QUESTION:

My mother has been comatose for 3 months and remains unresponsive. Although I have seen her blink her eyes and move her fingers when I talk to her, the doctors says these are random, involuntary movements. A friend of mine suggested that I place my mother in a coma stimulation program. What is coma stimulation, and how can a coma stimulation program help?

QUESTION:

How does the duration of a coma affect a patient’s recovery and prognosis? For example, does a shorter coma mean there is less brain damage, thus recovery will be quicker and stinger? Does a longer coma mean more there is more severe brain damage and a poorer prognosis?

QUESTION:

I have heard the terms vegetative and vegetable referring to persons in a non-responsive state following severe brain trauma. Are these actual medical terms, and if so, what do they mean?

QUESTION:

Does someone in a vegetative state ever regain consciousness or wake up?

QUESTION:

My brother is comatose. Although I've seen it happen all the time in movies, I've been told that comatose people do not simply wake up one day and feel like their old selves. What are the levels or stages of coma, and how long does it take to fully wake up?