* Update on Morphine Overdose

Written 04/18/2006

Hi All,
As many of you already know, the all encompassing "we" have had a very stressful and worrisome few weeks with Mom. It wasn't until yesterday that I felt I had some viable answers to what put her in the hospital. This is a brief summary of what I believe happened:
Not having any answers from the doctors as to why Mom collapsed, I began researching all of the medications that Mom was / is taking and found some very disturbing information about Morphine and COPD (emphysema).
I believe that Mom’s body was already compromised by the two weeks of oxygen level fluctuations and slow oxygen depravation due to faulty equipment, that was then compounded by the administration of Morphine (the whole Morphine issue is a long story in itself). The night that Mom collapsed it was apparent that she had been sick to her stomach and vomited. I feel that the Morphine made her sick and also caused her to pass out and possibly stop breathing for a short time. Continued administration of Morphine in the hospital hindered her recovery progress.
I have passed on the detailed information of my assumptions to her doctors for their information and for Mom's records. In the mean time, Mom is recovering at home and making daily improvements from the stress her body was subjected to.
The good news in all of this is that the CT scan done in the hospital showed that her tumor has shrunk by about 29%! This should help alleviate some of the stress on her breathing caused by the COPD. Hopefully as Mom stays on her home protocol, the tumor will continue to shrink, providing added relief to her breathing.
We are looking forward to the time when Mom can again run races in Wal-Mart with their motorized shopping carts J
Emily