r/dementia • u/birdbrain92 • 3d ago

Gasping?

Hello, everyone. I hope this is the right place. My FIL has advanced dementia and is bed-bound. He can still eat, drink, swallow no problem.

A couple of times he’s had a spell where he gasps? Chokes for air?? My MIL struggles with English and we haven’t been able to witness the incidents to know exactly what she’s seeing. She said his eyes looked like he’s not getting oxygen. Maybe she means he has a distant look? Or distressed look? But she describes the noise he makes like he is making a loud noise while barely exhaling. I don’t know how to describe it except to say it’s the noise Mr. Krabs makes when he first meets Ms. Puff, when he’s got bubbles coming out of his mouth. I know that sounds ridiculous but here we are. Both times she has called the squad to take him to the ER and usually inconclusive other than his recurrent UTIs from catheter use.

Sorry for any confusion. I want to help her out as much as I can and I just wonder if anyone knows what it could be. Thanks.

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3

u/Embarrassed-Spare524 3d ago

Sounds like a sleep apnea noise.

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u/birdbrain92 3d ago

Thank you for your response. I will mention it to her.

3

u/Embarrassed-Spare524 3d ago

You could buy one of the finger monitors that measure oxygen in the blood. Less than 20 bucks and pretty easy to use. "Pulse Oxymeter" many on Amazon. With my mom, the usual use was to see if she needed to go to urgent care/ER or could wait for a visit to check on a cold/possible pneumonia. Might give enough comfort to avoid an ER visit.

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u/birdbrain92 2d ago

Thank you, that might be a good idea.

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u/ivandoesnot 3d ago

Do you have Hospice?

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u/birdbrain92 3d ago

He has palliative care as of right now.

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u/ivandoesnot 3d ago

Call them.

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u/birdbrain92 2d ago

Sounds like we’ve got a phone call appointment with them tomorrow. Thank you!

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u/WyattCo06 3d ago

Are you there to witness such?

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u/birdbrain92 3d ago

No, unfortunately I live in a different state as they do.

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u/justcelia13 2h ago

Video cam? And you would be able to show the doctor