awake but now weird

[nickieb]

Last week i posted to say i had been told my friend was brain dead anyhow she is now awake but has changed. she is mad, keeps ripping her lines out & cant keep her tongue in he mouth. she is struggling remembering things & has reverted back to the past..

Is this brain damage??Will she recover do u think???

[Encephalomalcia]

This is normal behavior after being in a coma and does not mean brain damage.  The doctors will know if she has any brain damage from tests such as eeg and CT scan.  If she does have brain damage, she may get better as the years pass.  My mom had brain damage and was told by her doctors that after 1 year that it the way she would be for the rest of her life.  After 1 year, she was not all that good and still could not think and do things like addition, she was so depressed and said "How can I live the rest of my life like this?"  Well, she continued to get better throughout the years and after 5 years she was almost back to normal  She was tested and found that she did better on the test than a person who never had a brain injury.  When a person has a brain injury during the first year they cry a lot.  It is a thing that they cannot help and does not mean that they are weak or not a strong person.  It is more of a physical thing that they cannot help or control, so be prepared for that.  Hopefully, she will improve.  Take care and try not to worry.  A miracle has already happened for a reason.    

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
The very fact that she has recovered means she was not brain dead. In all probability, she was in deep coma. There must have been some damage to the brain. The recovery after brain damage is a complex phenomenon and very unpredictable. One can only wait and give the best medical care possible. You could read the prognosis section on this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coma

Hope this helps. It is difficult to comment beyond this at this stage. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care! All the best!!

[KatEyes]

Sounds like even in her condition your friend has come a long way. With this all being so recent it's hard for even the doctor's to know for sure how much progress she will make over time. If you are going to be an active part of her life, you could ask her family if they were given any resources to help them understand what to expect. When my mother had brain damage from a stroke, we were given videos to watch. Hope your friend continues to improve.