High Carbon Dioxide Levels: When Anxiety is NOT Anxiety. Hypercapnia. Life with a Vent

Shortly after starting this KZbin channel, people began contacting me with the same story:
A family member had a tracheostomy tube and was using invasive ventilation at the hospital. The family member has now been released to a rehabilitation center. The family member is being forced to breathe on his own for most of the day.
Even if the family member had been diagnosed with respiratory failure due to high carbon dioxide levels, the family member was not allowed to use his ventilator during the day. The medical staff would insist the person did not need the ventilator to breathe. The family member would become very agitated and anxious.
The medical staff would diagnose the person as having anxiety. Over and over again, the person would be told all his symptoms were due to anxiety or panic attacks.
To all the family member who contacted me, I am deeply sorry I was not able to help. I pray you find peace and comfort in the days and weeks to come. May your loved one's memory be a blessing. #lifewithavent #ventilator #tracheostomy #panicattacks
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[@livewithals]

Very useful information. Equally valid for the patients with neuromuscular diseases such as ALS.

[@LifewithaVent]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@gerryguinness]

Great and spot in advice. This happened to me last year but the medical staff recognized the issue after my complaints to the point I had emergency surgery at 2 am on a Saturday night. I agree, if you have these feelings challenge your medical team.

[@LifewithaVent]

Thank you for sharing some of your story with me. I am sorry to hear this happened to you, but I am glad it was resolved swiftly.

[@zzzoo2]

There’s so much emphasis put on medication nowadays that it sometimes seems that medical staff forget the cardinal fact of human physiology: Everyone has to breathe all the time. We’re built, it seems, for our bodies to warn us quickly and in many ways when something is causing an issue with our air. It’s probably the best place to look first and most stringently In diagnoses.

[@LifewithaVent]

Well said. Thank you for sharing.

[@vijayak7308]

Dear Lovely, we also faced this issue when my father was in hospital, but I fought with the hospital staff and started using ventilator intermittently during the day too.. we didn't let them give any other medication. I don't know why they miss these simple cues in ICU.. sad to know it happens everywhere.. especially for patients with neuromuscular problems, they need to prevent any fatigue to the lungs, as it can cause further muscle loss. Use of ventilator protects their lungs from fatigue and also prevents Hypercapnia.

[@LifewithaVent]

I am so sorry you and your father had to go through so much. But I am very thankful you were able to intervene. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@oracwilson9364]

My son was put in the hospital for double pneumonia on December 20th 2023 and still in the hospital as of today yesterday they told me that they had to take mark off the ventilator and have him for 24 hours so that he can be off the vent so he did so he did that and then after he done they said that my son had CO2 high levels of carbon monoxide now they have them back on the ventilator I don't know what to do I feel like something ain't right with this

[@LifewithaVent]

Thank you for sharing some of your story with me. It may take your son time to regain muscle strength to breathe on his own. When the ventilator is connected to a person, the ventilator is doing the work of breathing. The breathing muscles can become weak. I am not sure what the hospital's plan is, but usually when this happens (when a person develops high carbon dioxide levels), they will try to wean the patient off the ventilator slowly. Please feel free to ask your son's medical team what their plan is. All my best to you and your son.

[@Relaxmind1461]

Iam having same issue while driving feeling diziness and weekness and fast heart beat and keep on anxiety and benzo and blood pressure medicines

[@LifewithaVent]

I am so sorry to hear this. I hope you are soon able to get it sorted out.

[@nachellesmith5662]

My mother has been having excessive sweating and is her body is hot (not warm) but her temp, her Bp, HR, and O2 is normal and so is her sugar levels her body drenches she sweats so much i had to increase her water intake but nothing seems to help dr says she fine test cane back normal anxiety was one thing i thought about but shes not getting better Her phlegm is Foamy so i am unable to suction and excessive (after suctioning (what will catch because its foamy i have make her cough it out otherwise she will just breathe it until she eventually coughs up) so after coughing/suctioning within a 1-2 minutes i hear it returning and when its foamy it starts coming out of the trach and no one can tell me whats going on I know ur not a med prof and cant give advice but i was wondering have u heard any trach/feeding tube patients having any of these symptoms or what this could be from ?

[@LifewithaVent]

Hello. I am so sorry your mother has been suffering so much. It is hard to speculate based on the limited knowledge of your mother's medical case. Here are some generalities: Your mother's sweating could be from over-active thyroid, heart failure, high carbon dioxide levels or it could be a side effect from a medication. If she has not changed medications, then you can probably rule out the medicine is causing the issue. To check her thyroid, thyroid blood tests would be needed. To check her carbon dioxide levels, an arterial blood gas would be needed. To check for heart failure, an EKG, echo-cardiogram and blood tests (checking her BNP levels) would be helpful. As far as the foamy phlegm, here are a few possibilities: If this is a recent symptom, it could be a low level infection or a virus. Other causes for foamy phlegm include: acid reflex, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary edema or heart failure. To check for heart failure, see above. To check for pulmonary edema, a chest xray would be helpful. To test for COPD, lung function tests would be beneficial. Acid reflex is often diagnosed based on symptoms. If warranted, an upper endoscopy (EGD) can be done to confirm the diagnosis. Please remember these are just guesses. I am not a medical professional and do not know your mother's medical history. Her medical provider would much better be able to evaluate her. If you feel she is not getting the proper treatment, find a different doctor. Or go to a walk-in clinic or urgent care facility and voice your concerns about her health. I wish you and your mother all the very best.

[@junelynn63]

Had respiratory failure and hypercapnia, pneumonia sepsis and anxiety now I'm on methadone and they gave me a midline bestylate my heart rate is so slow I'm afraid to go to sleep

[@LifewithaVent]

I am so sorry to hear this. I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for you. I hope you are able to get this sorted out soon.

[@junelynn63]

@@LifewithaVent Thank you I stayed up 48 hours discontinued the medicine and finally it left my system, my heart rate w for caringent from 30 and 40 beats finally to 90beats. Thank you

[@LifewithaVent]

@@junelynn63 Thank you for the update. I am so happy your heart rate is better.

[@junelynn63]

I had hyper cap is and acute respiratory failure and pneumonia and now I'm so afraid of having high carbon dioxide levels.

[@LifewithaVent]

I am so sorry to hear this.

[@lizlafferty1278]

I'm glad you had the opportunity to watch this video and to learn from this video. For my Husband's sake, I've watched it 4 times so far and am saving it so our Sons can learn from it, too. What you're learning in this young Woman's video will help save your life perhaps, and you'll have the "ammunition" to challenge your health care team. YOU are the best one to help them help you. Do you have another who also can learn from the information in this video, who can advocate for you in the described scenario or any other situation you may face?

[@longfootbuddy]

the hospital is trying to "ween" my dad off the bipap machine theyve had him on.. they told me today that by having the mask off him some yesterday, caused him to become kind of delusional, and that he apparerently tried to take the mask off during the night.. so now they want me to ok them basically, to "sedate him" and put a tube down his throat to replace the bipap mask hes been wearing.. because "we cant be always putting his mask back on if he takes it off".. sounds ridiculous to me, and my dad said he didnt try to take it off.. seems to me they are trying to kind of trick me into agreeing for them to do that, so that he will be in like a coma or you know, state in which id be forced to 'pull the plug', because they dont seem to know what to do with him, and know that neither of us want to 'prolong death'.. i dont what it would take to get the carbon dioxide out of his blood, besides him using this bipap machine all the time.. but eh.. idk.. im sure he doesnt want to sit around with a mask on 24/7, but well.. figured id tell my little story

[@LifewithaVent]

Thank you for telling me some of your story. I am sorry you and your dad are going through so much. There are issues with placing a tube down his throat and sedating him. Sedation decreases a person's ability to breathe. If they want to wean him, they will not be able to do that while he is sedated. Second, placing a tube down his throat is only a very temporary fix. A breathing tube can only be used for about 7-10 days. Then either the tube has to be removed or the person has to get a tracheostomy tube. (Leaving the breathing tube in for any longer may damage the airway.) If the tube is removed, he will be right back to where he is now with using a BiPAP and having a mask. Or, they could simply not give the option of going back on BiPAP and force you to "pull the plug". If I were you, I would ask for a consultation with the doctor leading your dad's care. Ask him/her what the plans are and why. Discuss the long-term outlooks of each option and decide accordingly. All my best to you and your dad.

[@longfootbuddy]

your info is probably more useful than you know, to people like me, whilst dealing with doctors.. thank you so much, and best to you@@LifewithaVent

[@LifewithaVent]

Thank you so much.

[@Relaxmind1461]

How to test co2 level

[@LifewithaVent]

There is a test called arterial blood gas which will test a person's CO2 level.

[@edwardstanley2195]

Bipap has been a valuble part of my mom's COPD emphysema therapy.

[@TaiNguyen-tm1md]

can high CO2 in a room cause this symptom too?

[@LifewithaVent]

Yes.

[@kristinawolf8912]

My husband is on a ventilator and just yesterday had been complaining of a headache, feeling dizzy and cannot get a full breath. Something was wrong! We thought it may be that his co2 levels were high and we wanted it checked. The staff ignored him for hours and then finally agreed to check it. Sure enough, it was high! Then they refused to changed the HMS blue filter (in the past, that was causing it). They kept saying “high co2 levels are all part of the weaning process and it’s expected!” They finally changed the filter after we begged and bothered them for hours and my husband felt better! So scary! Has anyone experienced staff saying high co2 is part of the weaning process before?

[@LifewithaVent]

Thank you for sharing some of your story with me. I am so sorry you went through so much. But I praise you for your tenacity and determination to get your husband care. Carbon dioxide levels do increase when a person is being weaned. This will happen when the person is taken off the ventilator. The body needs to re-learn how to breathe. However, the carbon dioxide levels should not rise to such a state that symptoms are occurring such as you described. If symptoms occur which indicate significantly elevated carbon dioxide levels, the person is to be placed back on the ventilator. Once back on the ventilator, the carbon dioxide levels should return to normal. All my best to you and your husband.