[croxton69]

My mother was going to the bathroom when she told my father she felt sick. He helped her up but she said she was going to pass out. Dad got the phone and called 911 she was still talking when the paramedics got there.
She then passed, heart stopped no breathing at this point.
They worked on her and brought her back it took them 1 hour to stabilize her and get her to the hospital. She is now on a ventilator. She seemed to be ok until yesterday when the seizures started. I mean one after the other. They sedated her and now have her on seizure medication. They are going to try to wheen her off the sedation tonight and see if any activity is going on.
I was told by the Nuerologist today that she has brain activity but they do not know what extent of brain damage there is with my MOM. This happed on Sunday the 22nd of Feburary and today is the 26th. On the 24th she grabbed my hand on command, dad was tickeling her foot it was moving, her eyes were opening and looking at us!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cant believe there is no treatment for any kind of brain injury in this day and time or is there? HELP!!!!!!!!!!

[Hockey]

Hello and welcome to NT.

I am so sorry for your mother's illness. I can't imagine how stressful this must be for you.

As you no doubt know, Anoxic Brain Injuries vary in severity and prognosis. The longer your mom's brain was oxygen starved, the longer and harder her recovery will be. Those with mild and moderate injuries often make very good recoveries if they receive the necessary therapies and treatments.

The first step in treating a anoxic barin injury is pinpointing and addressing its cause. Do the doctors know why this happened to your Mom?

Brain and Spinal Cord.org www.brainandspinalcord.org is an excellent resource for understanding brain injuries and their treatment options. Below is an excerpt from that site:

Treatment of Anoxic Brain Injury
When treating anoxic brain injury, doctors first attempt to pinpoint the cause of the injury and treat it. For example, if lack of oxygen is due to a stroke, the first priority will be to treat the patient for stroke. If the problem is due to heart arrhythmia, steps will be taken to regular and stabilize the heart’s rhythm.

Efforts to stop further brain damage will be combined with treatments for the cause of the problem. Every effort will be made to restore normal oxygen availability to the brain. The patient will be kept cool in order to reduce further brain damage, because the brain can reach high temperature during oxygen deprivation. Steroids may be given in an attempt to reduce brain swelling, since swelling can also damage the brain. Barbiturates may be given to reduce brain activity and allow the tissue time to recover.

Sometimes people with anoxic brain injury have seizures. Anti-seizure medications will be used to control this problem. Severe seizures may be treated with anesthesia.

In many instances, the patient must be put on a ventilator during the first phase of treatment. This is frightening for the family, but it can be a step taken to assure the proper level of oxygen will be maintained so that the patient has a chance of recovery. Of course, all involved must be prepared for the possibility of brain death (no brain activity, which means no chance of recovery). The longer a person remains unconscious, the greater the chance of brain death. The medical team should keep the appropriate family members aware of exactly what is going on; do not hesitate to ask questions about every treatment. There are no “dumb questions.”

Once the patient is stable and life-threatening injuries have been treated, the rehabilitation phase of treatment will follow. Generally, chances of recovery are better when rehabilitation can be started quickly, particularly with people over 25. As people age the muscles atrophy more quickly with bed rest, so it is important to begin movement as soon as possible.

During rehabilitation the patient and his or her family will work with a multidisciplinary staff including doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and other specialists to devise an individualized program designed to return the patient to the maximum level of function. The rehabilitation phase may include:

• Speech therapy
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Recreational therapy
• Adaptive equipment training
• Counseling

The patient’s family and caregivers can help with rehabilitation by talking with all members of the rehabilitation team and making sure that they understand what the goals of therapy are. Love and emotional support is vital for the patient during this time. Taking care of someone with anoxic brain injury can be a physically and emotionally draining experience; the person’s physical needs may be taxing and they may not relate to you in the way they once did. If you are taking care of a loved one with anoxic brain damage, make sure that you also take care of your own physical and emotional needs. A support network is important. Do not hesitate to tell family and friends what you need and do not hesitate to take advantage of support systems offered by the hospital or rehab center.

[(Broken Wings)]

WELCOME TO NT

So sorry for your troubles. You mom is precious, I know.

Here is the caregiver link:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum56.html

Keep in tough. I hope she gets better.