Hypoxic brain injury after cardiac arrest.

[Loverofwords]

Hi.

I posted a while ago about my mum suffering a hypoxic brain injury after a cardiac arrest 17 weeks ago.

Since then my mum is still classed as being vegative/minimally conscious.

She definitely hears our voices and she now locks on and focuses when she is looking around and looking at me, my sister and dad. It also looks as though she is watching the nurses do her peg feed and medication. (My mum was a senior carer so maybe she's checking they are doing it right!)

I go up and visit my mum every night and since Monday when she looks at me she looks distressed/upset/scared.

Is this part of the process/coming up to the next level of awareness? Do you think my mum may know who we are? I'd hate to think I'm upsetting her, but if this is another step to overcome then I'll take it as progress is progress.

I face time my dad during our visits so she can hear him and she pulls the same faces. This is even after medication too.

My mum still can't communicate as of yet but we are hoping she will get there soon.

I look forward to hearing your experiences.

[cat3]

I think your mum's apparent distress or agitation could be frustration from her inability to communicate with you and others. My ex-husband was bedbound and unable to speak after a catastrophic brain haemorrhage but obviously understood much of what was said by us as he responded with gestures, smiles or shakes of his head.

That was after a couple of months of minimal consciousness and, had he survived an unrelated illness, we believed further progress was on the cards.

His consultant at Salford Royal had been optimistic about further improvement and wanted him transferred to the Walton Centre for speech and physio therapy.

Sadly his 2nd wife, being next of kin and having the authority to decide his fate, refused rehab both at the Walton Centre and the nursing home to which she had him transferred.

I'm sure you'll take advantage of all/any rehab opportunities for you mum but it might be many more months before you see progress.

We used basic 'Yes-No' shakes of the head for Geoff to communicate answers, and my son told him corny old jokes which brought many laughs. We had a whiteboard for him to practice on and he wrote the words 'Love' and 'Mum'. And my daughter took an iPad which brought great pleasure, from old photos to YouTube videos and more. Music was another source of pleasure for him, bringing recognition of favourite tracks and smiles.

You're obviously devoted to your mum m'love and dedicated to her care. But please make time for your own care whenever possible because nightly visits can be exhausting, and you need periods of respite to keep yourself well.

All best wishes to you both, and for better days ahead. Please keep us updated on your mum's progress... Cat x