Evelyne Namour

My 91-year-old mother was being treated since October 2015 with ciprobay 500 oral antibiotic for foot gangrene so that we avoid the gangrene to become wet and septic. She was also taking moderate pain killers, despite her strong pain. In December 2015, she could not urinate well, so the doctor prescribed an indwelling catheter, but she had no urine infection. So we continued a while with intermittent catheter.

On January 10, 2016, my mother began to speak incoherently and feeling chills in her back and pain in her chest, not being able to urinate well. I gave her isordil sublingual tablets but her blood tension was very low (7/4). The doctor said she needed to go to the hospital. I did not suspect sepsis because she was already taking antibiotics, which could act on urinary tract infection, and I had not read about the hidden symptoms of sepsis in elderly people. (Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) So, she entered hospital on Jan 15th.

As soon as they inserted the indwelling catheter, a lot of urine full of pus went down and her heart stopped: septic shock, they said. My mother remained intubated during 3 days with antibiotic, fluids, but she had no tension. Meanwhile, they resuscitated her 4 times, but not the 5th. And on Sunday, the 17th, she left us for Heaven. A lot of “could have,” “would have”, are passing in my mind. They told me things would have went differently if I took her directly on Jan 11th to the hospital. Maybe she would still have been be alive, better and not suffering.

I consider myself a failed caregiver, having acted in criminal negligence and ignorance, not to tell the huge remorse and regrets I feel.

Source: by Joseph Namour (Evelyne's son)