Seeking information on coma patient recovery following brain swelling and continual temporal hemorrhages after Moyamoya bypass surgery (this surgery took place Friday March 8th). Friend was release after recovering from surgery and from post-surgery complications Thurs 3/14 (he suffered the first temporal lobe hemorrhage the day after surgery).
He followed dr’s orders and on Sat 3/16 sometime in the early morning hours he hemorrhaged again. He’s been in a coma since and on life support.
Friends coma was GCS 8 from last Sunday to yesterday-he responded to voice commands and pain and he even tolerated 3 hrs off the vent yesterday (breathing on his own).
He has had numerous surgeries since Sat to relieve swelling of the brain and control bleeding-they also removed a small piece of brain that was considered dead 2 days ago.
Today he was unresponsive and doctors say brain function is no longer detected, but they also said that same thing last Sat and he improved, then they said it looked good for at least an 80% recovery.
After the non-response this morning, following a report of more bleeding, they now recommend pulling life support (vent, feeding tube, etc) because they say there is no further hope that he will recover-they say, again, he's brain dead.
Has anyone had the same complications following the Moyamoya bypass surgery? Or, does anyone have personal knowledge of a turn around when a patient was determined to be brain dead? I've been reading a lot about coma patients as well and think that 2 weeks following the original surgery and only 1 day following a setback is too soon to say the best option is to cut life support. Sadly, I think I'm just looking for the smallest shred of hope when there probably  none... any and all information would be greatly appreciated.

And if you read this post please say a prayer and/or send positive thoughts out into the universe for my friend Scott Wilson. 

I'm so sorry to hear this...you and Scott will definitely have prayers and hugs from afar.  My own (non-medical) opinion and instinct would be to wait a little while.  Not sure how long a little while is, but once he's off life support he's definitely gone.  Sometimes a little patience can provide you with the sureness and awareness of what the best decision is.  Peace...

I will pray for Scott. 

I agree that it makes sense to give him time to heal or those who love him the time to make such a decision to withdraw support.  I'm so sorry you are going through this.

   I'm so sorry to hear this. I will keep you all in my prayers. I totally agree with everyone else that it is far to soon to make a decision like this. I think in time you will all know what the right decision is wether it's based on improvement or not. Prayers are very strong and I'm sure you have many friends and family praying. I hope you can feel these prayers and they help your family through this and you will know what the right decision is.
Mary Grace

Update; I was told by the family that the doctors felt that his veins were just too weak which was causing the veins to continually 'blow out' and felt that this was not something that would change. Scott was heavily medicated on March 24 for pain management and taken off life support that afternoon. The decision was hard for his family and they are devastated. I wonder if I would have made the same choice? There is the side of me that agrees that  prolonging death would have been cruel yet another part of me wonders if he's still there-just needed some time. His heart has been strong and he is breathing on his own, still today. That fact alone makes this whole experience feel even crueler in my mind-for him and those that love him. . Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers-my prayers go out to all of those struggling with Moyamoya and to their families. Jamie

Any thing that made Scott the vital, unique person he was, is gone.  He had a little rally yesterday, he opened his eyes for the first time since all this crap started, but, it's just a reflex, there was no pupil response. We would all like to think he's going to come out of this, but, he's not.  To all the well meaning people who have responded to this post, I thank you for keeping Scott in your prayers and thoughts.  We've just made the most difficult decision anyone should ever have to make, but, it was the right one.  All of us who know Scott realizes that he couldn't be happy unless he could come back 100%, that's not going to happen.  He would find the first opportunity to kill himself. We had talked about this before his surgery, no machines, no artificial life support, no feeding tubes.  That was his wish and I'm going to respect it. 

I am so sorry you and your family are going through this. I am about to have surgery myself and this is pretty terrifying to me to hear. If you dont mind me asking, where did Scott have his surgery?

U of Minnesota, Fairview.  Scott is 38, rather old for the Moya Moya diagnosis.  He's had a lot of time for his veins/arteries to deteriorate.  When is your surgery?  Where are you having it done?  I've heard a lot of buzz about a Dr. Steinberg, I think it's been in one of the rooms in this forum-can anyone help me out with this?  I wish you all the luck in the world, from what I understand, Scott's case has been very unusual..you're in my thoughts and prayers and am looking forward to hearing about your successful surgery and recovery.

The hospice called this morning, Scott's skin is starting to mottle, so it won't be long now.  I had told people that Scott would die on Easter, he was always mad because his parents had lied to him about the Easter bunny.  That's my son, making a statement to the very end!!

I'm so mad right now, I don't know what to do or who to talk to. Yeah, he'll be at peace-blah, blah, blah, not much comfort now.  I think of all the things we were going to do this summer, and now I'll be doing them all alone.

I thank all of you on this site, for the information and stories, I've appreciated you.

Scott lost his battle against this horrible disease today at
3:17 pm. That's all I have to say.

i'm very sorry karen.

I am sorry sorry Karen.

I'm so sorry for your loss.  Sometimes life just plain sucks.

I am sorry for your loss, may God wrap his arms around your family.

Laura Robinett

Oh no! I am so very sorry for your loss! My thoughts and prayers are with Scott and his family and friends.