Emily's Journal

[Emily James]

September 22, 2004. Sydney Airport

I'm sitting in the Sydney airport right now. It's a couple hours until my flight leaves for LAX, so I thought I would write. I'm really ready to get home. It's been nice to meet my mom's family, but I just want to get back to life as it is. I miss my family and my job.

As usual, I miss Edward the most. Didn't get a night off from reliving the memory during my trip. Every night, seeing them try to pry Edward from the car...hearing his voice right after the moment of impact...seeing his perfect face with the cuts, some with glass in them. I still wake up crying every morning.

I'm doing some research on waking people up from comas. I work in a hospital and know some of the doctors - there's gotta be something. And I know that Edward's family won't give up either. Like me. Every time I find a new thing, my heart leaps at the idea of seeing Edward's eyes open...hearing his voice again. I can still hear his voice as clear as a bell.

Well, I think I'm going to go get some hot chocolate right now...before the flight...can't stand coffee. Maybe I'll write some more later.

[Emily James]

September 22, 2004...again. Your Guess is as Good as Mine

So, get this. I was on the plane, heading back to LA. I sat in my seat quietly, thinking about Edward (things haven't changed that much) when we hit some turbulence. I figured that it was nothing, so I just closed my eyes, intending to take a nap.

When I woke up, however, I was face down in sand. And it certainly wasn't in LA. We crashed on some sort of island. My right wrist hurts like hell, but it's just sort of an extended vacation. I didn't really want an extended vacation, but I guess I don't get a choice.

I talked to this girl, Skinner. She's probably around my age. I ended up telling her about the whole thing with Edward. Sort of made me wish even more that I knew if we were still together or what. I feel horrible for her though. She dated this guy in Australia, Erik, and he abused her. The only time I had seen that happen was on shows and movies. It made me feel sorta sad. But we get along great. It made me feel better to be able to talk to someone about him.

I actually don't miss my family that much. Just Edward. As usual. I stared at the waves for a while today. While I did, all I could really see was him, laying in the hospital bed. All I could hear was the beeping of the monitor and the sound of the television. It's always on this one movie channel that doesn't show horror or anything too depressing. Edward's family and I leave it on for his benefit, so there's always sound. But we refuse to put it on news. It's too horrible. That station is the only one that doesn't show too bad of things. Usually an action movie of sorts or a romantic comedy.

I'd like to think that he likes those best. The romantic comedies. Before...whenever we'd go see a movie, we both always liked those better than the other movies. I think Edward liked them because I'd usually end up crying and he would get to comfort me. Still, hearing them gives him something to hold on to, right? I'd like to think so.

I'd also like to think that rescue is coming soon and that they know exactly where we are. But it's probably more likely for a woman to become president or leader of the free world than that. I'm pretty sure that we'll be here at least a week. Minimum. I really need to find my luggage and carry-on bag. It'll probably be one of the few things that keeps me sane. But I'll probably be writing a lot more until we're rescued.

[Emily James]

My Notes on Comas

۰ very deep state of unconsciousness
۰ still very much alive
۰ not just asleep
۰ usually does not last for more than a few weeks
۰ many recover full physical and mental functions
۰ others need therapy
۰ some never recover anything but basic bodily functions
۰ sometimes after a coma, person may enter persistent vegetative state
۰ lost all cognitive neurological function
۰ can breathe, maybe even awake
۰ can begin suddenly
۰ suffering brain hemorrhage or severe head trauma
۰ complete family history determines if it was sudden or slow
۰ blood tests for liver, kidney, and thyroid function, glucose levels, presence of toxins
۰ “Coma Cocktail”
۰ mixture of thiamin (helps alcoholics or nutritionally starved), glucose (sugar that helps diabetics with low blood sugar), and naloxene (reverses narcotics)
۰ possibly correct electrolyte imbalance (depending)
۰ most on respirator
۰ treatment of long-term coma or persistent vegetative state
۰ some people do not come out right away while the cause has been treated
۰ treatment focuses on preventing pneumonia, maintaining patient’s physical state
۰ provide adequate nutrition
۰ prognosis
۰ depends on cause of coma
۰ outcomes range from recovery to death
۰ rarely last more than two to five weeks
۰ at this point, recover, progress to persistent vegetative, or die
۰ some in vegetative regain a degree of awareness
۰ others remain in this state for years or decades
۰ outcome depends on cause, location, severity, and extent of neurological damage
۰ deeper coma doesn’t necessarily mean slimmer chance of recovery
۰ some in deep recover better than those in a milder coma
۰ predicted chances of recovering vary
۰ person with low recover chance may still awaken
۰ time is best indicator of recovery extent
۰ after 4 months of coma caused by brain damage, chance of partial recovery is less than 15%
۰ chance of full recovery is low
۰ most common cause of death during coma is infection
۰ occasionally long-term coma patients come out
۰ after 19 years of being minimally conscious, a man spontaneously began speaking and regained awareness of his surroundings
۰ deep-brain electrical stimulation (DBS) in 2003
۰ come-like state for six years
۰ roused communication, complex movement, eating ability
۰ still in minimally conscious state (MCS)
۰ akin to coma; characterized by occasional (brief) evidence of environmental and self-awareness that coma patients lack
۰ can hear familiar voices in comas; say that’s what brings them back