Lynn died on April 9, 2024. When he went into the hospital, I was not expecting an admission. I thought he had a sinus infection but considered he might be developing pulmonary edema, too. I was correct. They almost sent him home, but they kept him because there was a little PE on his x-ray. On day two of his admission, his breathing was worse rather than better. I suctioned him and could not get his oxygen to return to his pre-suction level. His pulse had also become erratic. I called his nurse, and we both worked on his breathing. I began to realize he was getting into trouble, and she needed to call a rapid response because his heart rate had flipped into atrial fibrillation. She called the rapid response team.
Rapid Response Called
Both the cardiac and respiratory emergency teams responded because he was in trouble with both systems. Lynn was awake, cracking jokes. As the doctor called for emergency drugs, Lynn called, “Stat.” I stood to the side watching, knowing he was heading to the ICU as soon as they could get a room; I was not sure why his heart was not responding as it should, but I was confident it would eventually. We have had many close calls, and they always came through.
They got a room for him in the Medical Respiratory ICU and took off with him. I stayed behind to pack up our room and follow him down. Only minutes later, the doctor called to say they needed to intubate him because they couldn’t keep his oxygen up. Would I consent? I agreed. I knew Lynn did not want to be on a ventilator, but he had always managed to come off before and had been well coming into the hospital. I figured he could come off this time, too. Therefore, I agreed. This time, it was a mistake.
Went on Ventilator a Second Time
I notified his son and sister of his change in condition. The doctor sedated Lynn to keep him from fighting the ventilator. They stabilized his condition and, the next day, took him for a cardioversion to stop the atrial fib. The cardioversion worked, and they extubated him (removed the ventilator). That afternoon, he started coughing, aspirated secretions, and blocked his right lung with a mucus plug. The difficulty breathing caused him to convert back into atrial fibrillation. His only choices were to struggle to breathe until he could not take another breath and would, therefore, die or go back on the ventilator. He agreed to intubation again.
Mitral Valve Damage Terminal
Unfortunately, when Lynn went on the ventilator this time, he was not able to come off. The anesthesiologist who intubated him sedated him during the procedure. While he was still under, the doctors who did his cardioversion the day before came to see me. They notified me Lynn’s posterior mitral valve flap was flailing (swinging back and forth without contact). He either needed a heart transplant or valve replacement, but he could not survive either option. Therefore, he would need medical management of symptoms for as long as he was able to survive. In other words, they informed me Lynn was terminal. I tried to get an idea from several doctors about how long he might have, but no one would talk to me about the state of his heart. I had to take it day by day.
Signs of Dying Noted
He stabilized in the cardiac ICU and was moved to the Respiratory ICU to see if he could come off the ventilator. He struggled with pulmonary edema from the regurgitation of the heart valve dysfunction. He was eventually moved to a rehab facility to attempt to help him come off the ventilator. This facility was understaffed and provided incompetent care. He might have lived longer, but due to the poor care received there, he deteriorated rather than progressed. Within six weeks of moving to that location, he was showing signs of dying. One day, he said he could see someone standing at the foot of his bed. I believe it was an angel sent to take him home. I noticed the mottling of his skin that morning and other signs of system shutdowns. I asked if he wanted to have the ventilator removed so that he could go home to heaven today. He said he did. I called in his family for him to say goodbye, and after everyone left, the hospital nurse practitioner transitioned him to comfort care (removal of the ventilator to room oxygen).
Lynn Requested Removal of Ventilator
His son, caregiver, and I stayed with him until he took his last breath. He’s now home and suffering no longer. I was his caregiver from 2009 until 2024 (15 years) and his wife from 1997 until 2024 (26 ½ years). I believe God had me answer that personal ad because he knew Lynn would need me to care for him, and I would need Lynn as my companion until he died. We had a difficult start to our marriage, but when he died, we were ONE as a couple. We grew together through the challenges of MS and caregiving to be better people and a stronger couple than we had been apart.
Lynn Steigleder
July 24, 1959 April 9, 2024
