Bobby Brown Says “Bobbi Kristina Is ‘Awake'”: Hopeful Vs. Realistic

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Could there be new hope for Bobbi Kristina?

As many of us know, the only child of Brown and late legendary songstress Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina, was found unconscious in a bathtub on Saturday, Jan. 31 and has been hospitalized since that time.

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Despite how she got in this state, any parent would be hopeful that their child would come out of their unconscious state, but where do you draw the line between being hopeful and being realistic?

Signs Of Recovery From A Severe Brain Injury/Coma

When your loved one first starts to “wake up” from or come out of the coma, he may not be able to focus his eyes. He may or may not be able to respond to you. He may look as if he is staring off into space. Part of this is from the injury; part of it may be from medicine. Movement can be another sign of improvement. At first, movements may be random like flailing arms, then may progress to semi-purposeful (such as pulling at tubes) and possibly moving in response to instructions (“Squeeze my hand.”). The patient’s awareness of self and his surroundings increases as he improves and gets better.

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Visual and auditory tracking is another sign of improvement—following sights and sounds. Tracking is when your loved one watches you as you move around the room or turns their head toward you when they see you or hear your voice.

The next stage of improvement is when your loved one begins to follow some commands intermittently and is also consistently tracking sights and sounds. Following commands intermittently means they won’t “squeeze your hand” every time you ask. As they get better, they will follow commands more regularly.

How Families Can Help During Coma Recovery

• Keep talking, noise, touching and general activity to a minimum, as these things can increase the patient’s confusion and agitation.
• Give reassurance. Briefly explain what happened and state where the patient is. Repeat this, as the patient may have difficulty taking in new information and remembering it.
• Tell what time of day it is, but keep it simple.

• State who you are and who else is there.
• Touch the patient when you speak to help him figure out who you are and where you are, if this does not cause agitation.
• Bring in something familiar, such as a picture, favorite blanket or tape of a special song.
• Avoid arguing.
• Give information instead of asking questions; tell the person what to do or what is happening.
• Give visual information to help orient the patient. Post a calendar and mark off the days. Use signs as reminders of where the patient is.
• Write a short description about your family member describing their interests, likes, dislikes, family, etc. This will help the medical treatment team to know the patient better.