I once contracted a very severe form of " pneumonia"-- actually the Polmunologists and Infectious Disease specialists I had at my bedside thought I had SARS ( our hospital was a Level One trauma center so we had a huge transient population of recent immigrants to treat). We never did know definitely what I had but it was an extremely swift and severe pneumonia.
While I was at home sick, and not able to realize how sick I was because my oxygen levels were so low already, I took cough medicine and pain pills I had for a back injury because I felt so awful. I went to my doctor's office ( to get a refil for the narcotic- containing cough medicine) and he saw that I was drastically ill. I don't remember much about that day, except that I wanted to " go home and pack my things for the hospital". I wasn't rational, IOW, because my O2 level was so low.. (it was in the mid 80's and I am a non-smoker with a usual 100% O2 saturation level). I was also NOT anemic which changes the picture so very critically for Brittany and her husband too.
I KNEW to stay in bed, to leave my O2 mask on, to leave my IV alone, but I was so confused because my O2 sat was NOT coming up after hospitalization that I pulled everything off, including my hospital gown which I had spilled a diet Coke on. What a horribly embarrassing thing to do but again- my O2 sat was so low I was barely conscious.
IF I had not had a doctor who made a Chest X ray and saw that my lungs were totally consolidated, and if I had not had the best possible medical care available, I would have died. And I was 31 years old.. and a RN who KNEW, who absolutely KNEW what the symptoms of respiratory illness are.. but I got so sick in such a hurry and lost the ability to reason because my oxygen level was almost to the " Unconscious" level for a few days.
I absolutely think Brittany's death was a very rare set of circumstances, all non- deliberate. IF she had received proper medical check ups, her anemia would have been found and treated and she might could have fought off the pneumonia.. but with the lack of oxygen- rich blood. she had an extra strike against her. Also, the narcotics depressed her respirations and her cough reflex... but made her " feel better" because she could sleep after she took them. I remember how I felt so well.
