Can she be helped? 5 year old in a Coma from Pneumonia?

Question

Hi,
A friend of mine is currently in Orange County, CA, Children's Hospital where her daughter who is 5 years old was suffering from Pneumonia which has now put her in a coma, she was braindead for 15minutes then started breathing again but the doctors are saying today the 5th day she is in a coma, that there's nothing more they can do for her to turn her machines off and let her die. I'm sure there is someone out there that can DO something for little KC I've heard of so many stories of doctors helping and patients especially children recovering from the same condition. Please someone out there if you know where we can take KC or get another opinion of someone who wants to try to help her get better please please help us.

She is located in California, Orange County.

Kindest of Regards

Lois

Answer 1

I'm so sorry I can't help. Dear little KC sounds really very poorly. If her brain was starved of oxygen for that period of time, there will be lots of damage.

I would certainly ask for a second opinion and have all the brain stem tests repeated.

I hope someone out here has something better to offer than I do. This is a terrible thing to go through and I know I would not want to give up either.

Thinking of you all, best wishes.

Answer 2

What a sad story. I am terribly sorry to hear about your friend's loss.

Your question tells me that you are a little confused about what is happening to your friend's daughter. It is impossible that she was brain dead for fifteen minutes. Brain death is an irreversible state in which all electrical activity in the brain ceases. It is more likely that she stopped breathing or that her heart stopped beating and she was revived. Coma is not the same as brain death. It occurs when the patient become deeply unconscious and no longer responds to pain or other stimuli. Patients either come out of the coma gradually as they get better or they get worse and enter a persistent vegetative state or brain death.

If your friend's doctors are saying they can do no more for KC, it is likely that she is, sadly, brain dead. This can be determined by a series of medical tests. I am sure that if the doctors thought there was the smallest hope, they would have said so. Unfortunately pneumonia can be a devastating illness in children and it is entirely possible that her little body couldn't handle the infection.

Your friend needs to ask the doctor exactly what is happening. There is a legal requirement to test for brain death. If the little girl is brain dead, there is nothing they can do. She is being kept artificially alive by machines, there is nothing of her left. If she is simply in a coma, this can resolve itself after a few weeks so she can opt to wait and see. She may come out of it or not.

The stories about doctors helping patients you describe sound like those rare medical miracles or errors we all pray for. Sadly, in most cases, the doctors know how much hope there is. They don't like losing a patient, they will fight to the last. You always have the right to a second opinion but I think you need to brace yourselves for the worst. Your friend will need your support to face up to the reality in front of her. At least it might help her to know that either way, her daughter is not in pain.

My best wishes and prayers.

Answer 3

My God!
What a situation to find yourself in!

I have just come out of Hospital after a bout of Pneumonia that landed me in Intensive Care.
I dont think I was anywhere near as bad as KC.

The medical people are very good now, at sorting and controlling Pneumonia.
The real worrying part is that the child was considered 'braindead' for 15 minutes!
Believe me, that is an incredibly long time.

I truly wish your friends all the love in the world and dearly wish and pray that she will be ok, but perhaps you and they should accept the fact that maybe this part of her existence has come to an end.

With patients in a coma the best thing to do is to speak to them.
I've been comatose and whilst you don't know whats being said, you know SOMEONES THERE!


With all my heart I pray for KC

Answer 4

There might be someone somewhere who can do something. I would ask lecturers at your nearest medical school for information - they might know of new techniques or specialists in this field.

I really hope she gets better. Miracles do happen sometimes!

Answer 5

You could leave her there, sometimes patients come out of coma's by themselfs after a month or so!

Best of luck!!

)c: <----- Mr. Wobbles is with you!!