So, I registered for this site on October 2 at the suggestion of a friend and then the next day my Mom, who has stage IV SCC of the tongue and jawline and underwent surgery and jaw reconstruction using bone from fibula back on September 10, was found unresponsive at 4 p.m. on October 3 at the rehab facility to help her wean off the ventilator. They gave her meds Oct. 3 at 3:50 and she was responsive (Mom can't talk as she has a temp trach but she can nod, mouth words, hand gestures, shake head yes and no, etc.) and 15 minutes later, was unresponsive.

She was taken to ER and it's been a time since. She developed sepsis and possibly had a heart attack, all due to a urinary tract infection that went undiagnosed. I was with her the Sunday prior and she kept clutching at her belly and the nurse asked her if she had stomach pain, Mom shook her head "no" and continued to clutch. The nurse asked her if it was her crotch. Mom shook her head "yes". They gave her pain meds. It never occurred to me to have them check for a UTI. My brother visited her the day before all of this happened and she was doing the same thing.

I requested her medical records from this rehab place just to see if a UTI was ever considered. I was told the day after she was admitted to ICU it would be a miracle if she survived. It's almost a week later and she's still fighting. I go from crying to being angry. She is barely responding to commands. She opens her eyes but can't focus on anyone. She did slightly squeeze my hand when I asked her to a few days ago. The goal right now is to fight the infections (she may also have pneumonia now as well). If she becomes stable enough, they want to do a heart cath. An MRI and other testing did not show a stroke. She's been experiencing Afib on and off . I was also told by two doctors that sepsis can cause high troponin levels, so I'm not entirely convinced she had a heart attack. A UTI may cost my Mom her life. The odds were stacked against her to begin with, but she did wonderful through the surgery. She was having issues with the ventilator, but I was hopeful they would be able to help her. She was going to start radiation late October/early November. I wanted to have her home by Christmas.

Just venting....I can't believe all of this is happening

hugs to you. this is all so overwhelming and scary at times. feel free to vent here...I've done it plenty and it has been so helpful to hear from survivors as they have been there done that on so many levels. I often say, I did not buy a front row ticket to this show but here I am.

Thank you so much. I see a lot of hope and faith on this site. Our journey started beginning of July. She started it all off with a collapsed left lung after chemo port placement. She said "I guess I need to make it interesting for them". It's been a battle ever since.

((hugs)) I am SO sorry for all your mother is going through. That's just dreadful. You vent all you need to ... this is definitely a good place for that.

Suz47nascar,

I’m sorry to hear of your troubles! I was in a similar situation in 2009 after chemo caused septic shock, and then a domino effect of other life threatening conditions, including a collapsed lung, which put me in ICU for two months and hospital for six. It wasn’t until a year later that I had curative treatment.

I wish your mother a speedy recovery, so she may further treatment or hope the surgery was enough!

Doctor says he got it all, but wanted to do 5 days a week of radiation for 6 to 7 weeks approx. 6-8 weeks after surgery which puts us at November 10. I really don't see that happening. Since my last post, she is fighting pneumonia now in addition to the sepsis and UTI. Thank you all!!!!

Im so sorry to read of what your mother has been thru!!! Best wishes to your mother to be able to get past these temporary set backs.

I hope for the best, and hope to have things under control soon. It’s better to delay radiation than to start it, and have to stopped for whatever reasons. .

Good luck with everything!

Prayers for your mom.

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to post, but my Mother passed away on October 18. Not from the cancer, but complications from a UTI she had while in a rehab facility to help her get off the ventilator after oral surgery. Very long story. She was admitted to the hospital on October 3. Never really regained full consciousness. I'm still in shock to say the least