Hello,
My name is Michelle. I went into my third knee surgery a day surgery. My orthopedic surgeon left instructions to not give narcotics and they kept me overnight and gave me liquid moriphine and diladid. When my husband of 25 years came to bring me home I was in a coma. They put me on life support and intensive care. I spent the next nine days in ICU. Before I was released it was suggested I be placed in nursing home. My husband would not hear of this and he quit his job and became my caregiver.
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Rosetoes,
How are you doing? Did you start the new medications? If so, do they seem to be having helpful effects? I'd love to hear more from you. I know you're having a really rough time and want you to know that we're here for you.
April 27, 2010 - 8:11amThis Comment
I had 2 new seizures this past sunday! I seized and briused my ankle. I hit my head and hurt my hand and ankle. I am on crutches again. I am so scared. Why Why is this happening? I saw the doctor and he wants me to start a new meds called Remeron, Aricept and Namenda. They are supposed to help with my memory and used for Alzheimer patients as well as anoxic brain injury such as myself. I don't know what to do.
April 15, 2010 - 10:58amThis Comment
Rosetoes,
Oh, I am so very sorry. About the seizures, the fall and your injuries. Of course you are frightened. Anyone would be.
I had a friend with a brain injury and it seemed like her recovery came in phases -- she would get some better, then worse, then better, then worse. It really did seem sometimes like it was "two steps forward, one step back." She constantly felt like she was getting nowhere, and she was frustrated and scared like you are. Her head injury was not an anoxic injury, it was a severe concussion. She did recover, but it was a much longer and harder road than anyone might have guessed.
Let's talk about your doctor. Do you trust him implicitly, or do you think it may be time for another opinion as well? (Doctors should never mind when their patients want to seek more opinions and information from other doctors.) Is this the doctor who has helped your recovery this far?
And let's talk about the possible new meds. Does he want you to begin them all at once?
Here is what drugs.com says about these three meds:
* Remeron is a tetracyclic antidepressant. How Remeron improves depression symptoms is not fully understood. It is thought to increase the activity of certain chemicals in the brain (norepinephrine, serotonin), which help elevate mood.
*Aricept is a cholinesterase inhibitor. It works by increasing the amount of a certain substance (acetylcholine) in the brain, which may help reduce the symptoms of dementia (impairment of memory, judgment and abstract thinking, changes in personality) in patients with Alzheimer disease.
*Namenda are a NMDA-receptor antagonist. It works by blocking excess activity of a substance in the brain called glutamate, which may reduce the symptoms associated with Alzheimer disease. It may also be used for other conditions as determined by your doctor."
here are the pages for these three meds:
http://www.drugs.com/cdi/remeron.html
http://www.drugs.com/cdi/aricept.html
http://www.drugs.com/cdi/namenda-tablets.html
Rosetoes, what medicines are you on now, and are any of them intended to control seizures?
Does your doctor want you to stop medicines you are on now to try the new ones?
Here are some questions I might have if I were going with you to the doctor:
1. How does each one of these medications help my current situation?
2. What are the worst possible side effects of each one?
3. Will any of these medications interact with ones I currently am taking?
4. Do you foresee these medications as being temporary or long-term?
5. Have there been studies done on these medications with anoxic brain injury patients?
6. If these medications help, how soon should I notice a difference?
7. Will I need any extra testing (blood, liver, etc) while on these medicines?
8. Will we start them one at a time so I can tell how each one affects me?
9. Should I see this as a hopeful shot in the dark or as a real possibility for improvement?
How does your husband feel about what the doctor has said about the new medicines?
Hang in there, Rosetoes. You have to take this one step at a time, one day at a time. But you can do it.
April 16, 2010 - 9:58amThis Comment
Diane you make me happy i joined this site. I did save that information and will see about support. My nero doc said this is what he wants me to do also. I do not drive anymore because of my seizures and my new scaries...lol. I miss all that but I have to learn what I am now...hugh. I just wish I did'nt remember how it was. I have no short term so everything before is still safe but new things fade....Sorry i don't wanna sound like a negative peron I am not
April 8, 2010 - 9:47pm. I don't like to go out without my husband Paul. He is the best friend and my wonderful husband too. I never would have come this far without him. We just had our 23 year anniversary!
Thanks for sending me those sites.
Michelle
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Hi Diane,
April 1, 2010 - 11:47amI live in Denver Colorado. I would be interested in support. I was not aware there was. Thank you so much Diane. The doctor says I now have some agoraphobia. I will try to go. Promise.
Michelle
This Comment
Michelle,
Sorry it took me a couple of days to get back to you; I actually lost your question on the site for a day or two, LOL.
Let's see if I can get you some good information on support in the Denver area.
First of all, here's the address and phone number of the Brain Injury Association of Colorado, which is in Denver:
Brain Injury Association of Colorado
4200 West Conejos Place #524
Denver, CO 80204
Phone: (303) 355-9969
Toll-Free: (800) 955-2443
They have a listing of support groups on the web here, and two of them are in Denver:
http://www.biacolorado.org/index.php?page=groups
This page has three support groups listed:
http://www.brainandspinalcord.org/support-groups/brain-injury/colorado.html
I think that it's natural for you to have a little agoraphobia after what you've been through. I do. Can you tell me how much it affects you? Can you walk outside of the house very far? Are you able to drive yourself small distances, run errands and so forth? Or is that too much for you right now?
You might find this forum helpful in knowing that you are not all alone:
http://www.psychforums.com/agoraphobia/
April 8, 2010 - 10:45amThis Comment
Michelle,
April 7, 2010 - 3:45pmI am very sorry to hear what happened to you. Have you spoken to a lawyer? There may be recourse for your situation.
Jayne
(Link to website removed by EmpowHER moderator)
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Hello Jayne,
April 7, 2010 - 4:55pmI do have a attorney. We have a ten day jury trial set up for March of 2011. I have been better. It is in 2011 and until then is a struggle. I used to be a LSS for developmental pathways. I cared for developmentally disabled adults as well as host homed. My husband now cannot work and takes care of me. He has to look for work and I am terrified. I never was afraid before and now that is all I am. I have to learn to live with what I have now. I know it will be okay.
This Comment
Michelle,
Where are you located? (Just city and state, or zip code). Perhaps there are some resources in your area that you don't yet know about, such as support groups or forums for people with brain injury. I'd be glad to look for you.
April 1, 2010 - 9:55amThis Comment
Hello Diane,
March 31, 2010 - 3:14pmThank you for the warm welcome. I was overdosed June 2009 and we still do not know how long I was in coma and may never know. It was found in the AM by my husband that I was this way. I miss the way I used to be. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I did'nt. I saw my nero and he said I will not get any better than this. He said he wanted to be honest with us.
I had the long brain testing done and we are awaiting the results now. I will give a more exact idea of where I am.
Thanks again so much. It gets lonely some days. I forget it is'nt just me.
Michelle
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