Continuation of Saga

Sharon remained in a coma for about 6 weeks. She was moved from phase one about 10 days after the accident to phase 2. There was absolutely no deliberate response from Sharon to any of our conversation or probing questions. Her eyes were open and she just stared blankly. She never followed any of our movements around the room. Hospital personnel removed the intubation and inserted a trach into her neck. The nurse would come in frequently to suction and it was disturbing to all when they did this. As time went by Sharon continued to fight for her life. Every visit we made we did the best we could to stimulate her to respond. We brought her favorite music (John Denver tapes; Country Home) to play for her and Jim would read scripture to her and explain that God was there and to not be afraid. He took the 23rd. Psalm and explained to Sharon that God was causing her to rest in green pastures. The definition of being in a coma per the hospital was that the patient didn't respond to verbal commands. So far, this was Sharon's condition. After another week or so they moved her to stage 3. This time she was in a room with another patient. I was pretty shocked when I walked into the room that evening after they had moved her to discover that her roomate was a gentleman who was in a sledding accident. Evidently, this was not an issue with the hospital as both Sharon & this man had been severely injured. Charlie Burhman was quite a character. He had facial nerve damage. Jim being the outgoing person that he is went over to his bed to introduce himself. Charlie was propped up with his eyes closed. Jim didn't know what his condition was so he just said hello, I'm Sharon's father, "Charlie lifted his left hand to his forhead and with 2 fingers pulled up his eyelids and then extending his right hand said "glad to meet you, I'm Charlie Burhman". It was in this room that the nurses began sitting Sharon up in a chair. It was like an adult high chair. They would put blocks and rings on the tray to stimulate her mind to respond to verbal commands. So far nothing! One evening while we were there, Charlie had a birthday and birthday cake was being passed around. I had a piece of his cake with yummy icing. As I was sitting next to Sharon getting ready to eat my cake, all of the sudden Sharon reached over and grabbed my cake and started to eat it. I cannot begin to tell you what a thrill that was! I yelled for the nurses to come quickly! They were obviously overjoyed and began the process of removing her trach. It was in this third phase of shock trauma that Sharon slowing began to emerge out of the coma. It was 6 weeks after the accident that the hospital announced that she was being moved to the Walter P. Carter rehabilitation center across the street. Each new change in Sharon's care brought new anxieties to my heart. Questions about the quality of her care constantly plagued me. Sharon was no longer in an acute situation and didn't need the kind of care she had been receiving in Shock Trauma. She needed round the clock nursing care and at the center she began to be integrated into a more normal social experience. It wasn't the most inviting environment to be in but it was where she needed to be at that time. Sharon had a private room and outside this room there was a hallway and across the hallway there was a large room where they would take her for PT, OT and to spend time outside her room. This place unnerved me to some extent as there were all kinds of people there from a toddler who was standing in water in the basement in her house and experienced a severe electrical shock that had caused her brain damage to a young man who was blind and retarded. There were others there but these were the 2 that stand out in my mind. It was there at the WPC center that Sharon began to improve. (to be continued)