My wife is Turkish and recently contracted encephalitis. She was hypoxic for a period and suffered brain damage. She is in a coma at this point in a hospital in Istanbul. I was there for 2 months, and during that time she improved from little to no response and little movement, to now being able to move her whole body onto its side, rarely nodding and smiling in response to questions or speech, and nightmare hallucinations where she kicks and strikes out at imaginary things.

Her brother wanted me to try to find out whether there is any better care that can be given in the US. As far as I've read, it doesn't seem so. She is in her own room with friends and family constantly there, private nurses, etc. They are only giving her a little bit of medication for sleeping aid (usually about 4 hours of sleep) because she was turning from one side to another and not sleeping for days. She is also being taken to a hyperbolic oxygen chamber on the weekdays for oxygen therapy. They did an initial MRI and another at the 50th day of her hyperbolic oxygen therapy to see if it was making a difference.

Does anyone know if there is anything more they would do in the US? From what I can tell, they don't have anything else they do in the US for coma patients. If there is, we would likely try to switch her to a US hospital. Thanks.

Hello Brendan,

If you haven't already, you might try googling: support groups coma or best hospitals for treating coma

I think you need to contact/speak directly with a nurse who works with coma patients in the U.S.

Best Wishes, and don't give up hope,

Doc