Good Morning reynosl22! The pandemic sure has effected a lot of folks with family in hospitals. Unfortunately, no one can say exactly how your mom will recover, we all are different, especially in the way of brain injuries. I vasospasmed for 21 days following my ruptured aneurysm. The doctors all told my BH not to expect anything if I survived. No one knew if I would be able to talk, walk, recognize anyone, etc.
They were very excited not only when I woke up but was able to identify my BH and a promise made years prior to my rupture. I couldn’t remember how to walk. My brain knew it was supposed to send a message but all I could do is stare at my feet. BH started singing the Christmas song “Put one foot in front of the other…” I was able to walk around the Neuro ICU.
For me personally, music has had an extremely positive effect, “The Soldier and the Oak” quickly became one of my favorites. https://youtu.be/rJTCKol8VFU
The Neuro RNs taught me how to use my phone to listen to music, also to text, accept calls, etc. They were kind enough to move the tower so I could keep it charged. Each and every day I thank the Higher Power that gave me such wonderful RNs and Doctors, without them I wouldn’t be here.
Whilst I was at University, we were taught that the brain couldn’t recover from brain damage after age five. In fact my wonderful surgeon, Dr. Stacey Wolfe, even said my brain had healed all it was going to. She doesn’t mind when I say no, no, no (I often repeat words in 3’s). I had training a week or so before my rupture and I had learned that Dr. Bruce Perry out of TX had a significant, ongoing study in which it shows that no matter our age, our brains can still heal. This study gave me Hope and I was able to pass that on to Dr. Wolfe. She is a remarkable woman and physician!
Dr. Wolfe hasn’t given up on me either. She recently (Dec 18) put a new type of stent in and recoiled my aneurysm. It is procedure #4 for me. I ruptured in 2013. The Neuroform atlas stent was just approved by the FDA in 2019. WFBH had put in 100 for ischemic patients, prior to my procedure.
With all that there are some lingering differences in my personality. I talk a lot. I used to be very quite and just observed everything and everyone, now I can’t shut up. We call it my “chatter box”. Many of our members, myself included have photophobia, in which light, especially bright light gives us painful migraines. Loud sounds can also have a negative effect. My hearing actually “significantly improved” according to my last hearing test. I can hear things my dogs can hear, so loud sounds effect my words and tremor. My tremor doesn’t effect my quality of life, so I choose not to take medicine for it.
Some folks can have extreme personality changes to the point they are dangerous. A lot of us here in our group have difficulty with a lot of stuff, we get overwhelmed. One of our members @ronk, did a post several years ago on getting our homes organized and neat. It was a great post and I hope our members can still find it. Many of us have aphasia, in which we lose our words. Sometimes we can give words that describe what we are trying to say, but can’t find the exact word we want. If someone tries guessing for us, it can shut our brains down.
As Merl often says, this isn’t a broken bone that can heal in weeks or months. Brain damage takes years to heal. The brain has to develop new pathways for information to be processed. Be patient.
I hope other members will share the hurdles they have battles with as they are many and varied.
All the best for you and your mother,
Moltroub