70 year old grandma has pneumonia and is on a respirator ?
My 70 year old grandma has had pneumonia 2-3 times within the last 1 1/2 months and has been hospitalized each time. This time she’s in the hospital, put under, and has a respirator. They aren’t allowing anyone to visit. I’m not a doctor and I have no idea how serious this is or if her chances of survival are very good. I just want to be realistic and mentally prepare for whatever might come.
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It doesn't sound good.
Two or three episodes of pneumonia within 6 weeks means that she never got ride of the pneumonia the first time! Good grief! Her weakened cardio-pulmonary system has been under stress! When she gets out of the hospital this time, GET HER A NEW PRIMARY CARE PHYSCIAN ! ! !
Each time a person has another pneumonia infection, the risks of dying increase. A person may be losing the battle when they are having difficulty remaining conscious, and its a last resort if docs put a patient into an induced coma as a life-saving measure. So if your grandma is awake an alert, that's a pretty good sign. If she is not alert or if she is unconscious, that means the risks of dying are fairly high. Also if the pneumonia is bacterial, it is likely to have a better outcome than viral pneumonia since bacterial pneumonia usually responds well to antibiotics. You can try to get answers about these things to get an idea of her prognosis.
Your family is allowed to be appraised as to her prognosis. Your parents should be informed by the doctor and if your parents are not on the scene, you should be informed.