US neurology care vs International neurology care?
 

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.

Welcome to NeuroTalk. Sorry to hear of your wife's condition.

If the hospitals in the US can do any more to help her, it would be very hard to find that hospital or rehabilitation clinic. You may research rehabilitation hospitals to see if any claim to have experience with her level of injury.

The best are often associated with a medical school where ongoing research is being done.

The hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a valuable treatment for her to have frequent access to. .

The advantage of staying in Turkey is the presence of family. Having family there to talk to her or just read a book to her gives her brain familiar voices to process. In the US, she would not have as many people to do that.

My best to you.

Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment
 

Brendan, I am very sorry to hear that you wife contracted encephalitis. I have undergone 80 one-hour sessions of hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Two thirds of the sessions were at 1.5 atmospheres pressure and one third of the sessions were at 2 atmospheres pressure. I have not had encephalitis. Rather I suffered a concussion. But, for what it is worth, I do believe that the sessions were beneficial for my condition. So, I think that it is good that your wife is receiving this treatment.

It may be that the Turkish doctors are going all that they can for your wife. Nevertheless, it might be worth looking into whether they are doing anything regarding nutrition. I believe that the best that one can do is to try to stimulate the natural healing process, feeding it oxygen, nutrition and time.

I am from England and I have come to prefer some neurologists that I have seen to others. There is probably just as much variation or more in the United States.

If posts on this site are anything to go by, then there are American neurologists whose treatment would be unlikely to improve on any treatment that your wife is getting in Turkey. So, perhaps it would be worth checking out a particular situation in detail, rather than assuming that treatment would be better just because it is in America. Perhaps one of the American members might know whether there is someone who is particularly expert in hypoxia.

You have a very difficult situation to deal with. I hope that your wife continues to make improvements and that you can find the best situation for her.

Concussed Scientist