My son has Diffuse axonal BRAIN DAMAGE and now they want to REMOVE his Tracheostomy! Help!

Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM , where we instantly improve the lives of Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can have PEACE OF MIND, real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making fast, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!

This is another episode of “your questions answered” and in last week’s episode I answered another of our most frequently asked questions “After weaning off a ventilator is it normal to be confused?” You can read, watch or listen to the update here.

In this week’s episode of “your questions answered”, one of our reader’s Robin, from the United States has the following question regarding her son’s

“My son has Diffuse axonal brain damage and now they want to remove his Tracheostomy! Help!”.

Hi Patrik,

My son who is 22 was in a car accident. He was on a ventilator for about three weeks in ICU and is now breathing on his own with a Tracheostomy and is another room now.

He has been in a coma since the accident..never induced.

They are now weaning him off the Tracheostomy and are hoping he will breathe on his own without the Tracheostomy. He’s a size 6 Tracheostomy. And he is still in a coma and not responding. He coughs, yawns, opens and closes his left eye, sleeps and awakes, feels pain, is on a feeding tube, but is not responding to commands.

December 19, 2013 was when the accident happened and he has Diffuse Axonal Brain Damage. I’m extremely worried about him with the Tracheostomy out. Let me know please your comments. Thank you for your time and God Bless.

Dear Robin,

thank you for your email.

I appreciate the time you are taking to contact INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I can feel your concerns, worries and the pain you are going through because of your son’s condition and situation.

Brain and head injuries take time, however it is of concern that your son has never been in an induced coma and that he’s still not responding to commands after nearly two months since the accident.

A “Diffuse Axonal Brain Damage” is certainly a big challenge and it’s known that it can cause unconsciousness and a persistent vegetative state after head trauma.

That’s certainly concerning as a starting point. However my experience has also shown that head and brain injuries take time to heal and you must stay positive! Just think about the recent skiing accident of the famous Formula 1 driver Michael Schuhmacher who has had a severe brain injury and is still in a coma. Head and brain injuries take a long time!

Recommended resources:

PEACE OF MIND, CONTROL, POWER AND INFLUENCE EVEN IN THE MOST CHALLENGING OF CIRCUMSTANCES THAT YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR CRITICALLY ILL LOVED ONE COULD POSSIBLY FACE IN INTENSIVE CARE

THE 7 QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK THE MOST SENIOR DOCTOR/ PHYSICIAN/ CONSULTANT IN INTENSIVE CARE IF YOUR LOVED ONE IS CRITICALLY ILL IN INTENSIVE CARE- you’ll also get one BONUS QUESTION at the end of the Ebook/Video or Audio recording!

As it relates to your son’s Tracheostomy, if he has been off the ventilator and is now spontaneously breathing with a Tracheostomy chances that he can breathe without the Trachea depend on whether he will be able to swallow and whether he can cough and can clear his airway.

Also keep in mind that after the Tracheostomy may have come out that your son may be in a position to go to rehabilitation. Brain injuries of this severe nature may require rehabilitation after Intensive Care in order to improve his situation.

I think that it’s certainly worthwhile trying to get him off the Tracheostomy whilst he is in Hospital. A size 6 Tracheostomy is a relatively small size and is almost a paediatric(children’s) size.

The size however is not all that important and as I mentioned before it’s more important that he can breathe, swallow and cough.

Also check out our “Your questions answered” section here https://intensivecarehotline.com/category/questions/ where we answer lots of questions about Tracheostomy as well as Head injuries! Also visit our “blog” section where we have more articles about how you can stay positive and other tips and strategies on how to deal with challenging situations whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care. You can find our blog here https://intensivecarehotline.com/category/blog/

Other articles and resources of interest for you that will help in your situation are

Sincerely,

your Friend

Patrik

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Thank you for tuning into this week’s episode of “your questions answered” and I’ll see you again in another update next week! Make sure you also check out our “blog” section for more tips and strategies or send me an email to [email protected] with your questions!

Also check out our Products section where you get more Ebooks, Videos and Audio recordings and where you can also get 1:1 consulting!

This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I’ll see you again next week with another update!

Sincerely, your Friend
Patrik Hutzel