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ARDS
Stories |
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In February, 2008, 27 year old Jordan, who was living in Louisiana when she became ill with what she thought was a bad chest cold. She had difficulty breathing and just did not feel well. Jordan's husband, Kevin, was deployed at Iraq at the time and she was six hours away from her family in Texas. Because she had three kids, she turned to her friend for help. She stayed with her friend for three days and did nothing but sleep.
Jordan's friend watched her children and tried to get her to go to the doctor but Jordan did not. She thought maybe she could will herself to get better and brought her kids back home. The five minute drive wore her out and her eldest daughter, who was only eight years old, had to help her up the stairs to her room.
Jordan ordered pizza that night for dinner but barely ate. The following morning she tried to walk down the stairs but passed out. Luckily, her daughter called 911. She also called her friend, who took Jordan's kids and called Jordan's parents. Then Jordan went to the emergency room on the base.
Of course, they knew right away that Jordan was extremely ill. Her oxygen was wavering between the 60s and sometimes 50s. She was administered drugs for hours; her parents arrive about six hours after her admission and spoke to the doctors. They said that she might have had a heart attack so they sent Jordan to a larger hospital. Doctors advised that she was not seriously ill and her kids went back to Texas with her parents. However, only eight hours after arriving home, Jordan's father received a call that his daughter was doing so poorly that she might not make it through the night.
By this time, the Red Cross was notified that Jordan's husband needed to know she was in the hospital on life support and her chances of survival slim. For two weeks, the doctors offered no hope. But then, after about four weeks, Jordan began to improve. It was slow but steady ad after about two weeks more, she got off the vent. Jordan's husband, Kevin, was sent home to be with her and their children.
Jordan was admitted to the hospital on February 21, 2008 and discharged on April 21, 2008. The doctors and nurses were surprised and amazed. Jordan's ARDS was due to sepsis caused by an infection from an infected tooth. Jordan was sent home on oxygen for three weeks and then was able to wean completely. Jordan has improved and is almost back to 'normal' after eight months. Even though she gets winded from time to time and sometimes experiences emotional issues due to nearly dying, she is doing quite well. However, Jordan admits to fear of ARDS again and dreads that first anniversary date of February 21, 2009.
Sandy's story... The World is a Poorer Place....
April's mother, Sandy, was admitted to the hospital for severe pneumonia
as well as liver failure and kidney failure on October 19, 2008. At that
time, she was somewhat coherent when the ambulance arrived. Upon admission,
doctor's decided to put her into a drug induced coma, intibate her and began
to treat her failing organs, as well as her pneumonia.
When she was not getting better, doctors performed a lung biopsy and found that she had developed ARDS. Her kidney had improved but her liver had not; further, she had a very low platelet count. Because of that, they were never able to give Sandy a trach. April, who lives in California, flew home to central PA the day after her mother was admitted to the MICU and sat next to her bed for two weeks, staring at her vitals, the respirator, her O2 levels, all the while holding her hand and speaking works of encouragement to her.
April had to leave at that point for work, on November 3, 2008, but she felt somewhat optimistic and encouraged at that point because her physician was optimistic and felt her mother, Sandy, was taking baby steps towards her recovery. The next two weeks were filled with ups and downs for April's mother. Although doctors were able to get her oxygen down to 55%, the medications did not seem to be helping. She also had complications with emphysema and after they took her off the paralytics, she was completely unresponsive.
Doctors did a neurological exam and they reported to April that her mother was brain dead. They called April on November 18, 2008 to offer her this prognosis.
On November 19, 2008, Sandy was taken off the vent. She was given morphine, and passed within 10 minutes. Sandy's ex-husband and her sister were with her; she was surrounded by love.
April is not only saddened, but shocked, by her death; still she is grateful for the support she has received from family and friends as well as the information she found from this organization. Sandy turned 48 years old on November 13, 2008, but she passed away only days later, on November 19, 2008. Still she knows that she passed peacefully. April, heart goes out to every family who is dealing with ARDS and as she reads other stories, she remembers that she is not alone. The world is a poorer place...
Kim's ARDS story began on Sunday November 13th,1994. She was enjoying a Sunday afternoon, where she lived in Alabama, with family and friends. They were cooking out and watching the kids ride on the four wheelers. Kim was married at the time and her son was in the first grade. But she was just not feeling well. She had a kidney infection the week before so she presumed maybe that was making her ill. But she began to get worse, running a high fever and feeling feeling achy. Kim was an LPN at the time, so she knew that something was not quite right. At the emergency room, she was sent home and told that she had a stomach virus.
However, the next day, her fever shot up so she went back to the emergency room. Once there, she was told that they were going to call her anyway because they learned that she had pneumonia. Kim was admitted to the hospital on a Monday and by Wednesday, she was in the ICU on a ventilator, in a drug induced coma. Her family was told that the doctors did not know what was wrong with Kim. At one point they told Kim's family that her lungs were three quarters full of fluid and that she had only about a one percent chance of survival.
Shortly thereafter, doctors diagnosed Kim with ARDS. She needed chest tubes on both sides and was in the drug induced coma until around Christmas. Finally, when Kim awoke, she could only move her neck back and forth. She could not even move a finger. Kim was twenty one years old, but so ill; she wondered if she would ever make it home to her son. Kim also remembered the day her son came in to see her and he was so frightened that she told them to take him out and not to bring him back while she was in this condition. It was heartbreaking to Kim, but to have her son have to see her like that was more heartbreaking.
Eventually, Kim was moved to a rehab hospital on January 26, 1995. When she left the rehab facility, she was only able to walk a few feet and had to do so with oxygen. Kim was not sure what her prognosis would be, but she knew she was a walking and talking miracle. That being said, every two years it seemed she had one problem or another. Severe lung damage, critical illness, neuropathy, PTSD, and avascular necrosis in both ankles. Kim has had a right lower lobectomy due to sever damage and she has had to have her right ankle fused due to the necrosis.
Kim said that she was a perfectly healthy twenty one year old woman with her whole life ahead of her, exercising all the time and living healthy and then suddenly, ARDS changed her life forever. She wants people to know that they should never take their lives for granted because in a split second, everything can change.
Kristiana's ARDS Survival Story
Kristiana Creamer was 22 years old when she learned that she was pregnant. Everything was going fine with her pregnancy, until she was at 18 weeks. Kristiana awoke on May 13, 2007, which was Mother's Day and had difficulty breathing. At first she thought it was just her asthma, so she tried some breathing treatments at home but nothing help. Later that day, Kristiana decided to go to the hospital; she was vomiting and really struggling to breath.
Kristiana was sent from her home town hospital to OSU Medical Center in Columbus Ohio. She spent a few hours in the ER before being sent to the MICU because her oxygen was too low. She had to be put on a ventilator and forced into a drug induced coma. Kristiana's mom and husband were by her side the whole time. Kristiana was on the vent for 13 days and recalls having the most odd and vivid dreams. Kristiana thought she could see her family but they told her she had not; she just heard them.
During her hospitalization, her body started to retain fluid and started to swell. In addition her blood pressure was rather high, as well as her temperature and she required cooling blankets. X-rays were taken everyday but she remained unchanged, until the twelfth day. And then suddenly, they said her lungs improved and she was better. They extubated Kristiana and woke her. She had no idea what had happened, only remembered going to the hospital. Best of all, they said that the baby showed no signs of stress. A few days after she was moved from the ICU, she had sharp chest pains. They did a CT and said she had 2 Pulmonary Embolisms and started her on Lovenox immediately. A few days later, she got dopplers on her legs just to be safe and found out she had three dvt's in her right leg also. When she was discharged out of the hospital she was very weak. She took physical therapy for 2 months. Kristiana stayed on the Lovenox until Kristiana delivered her daughter on October 1 2007. Her daughter was healthy and beautiful. Kristiana has been on Coumidin since then and soon will be off of it. She is thrilled that her daughter, now eighteen months, is doing well. Further, doctors say that Kristiana's Health is good; she is working as a STNA and is in college for Nursing. Kristiana hopes to help people the same way others helped her.
Melanie Raczka-Sinasac 's ARDS Survival Story
Everyone always says to enjoy every minute and live your life to the fullest because you truly never know what could happen. I was completely unaware of the fears of my fiancé, family and entire medical team in the Intensive Care Unit at Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital located in Windsor, Ontario Canada. Together, they hoped I might somehow make it through the sudden turn of events that led me to lying in a deeply sedated coma on one of the strongest life-support machines. My fiancé; Matthew and I had spent the last couple years preparing to get married. Like many young couples, we were completely immersed in putting the final touches on the kitchen of our new home and arranging the last minute details for our wedding of 300 quests. I had put off seeing a doctor about a lingering cough for a month but when I suddenly at the age of 23 felt severe chest pain and my heart began to race I asked my father to take me to the emergency room. On August 28th, 2008 I was then admitted to the hospital where it was discovered that I had community-acquired pneumonia. Four days later my condition was worsening and I was struggling to breathe. My heart rate was escalating to a rate of 230 beats per minute. My body was being robbed of the ability to take in oxygen because of a life-threatening condition called Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Although I was young and healthy my doctor admits there was a real chance that I might not recover. In order for my brain and other organs to receive the amount of oxygen required to sustain my life, the doctors had to deeply sedate me and enable a life support machine to get enough oxygen into my blood with the hope of getting my lungs functioning again. My parents, sister, and fiancé; spent every moment possible at my bedside and I truly felt them there. The nurses were like angels taking care of me. They patiently educated my family about my vital signs and how ARDS was impacting my body. Ten days later the antibiotics had run their course, yet my condition had still not improved. My family was pushing thoughts of my wedding out of their mind and was afraid of having to plan my funeral. My doctor then decided to take a new course of action. Since ARDS can be related to inflammation in the lung, he prescribed a course of steroids to see if this treatment might help my lungs heal. Over the next 24 hours my condition gradually improved and my heart rate began returning back to normal. As I was weaned from the medications that was keeping my body still, my mother talked to me and told me how many reply’s had come in the mail and that my wedding dress had come in. When I finally regained full consciousness my mother told me it was my fiancé; Matthew’s birthday. I immediately started to cry and couldn’t believe how many days had past. My fiancé; definitely got his only birthday wish which was for me to be able to wish him a happy birthday! What exactly enabled me to regain my health is still a mystery according to my doctor. They all call me a true miracle. I was released from the hospital on September 16, 2008. I just feel I had way too much to live for. My recovery was remarkably quick compared to most patients with ARDS. I was still experiencing some tiredness as my wedding day approached just 5 weeks later, but I knew I was still going to marry the man of my dreams on the very same date we had planned with one added element, I would make a stop at the hospital to thank the entire ICU team for making my new life possible. Our wedding turned out absolutely wonderful and we had the time of our lives. I will be forever grateful to my doctors and nurses who saved my life and also all my wonderful family and friends who stood by me and my family and constantly prayed for me during this difficult time. We now strongly believe in the power of prayer and that miracles can happen. When I think back I still can’t believe this happened to me, and really makes me think just how precious life really is and not to take one single moment for granted. Live your life to the fullest and enjoy every moment you have together because you never know when it could be your last.
Abraham (Al) Rothstein, the World is a Poorer Place...
My dad who was 82 years old at the time, was taken to the hospital by ambulance on March 2nd, 2009 after being found on the floor of his apartment....He was diagnosed with pneumonia and sepsis, and was doing fine for the first few days...He was on oxygen, and then on the 12th of March, he was struggling to breath, and he was intubated. One of the doctors said he had ARDS, but unfortunately, it seemed like none of the doctors knew much about it, and it was too late to have him transferred to a larger hospital to be treated, since he was on a respirator. Shortly after that, his kidneys started to fail, and they started dialysis. A few days later, he wasn't absorbing the food from the feeding tube, and was bleeding from his GI tract. It seemed every day, he just got worse, and a new problem occurred daily. His poor body couldn't handle it, and he died on March 27th, 2009.
We're having a difficult time accepting this, and there is a lot we don't understand, except that he's gone. I hope that someday there is some sort of test that can be given, and treatment for this horrible syndrome. Pictured with my dad is Vivian (Dolly) who was he wife. Sadly, Dolly passed away just 6 short weeks after my father. While we were sad to lose her so close to my father, we are so glad they are now together. He was survived by his 3 daughters, 2 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren who loved him and miss him everyday.
Christina, ARDS Survival Story
The week of Thanksgiving ,2009, started like any other work week for Christina, from Blanchester, Ohio. who was excited for a four day weekend. The only problem was that 31 year old Christina was not feeling very well. By Monday evening, she felt like she was coming down with bronchitis, which was not unusual for her. The next day, she went to the doctor who confirmed bronchitis, started her on antibiotics and noted her fever should break in a couple of days.
Unfortunately, by Saturday, Christina felt worse and went to the emergency room. There she was told that she had pneumonia and sent home with Avelox. However, by Tuesday, when Christina felt no better, he husband took her to the doctor. she could barely move, still had a fever, was extremely thirsty and could not eat. In fact, she lost twenty pounds in about a week. At her follow up appointment, the nurse came in to check vitals and found her oxygen was down to 54%. Christina was given an oxygen mast and brought immediately to the hospital. She endured some painful tests and doctors found she was bleeding. After showing no improvement, Christina was intubated and then transferred to Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH, a larger hospital, better equipped to assist her. Upon admission, Christina's family was told she had ARDS.
Once at Christ, Christina's family waited five hours before learning anything; that was because medical professionals were working to stabilize her condition. Her oxygen levels were not stable. Over the next days, doctors addressed her pneumonia and ARDS; During this time, doctors learned Christina had a bleeding ulcer, requiring six units of blood.
Christina also had blood clots in her legs and developed a pulmonary embolism. At that point, doctors said that they wanted to try steroids before performing a lung biopsy. The steroids seemed to work and by December 12, 2009, Christina was awake and had the breathing tube removed. Christina began physical and occupational therapy. On December 14, 2009, Christina took her first steps across the room. On December 17, 2009, Christina was discharged from the hospital into rehab. Christina went home on December 22, 2009, just in time for Christmas. The following week, Christina began outpatient occupational therapy. Christina returned to work on January 11, 2010 part time, and full time on January 25, 2010. However the road to recovery has not been without challenges. She tires easily, has trouble coping with the gap of time lost, but is grateful for her life. Doctors are trying to determine if she has a clotting disorder or if some of her medical issues were just from being so critically ill. Christina is sharing her story because she wants other families to know that not all ARDS stories are ones with sad endings. With thoughts, prayers, and strong family support as well as knowledgeable physicians and exceptional medical care, people can survive ARDS just like Christina did.
ARDS Survivor Story: Christina Londono
On August 7, 2009 I was very sick with fever, body aches, cough and sore throat. I went to the Dr. and he tested me for the flu, but the test came back negative, and he gave me a prescription for cough. Two days later I went back to the Dr. because I was still sick, and the cough got worse. He prescribed me antibiotics and I went home. Later that night I started coughing blood, and the cough would not stop, so I went to the ER at Mease Countryside Hospital on August 14. The Drs. told me I had pneumonia, and that I was going to be there for 4-5 days. The last thing I remember was that the Drs. decide to intubate me because I was not retaining oxygen. The treatment with antibiotics showed no improvement, and the Dr. came to talk to my husband Andres with the Chaplin, and explained to him that they had done everything they could to help me, but I had a lot of fuid in my lungs. The pneumonia was really bad; at that point I was diagnosed with ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome), only 40% of people with this disease survive, and the only option they had was to place me on a ROTOPRONE bed, which is a bed that rotates, and takes the pressure off the lungs, but the Dr. didn't know if the bed was going to work because she had never used it before.
I was on a medically induced coma for 12 days, and 5 days on the ROTOPRONE bed. When Andres was told that most likely I was going to die, and he prayed with the Chaplin at the Hospital; GOD told him not to feel afraid, because fear doesn't come from Him. Andres and my family and friends started to pray all the time for my recovery. After the treatment with the bed started, I began to show improvement, and on August 27 (Andres' bithday) I woke up from the coma. The Drs. did a traqueostomy, and I was hooked to a venitlator, I also had a feeding tube on my stomach, and a lot of IVs and monitors over my body. I didn't know anything that happened, and I thought I was going home that night. Then my family told me the story like 3 times. Since that day I started to appreciate more important things in life, like the air that God gave us to breathe, the water that we drink every day, and the food that we eat. I didn't realize how good it feels to take a shower every day, and to go to the bathroom. To spend time with my husband, two daughters, family and friends, and to be able to see the sun shining every day. I also didn't know how many people appreciated me. My sister set up a website to keep everyone updated, and a lot of friends, family, and friends of friends left hundreds of messages for me, and prayed for my recovery. We did two prayer circles, one to save my life and one to thank God for the miracle that he did and a lot of people from my country Colombia, and friends from all over the world prayed together at the same time.
After 6 weeks since I left the hospital and the Dr. told me I can have a normal life. Before I left the hospital, on of the Drs. that took care of me said the only thing he didn't check was my hair, and all my organs are working. Everyday is thanksgiving for me, and I now enjoy every day more, it also helped me strengthen my faith and many people have told me that my experience helped them to get closer to God, so it feels God that all the pain that my family and I went thru was for a purpose.
ARDS Story Gerald, the World is a Poorer Place...
After dating for five years, Gerald and Mary decided to get married. On September 18, 2009, the happy couple married. Gerald was 31 years old; Mary was 29 years old. Their life's beginning was picture perfect. After a wonderful honeymoon to Aruba, the couple ended up in the emergency room in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where they lived; Gerald was having trouble breathing. After a number of tests resulted in negative findings, Gerald was discharged with an inhaler for his asthma.
Three months later, near Christmas, Gerald was setting up their basement for a New Year's Eve party the two were planning. Because the house was older and required a lot of work, planning for the party required a lot of work and effort. Gerald returned to the emergency room at Rartian Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, NJ, where he was diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia; he was admitted into the hospital on December 23, 1999the Intensive Care Unit and transferred into the Intensive Care Unit on December 26, 1999. Gerald had numerous tests, including HIV, and all were negative. Gerald's doctors were trying to figure out why he was so critically ill. At this point, Gerald had asked Mary to sign a consent to allow them to intubate him. Mary recalled that the idea of this frightened her; she did not want him to have to go on the vent. But Gerald wanted it and he was obviously so uncomfortable, having extreme difficulty breathing.
On January 2, 2000, Gerald went into surgery to have a tracheostomy and a lung biopsy. Everyone hoped that the biopsy would offer more information as to what, medically, was going on. After the surgery, Gerald was being transported to the intensive care unit when he suddenly coded and died. Mary was in shock; she was heartbroken. She never imagined losing the man that she loved, and especially after only a couple of months of marriage.
Later Mary met with Gerald's doctors who told her that the conclusion they came to was that due to Gerald's death from ARDS was a result of compromised lungs, from smoking and COPD, and his long history of bronchitis/pneumonia dating back to his childhood, and a condition known as CGD (chronic granulomatous disease). The autopsy further revealed that he had pulmonary aspergillosis, which is a fungal pneumonia common in people with CGD; the work in their older house had fueled his illness.
Mary wants others to know that even during this difficult time, she never gave up hope, she prayed and encouraged Gerald to fight by way of her strength, hope and comfort during this frightening time.
Brett Bergerson, 22 years old, ARDS Survivor 2009
Brett's nightmare started 
Aug. 30, 2009. Twenty-two year old Brett went to the emergency room in Angleton TX. They ran blood work, swabs and said everything was fine, but his fever was 104.2 degrees. He was kept there for nine hours and diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia. On August 31, 2009, Brett followed up with his family doctor; it seemed all was well until on September 3, 2009, Brett was rushed back to the emergency room at Brazosport Memorial His oxygen was only 30%. Within the hour, Brett's parents, Tricia and Craig, were told that he had to be Lifeflighted to Herman Memorial Hospital in Houston TX.
Brett's kidneys were in acute failue and liver was failing. Brett also had a tiny bit of fluid in his left lung and his platelets were low. Brett's family was not given a diagnosis; they were just told he was very sick. At midnight, Brett was intubated. His lungs showed a white out. Even though numerous tests were run, Brett's doctors could not find anything causing his current condition. Soon thereafter, doctors diagnosed Brett with ARDS. He continued to get worse and on September 8, 2009, he was put on an oscillator. Brett's body was swollen; doctors said that he might not survive. Days passed with little or no change During his hospitalization, Brett required seven chest tubes and was diagnosed with MRSA. He needed kidney dialysis for four days, as well as other complications.. But finally, on October 2, 2009, the doctors decided to remove Brett from the paralytics. Fifteen minutes later, Brett opened his eyes. Shortly thereafter, he began to improve. On October 4, Brett was switched back to the regular ventilator and on October 14th, Brett was awake and aware.
Brett spent fifty-five days in ICU, was transferred for fourteen days to wean off the vent, and then to a rehabilitation center.When he was admitted to the hospital, his weight was 158 pounds; upon discharge, he was only 82 pounds. Like all other ARDS patients, Brett could barely walk or eat. After seven days in rehab, Brett went home on November 18, 2009, right before Thanksgiving. After coming home, Brett had two and a half months of physical therapy. Brett continues to improve. Tricia and Craig believe that Brett's illness brought the family closer together and closer to God. Their message to others is never to give up and always maintain your faith no matter what happens.
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The ARDS Foundation
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