Help...Advice...Please! :)

Hello everyone,

I am new to medhelp, but I am here in hopes that someone will be able to help me in some way. I know others on here have had there own experiences with strokes, so any enlightenment would be lovely. So, my mom is 62 and she suffered from a hemorrhagic stroke in the basal ganglia on the left side of her brain. So far, she has been in the hospital for 13 days and she is still in a comatose state. The doctors told me the prognosis is not good, but they say they can "trach and peg" her and send her to long-term care but they believe she will live in a persistent vegetative state until infection/pneumonia or something takes her. I don't even know what to think.

My mother has always been a very strong woman and I would like to give her a fighting chance. I felt like they were rooting for me to give the go ahead to pull the plug, but it's a hard choice to make alone and I'm 23. It's so very hard. Can anyone tell me their experiences with family members who have had a similar situation? I pray my mom will be able to regain some abilities like I was first told. How long should I give her a chance?
I was told that she now has a hematoma...it's getting smaller but slowly and there is still swelling. Today her grip was strong as ever and I'm told it's all just reflex, but the other day her grip was not tight. I feel like she can come around..maybe she needs time? She is a fighter. Well, any advice is more than welcome. I am sad and scared so I am grateful/thankful to all who help.

Peace & Love.

[MoniMoni]

Update: Mom woke up just before the 14 day mark and she is fully awake now. Of course there is still much progress to be made but she's already trying to fix her hair and get out of bed. :D

[sue_in_oz]

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your mum, but great news re her progress & wanting to fix herself - a good sign :)

Hopefully, these are signs that she is getting ready for the long, slow process ahead that is recovery.

All the very best.

Sue

[let2009]

Thank god your mom is okay.  I'm experiencing the same situation.  My aunt is in a comatose state and her MRI just came back with poor prognosis.  the Dr says her recovery is unlikely as she is also on life support and cannot breathe without the support.  The extent of her brain injury is very serious and probably be in vegetative state too.  She doesn't look too good, her tummy is swelling and her hands have swelled to the fullest. Was your mom also on life support?

[VTHokie06]

Wow, it is great to see she is OK.  I can relate to your situation, I am 25 and my Dad is 61 and suffered a stroke 2.5 months ago.  He lives alone and I have a younger sister (21), and it's just the three of us.  It's a ton of pressure to be under at such a  young age and very scary.  

My dad's stroke was nowhere near as a severe as your mom's (my dad has severe vision problems and short term memory issues, but nothing like a coma).

Things will get better, and it will be a very uplifting sight to see the improvements your mom will make.