Update 6/7: We have very good news to share today!! Mom was taken from the Neuro Critical Ward and is now just in the Neuro Ward. She is no longer hooked up to machines that constantly beep. She only has a feeding tube, a port for medications and a catheter. Visitation hours aren’t so strict anymore and we are so grateful to spend more time with her. For those keeping track of her journey, that was 17 days in ICU, 5 days in Neuro Critical and now she is entering the next level of care where they will start to do rehabilitation. Little by little she is improving. No huge improvements in the last couple of days with her state, but we still have many miles to travel on this road. That woman is the strongest woman I have ever known. We met with the surgeon who decided to do the craniotomy surgery yesterday and we found out the only thing that saved her life was the fact that her pupils were not fixed. He took a chance on her at her age and we are so grateful he gave her a chance to live. Her midline is back to center and her brain as of the latest CT scan is normal. It was a very emotional but happy meeting. He was excited to hear that she had started to respond and immediately went up to evaluate her and signed the orders for her move. Her coma scale was a 4 when we got here and he said she now averages about an 8. She is our miracle!❤️
Glasgow Coma Scale
June 4th, 2023
My mom’s sister and brother (Aunt Sandy and Uncle Terry) arrived today (by PST) in Braga which is ironically the same day our mom was supposed to fly home. We took them to visit mom today after lunch. Sandy is a retired nurse so I am very much looking forward to having an experienced medical professional here who can help us facilitate my mom’s care. Uncle Terry said she squeezed his fingers a little bit. We are all aware that she has a very long road to recovery ahead of her. However, if there is one person I believe in the most, it is our mother. I have intentionally stayed away from medically researching her diagnosis online…until today. Subdural hematomas have a 50-90% mortality rate. She had every odd stacked against her: the amount of time it took for her to get the surgery, the fact that she is elderly and has many other health concerns, the fact that she has a shunt in her brain already for NPH that only aided her hematoma by draining more spinal fluid from her brain and making room for more blood, the fact that her hematoma crossed the midline, and the fact that she was a 4 on the coma scale….all should’ve killed her. But she is still here and fighting to come back. She is breathing on her own, she can open her eyes for a little bit, she can move her legs, and can sometimes squeeze hands, her coma scale rating has improved and Matt and I strongly feel that she is comprehending the things we tell her and is finding small ways to communicate. She will definitely have a long road ahead of her and she will most likely never be the same again but we are grateful for every moment we have for her because we could’ve lost our mom and our lives would’ve been completely shattered, even more than they already are. Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and well wishes. Also, please continue to share this campaign to bring her home. We cannot do this without your love and support!❤️