coma like stroke symptoms?

[timmi19812003]

My Grandma age 68 had a stroke this morning.  The doctors say that she has a maximum of 5 days to live.  Now she is in some sort of coma, but she can open her eyes and looks at you while your talking but looks confused and cannot talk.  When we talk to her and tell her to move her hand she can or her leg she will move it(a little bit but responsive).  She has a flu so she was pushing the blankets off of her and was sweating so the nurse put a fan in her room.  I know it's not looking to good but with her responding like that i just have a hope that she will make it.  Any comments or same expeirences on this would greatly be appreciated.  Thanks Timothy

[timmi19812003]

Joesi

            Yea i'm from the U.S.  To be exact the cleveland area..  We did not lose hope and we are very active to help in her recovery.  It has  been about 10 days since her stroke and improvement is on a scale of 1 to 100 i'll give it a 5.  Now when we ask her to squeeze our finger she can with her left hand but not with the right.  But it is akward that she can move her right arm up and down and does the same with her leg.  

Vicky
            She can respond with simple head nod yes or no but cannot speak.  It seems that since about two days ago she is trying to speak but cannot get the words out (struggles to mumble).  I was wondering vicky you said your mother was facing "end of life issues" now it is 4yrs later is your mom able to speak or eat,drink or walk?  

[joesi]

I'm curious. Where are you from? The U.S.?
I trust your grandma's doctor is educated and licensed however, to state that she has a maximum of 5 days to live makes me believe he/she has additional, super natural powers. I doubt it. Your grandma may or may not continue to exist in this world but that decision should not and never be left up to only strangers. Become an active part in her recovery. If treatment doesn't "make sense" to you, ask questions. Become educated in these matters. Knowlege is power.
A stroke is not like getting a cold. The brain can take 20 times longer to heal from an injury as compared to the rest of the body. Depending on the extent of the injury and where, there may be limited recovery.
It all comes down to never giving up. Unfortunatley, health care is a business and, as such, it's all about profitability for the providers.

[vja]

Tim
My mother, 91 years old had a massive stroke is right side paralyzed and cannot speak.  I believe she is in much worse shape than your grandmother who can move her arm/leg and respond to you.  They told me that my mother would never speak again and that I was facing "end of life issues."  Well that was 4 years ago.   I don't think the Drs. can predict much of anything.  Don't give up hope and stay involved with your grandmother and her care.  Read a lot of the posts on this site...they are very informative, helpful and let you know you are not alone in this.  Vicki.

[caregiver222]

Your love one may or may not have five days to live, however I'd like to be in the boxing ring with the physician who provided you with that bit of information. As for putting a fan on a stroke patient who is sweating, someone got their training credentials by sending in boxtops. The question is why is/was she sweating? Is the sweating compensatory, opr is it because there is a breakdown in the compensatory mechanisms? Excessive sweating is a recipe for dehydration, and that leads to a cascade of undesireable events. The fact you state she has a "stroke" is not helpful in providing information, but my little 102 year old sweety-pie was in far worse shape. I played patty-cake with her this morning and we watched cartoons together while she laughed. They arrogantly said she had two weeks to live. That was...um...how many years ago? The first advice is that she seems pretty aware of what is going on. Talk to her as much as you can. Don't believe them if they say she can't understand you. That's baloney on a white bread sandwich. Avoid statements such as "if you want to let go, let go. If you want to hang on, hang on." Tell her you love her and want her to try to survive. The will to live is remarkable. Get her a little radio with earphones or a player and let her listen to soothing music. If she is an ICU many hospitals have a rule against chairs being brought next to the bedside by visitors. If you need a chair to sit down on get one, and if they object call your attorney and the hospital administrator, not necessarily in that order. You may have to buy your own small folding chair to keep in the room with a small chain to attach it to the bed to prevent it from disappearing. Bring her family photos. Make sure she is visited by those who should care for her. If she has a religion contact the appropriate religious authority to visit her. I have had crummy hospital experiences with these alleged men of God. Unless you have made contributions to their parish lately they often don't want to know you. They love the license plate that allows them to park anywhere, however. Make sure you or her caregiver is with her holding her hand at all times. She may well cross the bar and the physician may be right, but remember that there is a God, there is a life after death, and there is a human soul. Thank her for every little thing she has done for you. The peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The ironing of your clothes in the second grade. And if your boss tells you he'll fire you if you take the time off from work take the time off anyway. There are worse things in life than losing a job. The life-force will take care of you and make it up. Put your priorities in order. You can never ever tell someone you love them too many times. And pray. No matter what anyone tells you, it matters. I wish you the best.