Atripine Damn!

I gave her a drop of atripine just now.  Damn!

She started coughing 30-minutes ago-a deep, congested, wet and weak cough, almost choking.  It woke her from a sleep.

Her restful afternoon just got flushed down the toilet.  She’s still coughing.  I’m giving her another drop of atripine.  Her mouth is full of thick mucous.  Damn!

I was warned that all efforts must be taken so she wouldn’t end up like this.  The liquid makes you feel like you’re drowning, the coughing is painful and takes away what little strength you have.

I just called the Hospice people and paged the RN on call.

Atripine is supposed to reduce “phlegm”.  I read online that it also is used to treat slow heart rate.  That will complicate things as Satomi’s heart rate is typically 125 bpm  at rest.  Damn!

This morning, I noticed that Satomi’s poo was drippier than usual.  She even poo’d twice in only a few hours.  For someone who poo’s a couple of times a week, this is a lot.  Maybe she caught that stomach bug that was going around.  Damn!

Satomi’s trying to sleep but she coughs every few minutes.  The choking sound is terrible.  All I hope is that she is strong enough to hold out.

I smell something-maybe she poo’d again.  I really frickin hope not.  If she’s coughing and choking, the only way she get’s medication is via the booty.  Diarrhea would make suppositories impossible and accelerate dehydration.  I really hope it isn’t pneumonia.  Damn!

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  I’ll just wait for the RN to call…and hold her hand.

6:15pm UPDATE:  She’s sitting calmly and I haven’t heard a cough in over an hour.  There also is no sign of diarrhea so I think the stomach bug was a false alarm.  Her breathing seems a bit shallow and labored and I do hear a bit of congestion now and then.  Overall I’m happy.  I spoke with the RN on call to verify dosage and other advise.  The RN said to use Oxycodone for cough suppression and 2 to 4 drops of Atripine for liquid control every 2 hours.  I’ll just have to watch her closely tonight.
8:30pm UPDATE:  She groggy but awake.  I give her the normal bedtime medication but I bump the Oxy an extra 0.25mL to 0.50mL and I give her two more drops of Atripine.  Everything else is the same.  She falls asleep.  To be safe, I sleep in her room near her.