Looking for similar experiences

On June 18, 2014 my wife started talking incoherently, lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital where the did emergency surgery due to an aneurysm that bled on her right side. They removed a piece of her skull to relieve the pressure. The doc said her brain had shifted 15mm over midline and it didn’t look good. After about 2 weeks they did a ct and MRI and said the brain had returned to normal position and they didn’t see any major damage. He then asked if we would like to try and repair the aneurysm and of course I said yes.

So at 2 1/2 weeks we were transferred to a larger hospital with a specialist who coiled the aneurysm and all went well. Up to this point my wife had still never woken up. A few days after the coiling she started opening her left eye some, a few days later she was moving her right arm.

Now it has been 6 1/2 weeks. She has slowly seemed to add more and more activity. She now still only opens her left eye mostly, sometimes the right eye will open when she is moved. She will follow commands most of the time like give a thumbs up or show me 2 fingers. When the therapists come in they have her wipe her mouth with a rag, rub lotion into her hands and she does all this. She seems like she is listening when I talk to her at times and other it’s like she is just looking through me. She moves both arms and legs though her left arm is weak. She has a trach and a feeding tube even though she was always able to breathe on her own.

I’m confused because the scans showed no damage and the doc said if he had to predict he would think maybe just some weakness on the left side. It has been so long and the other stories I read people are out for much shorter times. The docs at the new hospital just say there’s no way to know and we just have to wait and see. They want us to move her to a nursing home because she isn’t strong enough to do 3 hours of rehab a day that they require.

Is this a long time? She makes progress but slowly and she has just started storming at times. I love her so much and want to do all I can to get her through this.

It sounds like your wife is progressing - you will find, after reading stories on this site, that progress is usually very slow but the fact that she is showing progress is wonderful news. Sometimes there is progress, then a little backslide before more progress. I was in a coma for 9 weeks and like your wife was transferred to a nursing home. Them wanting to move her must mean that she is stable medically - more good news :) I think the most important thing you can do to help her is to be her advocate - make sure she gets into a good nursing home that gives her the attention and rehab she needs. My husband drove around to 6 of them before he found one for me. Remember to take time for yourself during all of this too - your wife needs you strong and healthy. My thoughts out to you and your wife.

Mary

You are a wonderful man and husband...and your wife is improving because of YOU...Remember something...this is a long journey and takes time and lots of rest for the brain and body to heal. Also, the smallest improvements is Big when speaking about brain injury. That being said, you wife has a way to go to heal...and find her "new normal"...it will not be easy for her to go to nursing home...but she needs some sort of constant care and rehab...have you spoken to social workers in the Hospital to help with the next transition?

Hang in there and if you have a faith hang on to that too...Take care of YOU along the way...and sometimes when she is looking through you...is almost like a "brain overload"...in the early part of healing our brains can only listen so much...and then we are just there...sending out healing thoughts to your wife and a big hug to you ~ Colleen