Tina Asks:
I’m a self-published author who has written two books from a YA fantasy series (The Arid Kingdom) and am now working now on a modern fantasy action novel.
I’d be really grateful if you could help me with some medical advice regarding this scene:
There is an accident during a concert. A girl who was singing on the stage has her head hit by a stage lamp. She falls unconscious and remains so for eight months.
Questions:
1. Some other character with an open injury (a dagger injury) will be in the same hospital. Will they be in the same ward?
2. After she wakes up, will she have some memory problems?
3. I expect her to have some mobility issues after staying in a lying position for such a long time, like she’ll have to learn to walk again. Will her arms present similar issues?
4. How long does the recovery stage last and how is that done?
Jordyn Says:
Let’s first tackle the character who is in a coma for eight months.
What a lot of authors don’t consider is that humans eat, poop, and pee so all of these things need to be provided for in the unconscious person. If she has perpetual unconsciousness, she would need to be fed by a tube. Also, she’ll still need to poop and pee and since she can’t walk to the bathroom then she’d be placed in an adult diaper (or a catheter placed for urine drainage especially in the beginning). There are other things medically we consider in a perpetually unconscious person– most importantly– can they breathe adequately. Some can, but most end up with a trach.
When she wakes up, will she have some memory problems? You have some latitude here as a writer. Could go either way. She’ll probably be fuzzy until she figures out what happened but as far as her retaining her past experiences/memories you can decide.
This character would have whole body muscle atrophy from being bedridden for eight months. So yes, arms will be weak as well. She would be easily fatigued. Even something basic like brushing her teeth will be taxing.
Once she does wake up and is considered stable, she would be transferred to a rehab center and then transitioned to outpatient therapy. How fast and well a person does in rehab can be largely up to them. If she works hard, has a positive spirit, etc she could progress quickly if she has no other injuries. However, considering her length of unconsciousness, I’d imagine rehab would take months. Maybe eight weeks on the short side. I consulted with a physical therapist on this and he agrees. Could easily be longer. Two to four months as a range.
The character with the dagger injury would likely not be on the same ward. The unconscious person would likely initially be admitted to the ICU. The dagger injury, could even go home if not surgical. If surgical– then a regular surgical floor unless extenuating circumstances required ICU admission. Depending on the hospital, some ICU’s are split between medical and surgical.
Hope this helps and best of luck with your novel.
Redwood's Medical Edge 