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My 90 yr old Mom has pneumonia and I'm worried...

Lung Health | Last Active: Jan 23, 2020 | Replies (17)
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@colleenyoung

@jquartic, I have a similar situation with my mother as well. It is a fine balance between getting the proper care and not upsetting her. My mom is battling bronchitis, which threatens to become chronic. I'm puzzled how the doctor can determine whether it is bacterial or viral without proper testing. My mom is reluctant to get a second opinion and feels this would challenge him. I'm considering asking her to get a referral to a geriatrician. This way it is not challenging the physician's diagnosis of this issue, but a request for over-arching elderly care. Might that be an option for your mom?

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Replies to "@jquartic, I have a similar situation with my mother as well. It is a fine balance..."
Merry, Alumni Mentor | @merpreb | Jan 13, 2020

@colleenyoung- It's a very sad day when we have to care whether a physician is in a good or bad mood to get an accurate diagnosis.

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jquartic | @jquartic | Jan 14, 2020

Hi Colleen...

Thanks for your response… I really appreciate it very much. I hope you’re able to get the care for your mom that she needs. I like your suggestion about getting a referral to a geriatrician. However, I’m not sure I would trust her doctor’s recommendation. It’s been my experience for my own health problems that bad doctors generally refer their patients to other bad doctors. And good doctors generally refer their patients to other good doctors. Also, I’m pretty sure that she would see this as a challenge to her doctor. Having said all that, I’m going to give it a try. I can always research the referred doctor online. You’re so right that in our situations it is a fine line between getting our mothers proper care, and not upsetting them.

My mom had an appointment with her doctor yesterday. And miracle of miracles… he sent her for bloodwork. I’m not sure what changed his mind, but my mom was very happy to tell me this as she knew it was one of the things that I had told her he needed to do. Should have the results in 1 or 2 days. Now if he would just do a sputum culture…

JQ

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