My mother (78), who is in a nursing home, has been diagnosed with ESLB in UTI, and has had it for 3 weeks. Survival rate?

Not on dialysis. She has that as a big NO on directives.

She spiked a fever this evening. First time with this whole infection. I know the pattern means she could be heading to sepsis but today she's clear headed and oxygen good. Tomorrow we will know if the super bug kicks this antibiotic like the others. It's funny, you hear through your life that you shouldn't over use antibiotics- but you don't truly know the impact until something like this. This is becoming a bug that is getting pretty out of control in hospitals and nursing homes. I've been doing her bedding laundry but my husband is really not happy about it right now as I have an auto immune disorder (MS, but in "remission" and one of my kids has childhood psoriatic arthritis/psoriasis- also under control without meds. He's afraid of it getting in our house. I don't know if it's of concern or not?

If the 4th one does not work, they may mention hospice. Don't feel bad agreeing to it. I think after 4 antibiotics the kidneys will fail completely. Toxemia and septicemia will mean she's on a very short road. So you up the comfort meds (Roxanol) and the Haldol if she is hallucinating. Hugs to you.

She still gets meds, same as always. I'll tell ya, the ups and downs of this are so hard. When my dad got sick he didn't want to fight. He just let go peacefully, and said he was ready. My mom will fight and fight, that's just her personality. I got prepared while she was on the vent and everything started to fail, then something within her started to fight. She has way more fight in her than me, my soul is weary.

BTW, is she on dialysis?

John's Girl, it sounds like she is on the waiting list to cross over, but we don't know exactly when it will be. I have a feeling that she isn't quite ready to leave the world yet, so she is continuing to fight. With COPD and advanced kidney failure, her time on earth may not be much longer unless the doctors can find a miracle cure for the E. coli. For now all there is to do is wait and hope that the days are not too bad. Is she receiving anything for agitation or are her doctors avoiding medications since her kidneys have failed?

She has had sepsis and septic shock before, the septic shock put her on a ventilator for 8 days in June. She has COPD and stage 4 renal failure. She seems to be able to fight through just about anything, but this one has me so concerned. Yesterday she had such bad hallucinations, this morning clear minded but still super weak.

There is no way of knowing. The doctors can continue to try different drugs to slow the E. coli down, but the infection may ultimately get into the bloodstream (septicemia) if it can't be controlled. It is a situation where you can hope for the best, but take it one day at a time. Please let us know what is going on. The microbes are getting harder and harder to fight.