Christy’s Prognosis Day 10

The doctors and the social workers caught wind that we were praying for a miracle, and may have felt compelled to call an unplanned conference about the reality of Christy’s condition. This doctor was a different trauma doctor than the trauma doctor we have met with the previous two times. Apparently, this doctor avoids family conferences at all costs unless it’s absolutely necessary. The doctor mentioned that this was the hardest part of his job, and having children himself, he realizes the pain we are in. All the doctors and nurses are looking at Christy as if she were their own. The doctor wanted to further explain Christy’s prognosis and her potential recovery process. The doctor explained first that we are now into the second week and Christy’s CT scans have not changed at all and her physical exams are still very poor. Christy’s brain is suffering from diffuse axonal injuries as well as frontal lobe damage, which depending on the amount of trauma, may be very difficult for her to progress further than the vegetative state. Her left eye is completely disconnected from the muscle behind it, and would need to be replaced with a prosthetic eye. Her right is detached from the retina, which signifies blindness. The doctor also explained the stages of recovery from this point, which run on a 1-5 scale. A 5 means that the person is 100% back to their normal self. A 4 means that the person is still able to function independently but their social functioning or ability to keep certain jobs may be affected. A 3 means that the person is handicapped in some way and may need help with daily functions such as being fed, bathed or changed; their personality may not be there and they may still have a permanent feeding tube. A 2 means they are in a persistent vegetative state, with no return of interaction with you, even though they may be awake and have their eyes open; they might be able to breathe on their own but would still have a feeding tube. A 1 means that they are in a coma and may never wake up, which is the state Christy is currently in. The doctor told us that based upon his experience, the trauma to Christy’s brain is so severe, that there is a 1/1000 chance that she would even make it to stage 4. There is a 99.9% chance she will remain in either stage 1, 2, 3. Right now, since Christy has been stable, we have to consider moving hospitals from Sutter to Kaiser, which would be more of a long term care facility versus a trauma unit. They also want to place a tracheostomy in Christy’s trachea instead of using her respirator, which would eventually cause damage to her vocal cords if used for too long.. The doctor has asked us to consider the probable quality of life that Christy may have, and also to consider what Christy would have wanted us to do in this case. We have been through a roller coaster of emotions, and still have many more questions for the doctors. We may have tried too hard to keep Christy here on earth, when maybe she belonged in paradise. Where does science end and God come in, and visa versa. We of course are still hopeful for a miracle, but at what point do you let that go and face reality, and realize that God wants her with him?  Please continue to visit Christy and let her know much you love and care about her. We love you Christy, and all we want is the best for you!