Coma, (Unconsciousness) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

A coma is a state of unconsciousness where a person is unresponsive and cannot be woken.
A severe head injury or a condition that affects the brain such as a stroke is two possible causes of a coma.
A person can also be in a coma as a result of alcohol intoxication.
Extreme changes in blood sugar levels in people with diabetes - very low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia) or very high blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) - can also cause coma.
You may find the following information useful if you have a friend or a loved one who is in a coma.
Someone who is in a coma has minimal brain activity.
They are alive but cannot move or be woken.
Their potential for recovery will depend on the cause of the coma.
A person in a coma will often be unresponsive to their environment.
They may not be able to hear voices or feel pain.
However, a person in a coma may have some awareness of their surroundings.
Every coma experience is unique.
Occasionally, a person in a coma may open their eyes, grimace or make a noise.
They may not be aware of these movements or have any control over them.
Being in a coma means the person has a low level of consciousness.
Their level of consciousness will depend on how much of their brain is functioning, which may change over time.
For example initially a person may be in a very deep coma where they are unresponsive to pain, before gradually recovering to a lighter coma, where they respond to pain.
They may continue improving and eventually they may become aware of their surroundings and begin to communicate.
The ability to make a clearly conscious response to external instructions indicates that the person is no longer in a coma.
Doctors score a person's level of consciousness using a tool called the Glasgow Coma scale.
The Glasgow Coma Scale assesses three things:
1. Eye opening- a score of one means no eye opening, and four means opens eyes spontaneously
2. Verbal response to a command - a score of one means no response, and five means alert and talking
3. Voluntary movements in response to a command - a score of one means no response, and six means obeys commands
A higher score on the scale suggests that less brain function has been lost.
A score of eight or less is often used to mean that someone is in a relatively deep coma.
Recovery depends on how much of the person’s brain has been affected by the underlying condition or injury.

Generally the longer the person has been in a coma, the poorer the outlook.

People don't usually suddenly 'wake up' from a coma, but tend to come round gradually and regain brain function over time.
When a person comes out of a coma, they may be agitated and confused.
They may need to be sedated for their own safety.
Some people will make a full recovery and be completely unaffected by the coma.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Coma
Chapter 2 Interesting Facts about Coma
Chapter 3 Treatment of Coma
Chapter 4 Hypoglycemic Coma
Chapter 5 Induced Coma
Chapter 6 Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Chapter 7 Cerebral Aneurysm
Chapter 8 Stroke
Epilogue

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Dec 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370489862

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Coma,

(Unconsciousness)

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

by

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B., B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2014 Smashwords Edition

Published By Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

to my wife Dorothy

and my children

Carolyn, Grace

and Kelvin

This book describes the Coma, Treatment and Coma Diseases such as Hypoglycemic Coma, Induced Coma, Subarachnoid hemorrhage, Stroke, which are seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

Ode to Coma

Coma is a state of unconsciousness

Where there is no responsiveness

To any sensation to pain, speech or eye opening

It all depends on how much of their brain is functioning

A coma can last hours, days or even years.

There are always the irrational fears

Of a loved one not recovering from a coma

Indeed it is worst when the cause is sudden trauma

Caring for a comatose person is never easy

You will need to talk to him positively

Treat him as if he still has his mental function

Talk to him as though he was conscious

One day he may wake up of his coma

He may be confused and still in trauma

With reassurance he can make a full recovery

Some others may become worse and not be so lucky.

-An original poem by Kenneth Kee

Interesting Tips about the Coma

A Healthy Lifestyle

1. Take a well Balanced Diet

2. When a patient presents in coma, diagnosis and treatment begin simultaneously.

Initial treatment is aimed at addressing immediate life-threatening issues:

The blood sugar can be checked quickly by a quick finger stick bedside test and if it is low glucose can be administered under the tongue or intravenously.

Since the patient cannot be the source of information, questions are asked of family, friends, bystanders and rescue personnel.

Examination of the eyes including the pupils and the interior of the eye where blood vessels and nerves enter the globe (fundi), facial movements to assess cranial nerves including gag reflex, extremity movement and reaction to stimulation, tendon reflexes and other testing of spinal cord function.

If a pupil is widely dilated, it is either because of direct trauma to the eye or more ominously, it is a pre-death event where the brain is herniating because of increased intracranial pressure.

The Glasgow Coma Scale score will be documented; the deeper the coma, the lower the score.

3. Keep bones and body strong

Bone marrow produces our blood

Eat foods rich in calcium like yogurt, cheese, milk, and dark green vegetables.

Eat foods rich in Vitamin D, like eggs, fatty fish, cereal, and fortified milk.

Eat food rich in Vitamins B and C such as green vegetables and fruits

Zinc and other minerals are important to the body

4. Get enough rest and Sleep

Avoid stress and tension

5. Exercise and stay active.

It is best to do weight-bearing exercise such as walking, jogging, stair climbing, dancing, or lifting weights for 2½ hours a week.

One way to do this is to be active 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week.

Begin slowly especially if a person has not been active.

6. Do not drink more than 2 alcohol drinks a day for a man or 1 alcohol drink a day for a woman.

Alcohol use also