Facts About Vegetative and Minimally Conscious States After Severe Brain Injury

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Please remember, we are not able to give medical or legal advice. If you have medical concerns, please consult your doctor. All posted comments are the views and opinions of the poster only.

Anonymous replied on

My mom (75 yrs old) was found unconscious at home a week ago. We believe that she lay there unconscious for probably a good part of the day. The paramedics were able to give her something to kind of bring her out of it and once at the hospital we found out that her kidneys were failing due to rhabdomyolysis(break down of muscle releasing toxins into the blood stream). After many test we learned she had a small stroke. She was in and out of consciousness and was able to recognize and speak with us for brief moments. Several days later she had another stroke and she has been in a vegetative state since(4days now). Her eyes opened 5 times yesterday but did not focus and there has been slight movement but no awareness that we are there, no following of commands etc...Wed..her lung collapsed due to pneumonia and they had to place her on a ventilator. I am beside myself with worry and don't know if the movement and eye opening we are seeing is actually her trying to wake up or involuntary. I feel for all of you who are in a similar situation with loved ones and I will pray for healing for all of them.

Anonymous replied on

I would read this interview real carefully if I were you:

http://www.rense.com/general44/vege.htm

Anonymous replied on

Thank you for this very informative, great article!!!

Anonymous replied on

My ex- husband is in a vegetative state from diabetic ketoacidosis and is currently in CCU. They will be doing an EEG on him tomorrow to see if he still has brain activity.

Anonymous replied on

My daughter went into a coma from low blood sugar in her sleep, and is still unresponsive after 4 months--any one out there know of any other person ever going into a comatose state from diabetes

Anonymous replied on

My husband is in a deep coma since last 25 days. It started with a flu and then an infection of meninges and then went on to become meningo encephalitis  . Doctors say they don't know the root cause or the treatment and his situation is irrecoverable. I just have faith to stick on to.waiting for a miracle.

Anonymous replied on

My mother is 51 years old and she had suffered a heart attack, and cardiac arrest 6 months ago. As a result she lost oxygen to the brain and was diagnosed with anoxic brain injury. The MRI showed that the cortex of her brain is very damaged. The neurologists tell us that she will not recover from this vegetative state because her brain is too damaged. This has been so difficult on our family and our lives have been turned upside down. We love my mom so much and will do everything for her. Thank you for the informative article.

Anonymous replied on

By reading this article and reading the comments of those like myself trying to understand and live each day hoping for a miracle for a loved one.My spouse had cardiac arrest 6 months ago due to a blood clot and then a heart attack. I was so hopeful the first time he opened his eyes and when a tear fell from his eye while speaking to him 4 weeks ago,but then the doctors and nurses told me it's "stimoli",I want to believe that he hears and senses his loved ones near.I have lost weight and had hair-loss remaining with him each day for hours once he was admitted to the Neurologia Ward,forgetting that the patient(our loved ones) are in professional hands and being cared for. I don't know what the future holds but I do know that with the help of my family, true friends,my prayer-group and now a therapist(psychologist)I need to get on with my life day by day. I need to face my students as a teacher without showing my intense pain, I need to start taking care of myself, to avoid becoming ill from sufferance.I pray each day for a miracle,only the Lord knows.Prayer has helped me. The question is "why me?", it really is "why not me"?.I'll remember you and your loved ones in my prayers,it doesn't matter if you are religious or not, we are experiencing so much in common ,therefore I can only say thankyou once more for this article that has given me more insight into VC.

Anonymous replied on

thank you for providing such a valuable information.i am praying to God to help all of them who are going through these hard times.i am passing through the same...it feels very sad..and we are also waiting for a miracle.

Anonymous replied on

was helpful !! thank you..

Anonymous replied on

great article...everything needed is apt and to the point.. short and perfect...great job..thanks a lot..god bless..

Anonymous replied on

This is very helpful and informative. Being there and through it now, this makes it more clear in the sea of unknowns.

Anonymous replied on

Great article. It helped me understand my sister's (who is living in other country) conditions and chances of recovery. Thank you.

Anonymous replied on

I would like to thank those who took the time to write such a clear explanation to which I am now finding my youngest son (31) to be in. He was ejected from a car when it rolled 3 weeks ago. He is in a coma. The medical staff seem to be so negative and don\'t want to give false hope. I believe that I have seen some recognition and trying to communicate by arm movements, blinking of the eyelid and tears coming down the sides of his cheeks. We are still praying for a miracle and for him to wake up. He has 4 small children and a wife and many, many others who love and miss him.

Anonymous replied on

I find this information to be very helpful, i understand now what happened to my stepmother and will pass this information onto the other family member's. Thank you so much , we as well are praying for a miracle !!

Anonymous replied on

I wish I had known these stages 4 years ago when my husband suffered a TBI from a fall in China. His surgery there--since they put his skull back on--harmed him more than the initial injury. The doctors in Hong Kong, who treated him after we were evacuated were very honest with me about his prognosis, but no doctors in the U.S. ever outlined these conditions to us, and all we heard about was "waxing and waning," without much explanation of what that meant in spite of our best efforts. This would have helped us communicate better with the staff of the acute rehab hospital to which he went after being stabilized.

Anonymous replied on

the article is very well written and useful to understand the various stages of coma and how to deal with the person in vegetative state.I am sad that my dad who was hake and hearty 50 days ago, is lying on the bed in this state. I have firm belief in Sai and i know he wont break my trust.Miracle will happen and i am going to talk and walk with dad again. Sai cannot let anything go wrong with me becoz i have never done any wrong to anybody.

Anonymous replied on

This article was very helpful. My dad is now in minimally conscious state after a massive stroke 2 months ago. It definitely is draining for family members, and I think the recommendation to seek support is really important (and often overlooked).

Anonymous replied on

My sister suffered hypoxic brain damage from lack of oxygen and its been 40 days today. The neurologist says she's in a vegetative state and she also said something about alpha spindle coma. I am so very sad and just cannot believe this nightmare, but I do believe in miracles from God. I hope everyone who's going through similar situations have good outcomes and some miracles along the way.

Anonymous replied on

Great article! My 44 year old husband was in a motorcycle accident on April 9th, was in a coma for 8 days, and has been in a vegetative state for about two months now. I see signs that he is aware though, like when I get upset, he shows signs of being upset. He inconsistent follows commands such as hand squeezing when I ask him to or if I ask him to open his eyes, but he doesn't reach for objects, hold objects, or say anything. He does move his mouth often like he is trying to speak though. He had several other life threatening injuries that had to be addressed prior to beginning physical therapy, so we are now, after two months, getting to the stage of physical therapy for his broken bones. I am hoping that once he is stimulated with physical movement, that may help stimulate his brain in some way. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this experience, and can give me some hope that he may recover his cognitive abilities. I have been trusting God for a miracle, and it always helps to hear others stories about how their loved one recovered.

Anonymous replied on

My eldest brother suffered from a masssive stroke 4 months ago, he remained in vegatative state up to now. It's hard to see and accept that he is no longer the person I used to see when I visit him before the stroke. He's not aware of his sorroundings, no verbal response and unable to move his right arm and leg. I don't know if he will ever recover from that state but we are praying for his recovery and believe in God's miracle, no impossible with Him....

Anonymous replied on

My dad was in a severe car accident and then had a massive stroke. He opens his eyes, but there is not response. It has been 11 days and I pray that he will regain conscious. My prayers go out to all families affected.

Anonymous replied on

This brought some devastating reality to my world. My boyfriend is currently in what I believe to be the vegetative state. I was hoping that he would be back to his old great self again. I now know that this is not reality. And can prepare my heart for whats to come.

Anonymous replied on

This has been very useful. My mom is in vegetative state. She was conscious after the stroke, but after an infection she went into coma and is now in vegetative state. We are praying for the best.

Anonymous replied on

very practical & self-explanatory article. Though I could relate to each sentence as my loved one is in minimally conscious state. My prayers & empathy to similar persons suffering along with their caretakers.

Anonymous replied on

Very informative, useful article. Thank you for posting it!

Anonymous replied on

We care for our youngest son here at home, following a severe injury in 2006. While life has changed for us all, it is good, and we cherish the opportunity to minister to him as a family. Thank you for a well written and informative article. We will use it to help other families coming to terms with their loved one's injury.

Anonymous replied on

very informative. thank you.

Anonymous replied on

This article is an enormous help to me. It is written in a way that a lay person can understand and particularly helped me to see what we are currently doing for my 53 year old husband is the right thing.

Anonymous replied on

My mom is in the same state right now.. God will take care of our loved ones.. There is power in prayer..

Anonymous replied on

`thank u so much for give me this useful information

Anonymous replied on

Thank You for your time and this article is very helpful to our friends and family.

Anonymous replied on

my husband is in vegetative stage,just waiting for him to pass on to the next stage.this article answered a lot of questions,thus preparing us for the future course of actions to be taken.thank you.

Anonymous replied on

unfortunatly my sister had brain strok few days ago . she is in hospital unconcience . im so worried about her . this article helped me to understand and praying for her to gain concience . it is one of the saddiest days of my life

Anonymous replied on

This was the first article I have found , and I have looked for many that actually helped me understand the injury that has happened to someone in my family, it helped so much ...I now understand thankyou

Anonymous replied on

Your descriptions of the various phases of brain recovery are clear and straightforward. Consistant prayer is a great help, too, and it\'s such a comfort when we find ourselves or dear a loved one in one of these non-negotiable situations. We\'re grateful for your helpful suggestions and advice. Thanks. Leslie 18March2012

Anonymous replied on

Thank you so much, this is very helpful, very accurate and up to date as far as I can tell, and will help our family cope

Anonymous replied on

Thank you so much,this gave me new hope on my mother

Anonymous replied on

Very helpful!!!

Anonymous replied on

Thank you for your time and care into putting this together. It helped a lot :)

Anonymous replied on

thanks a lot

Anonymous replied on

Very helpful information to distinguish the various stages of coma and consciousness.

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