was treated with chemotherapy, radiation, had a bypass then cancer surgery. He now has ARDS in the SICU.

posted 8/8/2006

Phil philhumann@hotmail.com

We came to the hospital on July 24th for my Dad's surgery. He was having an esophagectomy to try to remove his cancer. Things seemed to be going well until about 3 days after the surgery; he started becoming short of breath. It kept getting worse and he kept getting more and more panicky, until finally they had no choice but to go to the ventilator. My Mom and I told him we loved him, and he has been unconscious for the last 3 days. He has been suffering for so long with the cancer treatments, and now this. Sometimes it seems like we are fighting fate itself. We hope for a quick recovery, but the doctors offer little hope of that. There *is* hope though, however little, and we have to cling to that.

posted 8/3/2006

Jeff lappster32@yahoo.com

My wife developed an abscess on her buttocks that went septic. She was flown flight for life to the hospital and underwent emergency surgery. After surgery, she never really developed lung function back. The critical care doctor informed me she had ARDS and gave me the basics. My wife has had a lot of lung problems along the road of her life: asthma, chronic bronchitis and was told she had early stages of COPD on top of 20+ years smoking. I am fearful for her because of her chronic lung conditions, and hope that someone can give me some hope to her recovery from this.

posted 7/22/2006

Rudy saianna130703@yahoo.com

My sister Indra went in for surgery on July 11. The surgery was to remove a tumor from her esophagus which was preventing her from eating. She had a spinal tumor when she was 10, but was "cured" only after being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. While in surgery the doctor discovered another tumor on her left lung, so it was removed along with a piece of her lung. After 4 days she was moved from the ICU to a regular room. But she complained of tightness in her chest. After doing a CT scan (which came out negative) and after she said she could not take the shortness of breath anymore, she was put back in the ICU. She has been put on a ventilator, and has a tube draining her stomach and is using 70% oxygen to breathe. She has been diagnosed with ARDS. She has her senses, but has been drugged a lot to combat the pain and to allow her to sleep. The physicians say that gastric fluids regurgitated from her stomach started this process (along with surgery on her lung I'm sure). The next step is a tracheotomy for her within the next few days. Any help with this from survivors or others going through a similar thing would be appreciated. Thank you.

posted 7/20/2006

Lauri Calandrino lauri99999@aol.com

My mom went into the hospital for gall stones four week ago on Father's Day. She's had an infection from day 1, and it took them 12 days to do the surgery?! I guess this infection has gotten worse and worse, and has festered somewhere. Because of DOCUMENTED negligence and an uncaring staff
(understatement, i.e., a nurse who has a business on the side making cell phone business calls while working on her), she has gotten worse and we were told many things today from doctors. One being things are looking up (except for the 106 fever that was not monitored, then keeping her on ice too long almost until hypothermia based on vitals) and next telling us she has ARDS which will 100% kill her. He "is not at liberty to say" whether or not the hospital caused this. She has been intubated for 3 days now. They aren't doing anything that this website suggests. This woman is the glue holding our family together. She would cut off her limbs to help her family, and may be murdered by this hospital. Anyone else in the same situation? ARDS from neglect? How can we get them to listen to us and take us seriously? She doesn't have a DNR and therefore, their job is to keep trying until WE say stop.

posted 7/17/2006

Susan Conners smc291@msn.com

My best friend Scott is in crisis at this time in July 2006. The shock of this for me, is I lost my mother to ARDS in July 2000. In my whole life I never thought I would have to have ARDS affect my life again. I pray for his recovery every day. Scott has so much to contribute in this world. He has tremendous strength and spirit. I will not lose another person that means the world to me. Please pray for him and his family and friends. There are angels in his life now (Grant), and there are angels in heaven, my mom. Love to everyone involved.

Susan

posted 6/30/2006

Kristy Flores matthew-kristy@sbcglobal.net

I don't really know were to start. My Dad was admitted to the hospital about two weeks ago. They weren't sure what was wrong with him. On Father's Day was the last time I saw him awake. He was put into coma. Since then we discovered he has ARDS. As of today, our whole family has been on an emotional roller coaster. My sister is a wreck and my mom is a mess. Then there is me. I don't even know what or how to feel. There's nothing positive coming from the nursing staff. This is the only place to go that understands, gives me hope and helps me understand.

posted 6/26/2006

Savitha savy_r1@yahoo.com

My brother-in-law Arun met with an accident and from that time had breathing problems. The orthopedist did x-rays to rule out any fractures in the rib cage. He had a wound that was left untreated by the doctor, which later got infected and pus formed. After a week, he had a fever, low blood pressure and was admitted to the hospital and was diagnosed with septicemia. After 2 days of hospitalization in the ICU, he developed ARDS. Today is the sixth day of hospitalization where his ventilator count is reduced by 15 counts. I just want to know his chances of survival. Can anybody help me?

posted 6/19/2006

Helen K. Harvey helen.k.harvey@honeywell.com

My husband Gene has been in the ICU since April 20, 2006. He is on ventilator support through a trach tube. They are keeping him sedated to give his body a rest.

posted 5/31/2006

Kathy Haldiman chelseyirene@yahoo.com

My daughter Jamie has been on life support since May 8, 2006. It started out as pneumonia. She is in critical condition.

posted 5/30/2006

Dan Bittle djbittle@cox.net

A mother, wife and loving friend to many now suffers the disease ARDS. She went in May 7th and was diagnosed with pneumonia and immediately was put on a ventilator. She also went in and was very septic. On May 18th, she was diagnosed with ARDS. She now is in a bed that rolls her all the way around because there is so much fluid in her lungs that the gravity is pulling it to the back making it almost impossible to be drained out. She is heavily sedated and now she is on paralysis medication because her heart muscles and lungs are working too hard and she is also fighting the ventilator. We all love Jamie...not only she is in pain but her loved ones also. We pray every day hoping she gets well and we also pray for all those who are suffering as well. We are all going through an emotional roller coaster ride. We have never felt how it is to have a person in the hospital and have always thought that it would never be us. But our time has now come to feel what it is like to have someone so ill in the hospital and be so helpless. We would have never thought that it would be us. We love her so much and are scared and confused.
 

posted 5/22/2006

Gina Miller gamoreg157@aol.com

He had non Hodgkin's lymphoma and is in remission. Now he has ARDS and is hanging on to his life!
 

posted 5/20/2006

Donald doliver@cbia.org

My mom came down with ARDS this last Christmas of 2005. She spent weeks in the hospital, three of which in the ICU. Finally she was allowed to come home. Anyway, in our area of California, its spring and allergies are affecting everyone.
Does anyone know if allergies can affect people with ARDS more than others?
 

posted 5/4/2006

Tammy Proctor tkaproctor@hotmail.com

It started with a tear in my brother-in-law's lung. He was in the hospital for two weeks waiting for surgery. They sent him home for a few days while waiting for the surgery. Up until his surgery he looked fine. Then he had his surgery, and they took an x-ray and found a bleeder so they had to go back in. He was fine for a day or two, then he started having trouble. They sent him to the CCU. He was still having problems (he realized he should have never smoked), and they transferred him to the ICU. He has been there ever since. Now he is on an oscillatory ventilator. They can't get him switched back to a regular ventilator.
 

posted 5/2/2006

Ellen Crockett matriarcofcolor@yahoo.com

My brother Jerry is in the second week of ARDS. He had surgery, had sepsis, then was diagnosed with ARDS . He remains paralyzed and sedated, and I remain in a most hellish situation of his finances, his healthcare and the lingering desperate desire to save him. One day his O2 level drops, and the next day it goes up. Then his heart jumps to 250 and his blood pressure drops to almost nothing. I am going crazy.
 

posted 4/27/2006

Alan Russell merlin-88@hotmail.com

It started with a tear in my brother's lung. He called for an ambulance and was admitted to the hospital. They put a tube put in his lung to drain fluid and was doing fine for a few weeks. He was sent home for a few days waiting for surgery, then had his surgery. They found a bleeder, so he needed surgery again the next day. He was fine for a while, then started having problems. He was sent to the CCU, was OK for a few days, then had trouble again. He was sent to the ICU and now is in a drug induced coma. He is in stable condition...his organs and blood pressure seem OK, his but lungs don't seem to want to work properly. They have ventilator at 85%.
 

posted 4/25/2006

Lin mingwannatzu2@aol.com

My good friend was feeling well and thought she had the flu. Her doctor saw her blood pressure was high and sent her to the hospital. That evening they did an emergency bypass. While it was thought she did ok, within the next 24 hours she went into what they say is ARDS. She had been on a vent now 6 weeks. Early last week they reduced her heavy sedative to see how she would do. They couldn't put the pump below 40 but she seemed to be responding and we had hopes of her coming off the vent. The BP has been a problem and she is on dialysis too. Two days ago she took a turn for the worse and had to be put on heavy sedation again, and all her numbers seem to be bottoming out. Her doctors do not see much hope. I feel so useless but her family seem to be holding it together. I sure would like to hear someone say she could survive.
 

posted 4/15/2006

Maddie Gundlach lafemmeharley@aol.com

On March 23rd, my fianc�e George was in a terrible car accident. He was taken to the hospital; in the ER I was told he only had a hairline fracture of his C7. Two days later, a physical therapist came in and attempted to move him, when he stood up for the first time, something had happened to his spine, and he could not move his legs. Before long they were rushing him into emergency surgery. When he came out of surgery he had a breathing tube in. I was told this was common with this type of surgery and he would be taken off in a day or two. He was taken off and had a rough time breathing, and the next morning they put the tube back in. Days passed by and they spoke of trying again. He kept getting high fevers, and they mentioned the shock to the spine could be the cause. I kept reassuring him that he would be fine in a few days. The tube came out, and sure enough again he had problems, and it was put back. I watched him become so depressed, I was feeling so helpless but tried to comfort him, reassuring him that we would be OK. soon. Before long he had 104+ fever and they sedated him. I haven't seen him awake in 8 days now. Now I'm told he has ARDS. I have just read through this website for information as the doctors have not told me just how serious this is. I am 41 years old and have lived together with George for 3 years, but we were not yet married, so I think they don't feel the need to speak to me. I am scared for his safety, I don't think I've slept in 23 days. I will stand by his side no matter what the outcome, but could really use some support from others in my position. Thank you.
 

posted 4/14/2006

Olivier omeirhaeghe@gmail.com

In February 2006, my father developed symptoms which were originally diagnosed as flu by his local doctor. Three days later, He was unable to breathe and called paramedics and was taken to the local hospital. It is now April, and he has been on a ventilator in a medically induced coma since. Attempts to take him out of his sedated state have not been successful. The ICU doctor mentioned ARDS early on. As our story resembles that of so many other postings, and as our outlook is not good, I will skip details, but I wanted to thank ards.org for setting up this web bulletin.
 

posted 4/10/2006

Nancy Van nvanbens@beazer.com

My son was admitted to the ER on February 28, 2006 with pneumonia and developed ARDS a week later. I had never heard of ARDS and am about out of my mind watching him on the ventilator. He was weaning off about 4 hours on Sunday,  about 2 on Monday and 1 hour this morning. He is now in restraints as he is anxious and seems in a panic. This started with sinusitis, then bronchitis and now this.
 

posted 3/21/2006

Kathy Cooke marykcooke@webtv.net

Dennis has been critical for 8 weeks. I believe the use of Amiodrone for atrial fibrillation contributed to his problem. He has had 4 heart attacks. The heart problems are now addressed, so now ARDS is his biggest battle.
 

posted 3/20/2006

Michelle Haswood skullstress@yahoo.com

My dad is 59 years old and was hospitalized 58 days ago with pneumonia. He was put on a ventilator 2 days after he was diagnosed with pneumonia and now he requires dialysis due to renal failure. Thanks so much to everyone who posted their stories in any of these forums. It comforts me and helps me realize what our family has to do because mom and I decided to let dad go to rest in peace. I'm sorry we allowed him to suffer this long. I just didn't understand this process that ARDS can do to the human body. Dad motioned to us that he does not want to live on machines for the rest of his life. I don't blame him, but I am going to miss him dearly. Any support or contact from anyone right now would comfort me. Thanks again for your stories.
 

posted 3/18/2006

Debbie Wilkins jdwilkins@comcast.net

My mom suffered from ARDS 4 1/2 years ago and survived. We are now experiencing it for a second time. This time she is more critical with multi-system issues. She was admitted to the hospital on 3/5 experiencing neck and back pain. Her kidneys shut down. On 3/6 she became severely critical and was moved to ICU and placed on a respirator with 100% oxygen, numerous pressers, antibiotics and fluid. Her kidney function came back and it was determined that she had strep pneumonia. On 3/8, she spiked a fever of 106 and her kidneys shut down again. She began dialysis on 3/10. We have seen slight improvements in her kidneys but not anywhere close to normal. The respirator is down to 50% oxygen, she is off all of the "pressers", there is a slight improvement in her chest x-ray and her blood pressure is stable. We're still not sure on the brain function, as she is completely sedated. She is now experiencing discoloration in her toes, which we're being told is from the pressers. Prior to this admission, she has had pneumonia several times over the last year, but none this serious. She has also been experiencing blood loss which can't be explained. Numerous tests has been done, to no avail, which I feel in my gut is what is making her so susceptible to all of the constant infections. Any thoughts??
 

posted 3/16/2006

Dee Dee dd.hazen@verizon.net

Two weeks ago my sister Donna went to the doctor and they discovered that she had a twisted intestine. They took care of that and sent her home. A couple hours later, she went to the ER because she wasn't feeling well. After several hours, they realized she had a tear in her intestine and her bowel had burst. As they were preparing her for surgery, she had vomited and aspirated the fluid from the CT. She has been on a vent and heavily sedated since March 2nd. This all occurred in Muskegon, Michigan. She seems to get worse every day. On Friday, March 10th, the doctors located an ECMO machine in Cleveland. They reviewed the case and accepted Donna. At this point she does not need it. She has a very high fever so to my understanding they are still looking for the source of her infection. They need to send her for another CT, but are unable to keep her vitals stable when she lies down. When she is upright a little, she does fine. I am trying to be the voice of reason with everyone that has been left back here in Muskegon. It is getting so tough to keep up the front. I know in my heart my sister can beat this, but I don't know if I am strong enough to keep everyone else on board with me. So I am reaching out and looking for support, hope and whatever this road may offer me. I feel so helpless and do not know what to do next or where to turn.
 

posted 3/16/2006

Holly Grimes hollygrimes@mindspring.com

I am Kim's aunt and am helping her family with research on ARDS. Kim went into the hospital with pneumonia and sepsis 2 weeks ago. It is now 3/13/06. As described by others, she went quickly from being active and vibrant to being on a ventilator. Doctors stated it is possible she could end up with ARDS. We're not sure if she is there already. Like others have said, it has been a roller coaster ride, only not fun. I wish to know where some of the best critical care for and knowledge of ARDS patients might be should they choose that route. Please email me if you have good suggestions out west where she lives (Kim lives in Las Vegas). Also is this year normal or is there more of this in 2006 than before? I know several who had this problem going from pneumonia to sepsis this winter. Thanks.
 

posted 3/13/2006

Sherri sherris_designs@hotmail.com

My mother has a rare form of cancer, called Stromal tumors. They did surgery last Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, she was doing very well, talking, and looked pretty good. On Monday morning we got a phone call saying she was having breathing problems and was moved to ICU. Today was her fourth day there. She has ARDS, and also pneumonia. She's on a ventilator right now. This has been the hardest 4 days of my life. I've never seen my mother on a breathing machine before.
 

posted 3/9/2006

Barbara Nix hittlady39@aol.com

My ex-husband was admitted to ICU with severe pneumonia with sepsis and then ARDS. He is currently sedated with paralysis medication. He has been in ICU now for 5 days and it is very hard for us to visit since we are 60 miles one-way from the hospital. We have 2 children, ages 9 and 12, who don't really understand how sick their daddy is at this time. They are very, very close to their daddy and this is really rough on them.
 

posted 3/3/2006

Amy blondigrl6786@hotmail.com

In December 2005, my dad was diagnosed with operable lung cancer. He had the cancer in his left lung removed at the end of December. He recovered from the surgery with flying colors and was home with in five days. On February 9th, 2006 he returned to the hospital to have the cancer removed from his right lung. The surgery went fine and we expected him to be home in four or five days, just as he was after the first one. However he quickly got worse instead of better. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and then a severe case of ARDS. He is in the ICU and has been heavily sedated for the past two weeks. He had a really good stretch where it seemed like he was getting better, and then all of a sudden he developed a fever and went right back to where he started. The rollercoaster that my family and I have been going through is very hard to deal with. I just wish we could know that he is going to be okay and how long it will take...
 

posted 3/2/2006

Angela Maggi littlescuba@hotmail.com

From February 23, 2006 my mother has been a patient in the intensive care department at Popoli Hospital in Italy after a heavy breathing crisis. Medical consultation immediately suggested the possibility of ARDS, even though my mother had never had shock or sepsis before. I'm going to ask the medical staff if they have had previous experience with this disease and I would like to be ready in case their answer will be "No". Reading this site, I understand ARDS patients need a multidisciplinary approach, so can anyone help me discover a clinical place in Italy or Europe where to face ARDS in the most complete way?
 

posted 2/22/2006

Tony visitteam-dartfordtony@yahoo.co.uk

My wife received a liver transplant on January 17, 2006. Everything went well for the first few days, and then she had problems with her lungs. She was placed on a pressurized facemask, and is now on a ventilator via a tracheotomy. She is being given a high dose of steroids, and we are extremely worried for her.
 

posted 2/12/2006

Shari Kienlen cotterppin_493@hotmail.com

As friends go, Tamara is the best. We were little girls together and became women, mothers and wives together. We talked about growing old together. And now I can hardly take it to be beside her. To see her in the state she is in. My mind fills with what I want to say to her, but nothing comes. I try to be strong for her, but I am stuck in a whirlwind of emotion knowing the outcome does not look promising. She was diagnosed only a few days ago, and has pneumonia. I am finding it hard to deal with that I might have to let her go. I prayed last night, something I haven't done since I was a little girl. HOW DO I COPE??? I'm so terrified.
 

posted 2/3/2006

Jenny jenny_lane98@yahoo.com

My granddaughter Kaytie has been in the hospital for three weeks now, with us not knowing what was wrong. She went in with flu and was on a ventilator and didn�t seem to be getting better. We were told today after a lung biopsy that it was ARDS and it was going to be a long hard recovery. She has been completely under for three weeks now. She was only 3 pounds, 7 ounces at birth and they seem to think the lungs were already damaged. I am new to this but it is the most heart breaking thing to go in and see a loved one lying helpless and not knowing what the outcome is going to be. She is small for her age, and I tell people not to let that fool them, and she is a typical 2 year old child. I wish she was home right now destroying my house. My name is Jenny and I am her grandmother, and she calls me her Nenny. I have 3 beautiful granddaughters and I hope and pray to God that I never have to see another one of them suffer in this or any other kind of way again. If there is anyone that can give my more information on this and how the after recovery is going to be, please let me know. My thoughts and prayers go out to each and every one of you...Jenny
 

posted 2/1/2006

Terri momdmd@hotmail.com

In the last 2 weeks, my 14 year-old son with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) had spinal fusion, a portion of his colon removed, stomach infection and damaged lungs; he is now incubated and has ARDS. I'm not sure what to do and I'm worried. I have 2 more sons with DMD four hours away and no van to transport them here if something happens.
 

posted 1/30/2006

Colleen Goettel colleen7g@hotmail.com

My husband's brother contracted ARDS before Christmas in Florida. We live in New York. Our sister-in-law Lynn is at wit's end after one month. Mark has only been out of a coma for one week. We are looking for suggestions of how to help and support them when we are so far away. Lynn distrusts medical personnel at the local hospital and wants someone to be there with Mark, who suffers from depression normally, for 24 hours. Any help would be appreciated.
 

posted 1/20/2006

Lois Loar lois_loar@hotmail.com

My daughter-in-law, Kelli, 28 weeks pregnant, had a bad cough last week with a medium fever. Once she went to the doctor, she was diagnosed with pneumonia, and put in the military hospital where my son is currently in training. It looked like she was improving, when she took a sudden turn for the worse early Sunday morning. They nearly lost her, but were able to get her stabilized enough to transport her to a major hospital in Atlanta. We've been told it's ARDS, which we previously knew nothing about. Also, we've been told that she will be in the hospital at least 4 weeks, but not much more. They are trying to keep her baby inside her for as long as possible, but it may become necessary to deliver him early. She is a young, healthy woman....I don't understand how this happens to someone so vibrant....how a disease can wreak havoc so quickly. Her parents and we live nearly 1,000 miles away in Ohio. They have a 1 year old who needs care and we don't want to take him too far from his daddy at this time in his life. Any ideas or words of support would be more than welcome. We are praying for a miracle of healing and will walk in faith, no matter what happens next.
 

posted 1/9/2006

Stephanie Watkins sewatkins@yahoo.com

On January 2nd, my mom said that she felt pain when she inhaled. She had been suffering from a cold for the past week, but it seemed to be getting better. My father called the doctor and made an appointment. Later that afternoon she started to vomit and physically couldn't make it to the doctor's office. This continued into the evening. My dad called 911 at 4am. When they reached the ER, her blood pressure was dangerously low. She coded in the ER and again when she was moved to the ICU. The doctors said she had pneumonia that turned into septic shock. From that she developed ARDS and multisystem organ failure. On January 3rd, she was on a vent and five pressures to maintain her blood pressure. Her o2 sats were in the 70's but rebounded to 88 that day. The next day her kidney function was fine so we were hopeful. They put her on heavy sedation and her sats remained in the low 90's. Friday was a bad day. Her temp began to rise and reached 106! Her kidneys shut down and her pupils became fixed. After the fever broke, she began to respond again to pain and dialysis was started. Her sats were then in the 90's, fell to the 70's and are now at 88. It has been five days since the onset. She is off all of the pressures, on dialysis, maximum vent support, and is unresponsive.
 

posted 1/9/2006

Christy Hawkes christinayhawkes@yahoo.com

My mother is 67. She was admitted to the hospital Christmas Eve, around 7:30 a.m. At the time, we were told she had bacterial pneumonia and she was in septic shock. The day before Christmas Eve she was fine. She worked, and other than her speech being slurred, (we thought she had taken her regular medications too late in the day) she was just very tired. She has since been put on a ventilator. She has had this for almost 8 days. They are telling us by week's end they will most likely trach her. I am scared out of my mind. I have been praying for her...praying she gets better. She developed ARDS before the ventilator. Any information would be appreciated.
 

posted 1/3/2006

Amy amymonroe77@comcast.net

My sister is 24 and has liver failure, kidney failure, and now ARDS. She is on a ventilator and in bad shape. I am so scared. My mom just died on Thanksgiving at 44 and now my sister is in trouble. I'd like to talk to others going through it so we can support each other.
 

posted 1/3/2006