Reply to Treatment for severe TBI -- any hope?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]13:53s second paragraph hits the nail on the head. It's very easy for people to get hopes and expectations up, and especially in the early weeks and months, being realistic is important.

Your DDs friend has youth and health on her side. The coma may or may not be medically induced, and that can give some clues to outcome. Also, the nature of the injury is a factor. A single hit to one area of the head is more likely to have a better outcome than a diffuse type of injury (like a coup/ counter coup) injury, when a lot of tissue gets sheared, kind of like jello. It sounds as though she has the latter, and that may be why the doctors are not being super hopeful. It's hard to pinpoint what deficits will remain when it's a large area of brain damaged. Also, it's harder for a brain with a large amount of damage to rewire itself.

Even elderly people who have strokes can and so learn to talk and do self care again. A young brain is even more likely to rewire itself, which is the good news.

I have a friend who was hit by a drunk driver probably 10 years ago. He was in a medically induced coma for about a month. He had months and months in a rehab hospital. These days, he's back doing triathlons. Now, it's not 100% in the capacity he used to, and he has many of the after effects of a TBI- headaches, emotional lability, etc. BUT he is still able to live a pretty normal life. It didn't look like that would ever happen, had one seen him immediately post injury. 
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Thank you PP for posting this hopeful story about your friend. My friend's DD is not in a medically induced coma -- does that make a difference? She does have a diffuse injury -- but can't her young brain overcome that in time? Shouldn't they give it a year or so? I've been reading that the brain keeps recovering for years. I am trying to offer something to keep their heads above water -- I feel as though they've been told their daughter won't recover, and that's that, short of a miracle. Your friend's story sounds like a miracle to me. [/quote]

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