Head injuries?

[Banana]

Hey guys,

I'm not an EMT student yet (I'm starting classes in the fall...) but its a medical related question that no one seems to be able to help me with so far...

A little of the back story: My partner at work was hit over the head with a metal pipe and found unconscious on Monday night. All his tests have come back normal but he hasn't woken up yet - he opened his eyes for about a minute yesterday and went right back to sleep.

Does anyone have any ideas of things I can do to help him wake up or is it just something only time can heal? Work isn't the same without him :sad:

 

[Guardian]

if he's in a coma, then no, you can't wake him up. Right now, a coma is the best thing for him. Comas slow activity in the brain reducing need for sugar. Think of it like this, right now his brain needs time to relax and heal.

 

[MMiz]

if he's in a coma, then no, you can't wake him up. Right now, a coma is the best thing for him. Comas slow activity in the brain reducing need for sugar. Think of it like this, right now his brain needs time to relax and heal.

Guardian hit the nail on the head with a great post. I couldn't say it better myself!

 

[c-spine]

-nod- What you can do, though, is be there for him and talk to him. (please, correct me if I"m wrong; but) Studies show that people in comas can still hear, they just can't respond.

 

[Banana]

From what I've heard, it really depends on the person and the reason for the coma whether or not they can hear...

I also don't think he's locked in or anything 'cause he's been squeezing peoples hands all morning. He's stopped now though. *shrugs*

 

[MMiz]

Banana,

By the way, welcome to the forum!

 

[gradygirl]

A friend of mine was in a coma for six weeks a few summers ago. His case was much different, as it was disease related, but here is how many of the doctors in my family explained to me what a coma is like:

A coma pt., mentally, is at the bottom of a dark, black hole. Essentially, they spend every day trying to crawl back up out of the hole. Sometimes they can see a glimpse the light, such as when your partner opened his eyes, but they still aren't close enough to fully see the light and regain consciousness. Some days they progress, becoming more interactive, others they slip back down the tunnel and have a bad day. Unfortunately, coma pts. and their families and friends must live day by day, but, hopefully, your partner will indeed make it out of that hole.

Good luck.

 

[Banana]

Banana,

By the way, welcome to the forum!

Thanks

He's been awake since Thursday night but its never really more than a few minutes... He just seems very quiet and a bit out of it but he's getting there!