Via my brother-in-law: It is with a heavy heart that I relate Aida Mischs (my mother-in-laws) condition today. The head doctor of the neuro wing called a family meeting this morning, after consulting with the neurologist in charge of Moms case and reviewing the EEG results from yesterday evening. To make a long discussion short, in their opinion Moms condition has plateaued, and it is unlikely that she will recover. There is strong evidence of significant, unrecoverable brain injury affecting nearly the entire thinking, feeling parts of her brain. There is brain stem activity, but attempts to wean her from the ventilator were unsuccessful, meaning she is effectively only being kept alive by the life support systems. The family asked many difficult questions and in the end it is clear to us that the doctors are correct in their diagnosis, as painful as that may be to accept. As the days pass, the chance of her awakening or coming out of the coma drop dramatically. Unlike some forms of coma, this one does not have any significant chance of recovery after about 4 days, and virtually zero chance by day 8 or 9. The family wishes to give her the most possible chances of showing the beginning of a recovery, but the statistics are not favorable. As such, we must prepare for the next few days to be her last here with us in this world. So aside from the Lord doing a miracle in her brain, we intend to honor her advanced care directive (living will) by not keeping her body alive when it becomes clear her spirit has gone home. We anticipate reaching that decision point by this coming weekend. If you wish to sit with her or with the family gathered around, you are welcome to do so; there is no longer any need to restrict visitors or keep the room silent so that her brain might rest and heal (it is considered too late for that). Visiting hours are 9AM-9PM, except for a couple of shift change periods. May the Lords grace and peace be with us all in this difficult time.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 02:37:25 +0000