Breathing Difficulty Mystery

Mum has been short of breath for a couple of weeks now. A week ago, she had a battery of tests, but she passed all with flying colors. Last Friday I accompanied her and Dad to the Dr. to discuss the results of the tests and see what the next steps are.

I hadn’t seen Mum in a month, and I was disturbed by her apparent decline. She could barely make it to the Dr.’s office and then had to sit down right away. All readings are normal so the Dr. is mystified. She has enough oxygen in her blood. EKG and other scans, and tests done earlier show nothing. He observed her for a while very carefully, commenting that her breathing is Cheyne-Stokes like. He ordered an echocardiogram and talked about the possibility of some sort of brain scan for a small growth or tumor as well. Otherwise, he doesn’t know.

The Dr. also noticed a change in Mum’s attitude, calling it “Failure to Thrive.” I had heard this in relation to very ill infants but not geriatric patients, at least not those who are still up and about and able to take basic care of themselves. Touchingly, Dad emphasized to Mum in the office that she deserves to live. Mum just looked back at him with a wan smile.

Dad is doing more and more now around the house, as Mum has no ambition and doesn’t have strength to do much anyway. This is taking a toll on him too.