I Am an Advocate!

One of the most important things I have learned from this whole experience is that if you have a loved one in the hospital, than can no longer speak up for himself,  you must become an advocate for that person.  You must become their eyes, ears, mouth and brain.

I became one very early on during my husband’s long stay in the hospital.  As time went on, I started to learn many things relative to my husband’s various conditions.  I was like a little sponge, absorbing every little piece of information that I could contain.  The more knowledge I got the swarthier opponent I became. 

I learned that when my husband first arrived in the ER, they use a scale for brain injuries to determine the level of consciousness.  It is called the Glasgow Coma Scale.

The Glasgow Coma Scale is based on a 15 point scale for estimating and categorizing the outcomes of brain injury on the basis of overall social capability or dependence on others.  The test measures the motor response, verbal response and eye opening response with these values: motor response, verbal response and eye opening.   My husband arrived in the ER with a 3 on this scale.  No motor response, no verbal response and no eye opening.  The prognosis for this level is not a good one.  One doctor pointed out to us that a 3 was as close to death as you could get.  I remember thinking; thank god no one said this to me when my husband first arrived in the ER! 

I also learned that there are different levels of coma.  My husband had suffered a severe brain injury.  So he started out on the bottom of this scale too.  It would take a very long time to work his way up this one. 

I had to stand up for my husband as if I were him.  There is no one is this world that knows him better than me and I swore to him that I would take care of him no matter what.  I remember promising to …love, comfort, honor and keep him for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part!  Well, death had not caught up to us yet.  I found my voice.  I became an advocate and I remain one today.