Re: pontine hemorrhage

Posted By CCF NSG MD /gsh on November 10, 1998 at 19:24:18:

In Reply to: pontine hemorrhage posted by Alan on November 06, 1998 at 21:21:23:






Dear Sir: My father-in-law suffered a severe pontine hemorrhage on June 18
of this year and is now at home, very stable (B/P, temp, etc.), and, we believe,
comfortable.  He was only on the respirator for about a week and the medical staff
say that he has gone much farther than they expected.    With it now approaching
5 months, we wonder if there is anything else we can do in addition to feeding,
exercise, and auditory stimulas (reading to him, TV, etc.).  By observing his mild
reactions we believe he can hear everything that is going on around him and that
he understands, also.  He occasionally focuses his eyes, and has twice tried
to say something.  He has moved all of his limbs and his head randomly, and
makes a lot of facial expressions.  Are there any other cases that have gone
this long, or had any type of recovery after this length of time ?  Are there
any groups that share specific information about this condition ?    THANKS !!
_______
_______
Dear Alan,
It sounds like you and your family are doing the right thing.  The pons is a region of the brainstem that connects the brain to the rest of the body and, therefore, is a vital structure.  A pontine hemorrhage can be devastating to a patient and his or her family.  In terms of recovery after this kind of bleed, patients usually achieve roughly 90% of recovery in the first three months or so, after which the pace of recovery slows a bit.  Each patient is different.
We don't know of any groups specifically for this kind of problem, but surfing the web and asking your physician would be good places to start.
Good luck to you and your family.