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Diary, Ladan

Ladan’s Progress

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Firstly, thank you to all of you who have sent messages of support and said prayers for my dear wife Ladan. This update is just to let you know the latest on her situation.

Until a few weeks ago Ladan was showing some very encouraging signs, she was looking around and focusing on people and text. A few days before Christmas her mother and grandmother were communicating with her, getting yes and no answers from the nodding and shaking of her head, and having smiles in response to promises of the meals that would be cooked for her when she was out of hospital. While this was encouraging Ladan was still experiencing moments of high heart rate and blood pressure, often accampanied by high fever, which were generally kept calm by administering a certain drug.

On Christmas Eve Ladan was getting very agitated and her heart rate and blood pressure again started to rise, the nurse was ordered, for no reason that we are aware of or were consulted on, by the doctors on duty not to administer the drug that calms her down and she developed an increasingly high fever. In the early hours of Christmas Day Ladan started having violent seizures (fits), these remained violent for about two and a half hours and continued at a lower level until midnight (nearly 24 hours). It is unusual to suddenly develop seizure activity 7 weeks after a bleed in the brain and so a CT scan was taken to see if there was any new damage or bleeding to explain the activity. We were told that the scan had shown no bleeds or other damage that could explain the activity.

Immediately following this Ladan has taken a major step backwards in terms of clinical responses. The seizures sent her back into a much deeper coma and a subsequent EEG (scan of electrical activity of the brain) showed very little activity. We have officially complained about the actions taken that night and that complaint is still being dealt with.

A few days ago we had a meeting with a consultant in which we were informed that the CT Scan taken early on Christmas morning shows that Ladan suffered another bleed in her cerebellum, though probably not of sufficient size to warrant an operation. It is believed that the underlying condition ( the vascular disease Churg-Strauss) which caused the first bleeds is well under control and it was conceded that the high blood pressure that was allowed to get out of control that night may have been the cause of this new bleed. On Friday an MRI scan was taken which confirms that the effects of the newer bleed are lessening but also shows some swelling around the all outer ridges of the brain, the radiologist who took the scan said that this pattern can be consistent with having had seizure activity.

As yet we have had no explanation or apology for what happened on Christmas Eve, but what is most important and most encouraging is that Ladan is showing continued signs of recovery from this new low point. Ladan is again responding to pain and more recently opening her eyes, though with less movement than before, and has moments, with increasing frequency, of seeming to understand what is said to her by way of trying to open eyes on request or a change of expression or breathing according to the subject being spoken about.

Below are some links to popular prayers which I recommend for use either fore Ladan or for other loved ones in need:

Link: Baha’i Short Healing Prayer

Link: Baha’i healing prayer for women

Link: Baha’i Long Healing Prayer

I also often find myself saying marriage prayers for Ladan and I as a prayer for a healthy and fruitful marriage in this world encompass the hope that Ladan should make a full recovery in order that we may go on to have children and a united future.

Link: A Baha’i marriage prayer

Ladan is a very sweet soul who has never really done anything wrong in her life, we can only hope that there may be a wisdom to this suffering she is undergoing and that her bright personality will be polished by it to shine even more radiantly than before.

Many thanks, James.

Diary, Ladan

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It is a turbulent time for myself and the rest of Ladan’s family. Ladan is currently having periods of very high temperature (39-42 degrees), extremes of blood pressure (systollic rates of up to 230 and down to 70) and high heart rates (up to 190) and sometimes these conditions are existing for long periods of time, such as 4 or 5 hours, with a long period of still high temperature and low blood pressure either side. These periods are often accompanied or preceded by shaking or extreme muscle tension. Ladan is currently in the High Dependency Unit but she has been on a ward for a week and also paid another visit to Intensive Care for just under 24 hours since my last blog update.

Just before this all started happening Ladan was seeming much more responsive and alert. Coming out of a coma is said to be a gradual process more often than a sudden moment and Ladan’s moments of apparent consciousness has her seeming much more present. I am hoping that the last few days, the cause for which is unknown, will pass and allow Ladan to carry on this encouraging recovery.

Tomorrow Ladan is due to have an MRI scan to assess the current state of damage to her brain. This may give some clues as to what has been happening and how good her chances for recovery are looking on paper.

Diary, Ladan

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Ladan & I on the morning of our wedding, April 10th 2004

Ladan is now in the High Dependency Unit at the Newcastle General Hospital showing some signs of response through her eyes and left hand but is not yet conscious. Her condition is still very serious but the doctors are becoming more optimistic in their tone about the possibility of Ladan making some kind of recovery.

About 6 weeks ago Ladan started having severe stomach pains accompanied by typical signs of upset stomach, she did not keep her food down for several weeks and we traveled up to Newcastle for a break thinking it may be stress related, after a few more days of no improvement she was admitted to hospital where she was kept under watch when one week later (two weeks ago today) she had sudden severe head pain in the morning accompanied by numbness in her face and arms, slurred speech and blurred vision. Doctors assured us that this was a very bad migraine headache until the afternoon when they started becoming concerned it may be something more and set up an MRI scan for her. She spent an hour in the MRI room with more doctors and big books entering the room as we waited, finally she came out and smiled very sweetly as I shared a joke with her and she told me the headphones hadn’t been working in the scan room, then, luckily before the consultants eyes, she fell unconcsious. Having seen the scans they were already aware that this cold be a severe bleed and they treated it as such, following surgery later that night we were informed that she was still alive but only just and the best case scenario was that she would live with severe brain damage for the rest of her life. From that time to now she has been unconscious, initially in intensive care and now in the high dependency unit, she has also developed a chest infection and some bowel problems which it has been suggested may also be life-threatening but there is no clear diagnosis on that yet.

Science can keep people alive and Ladan has regained most of her breathing control for herself and is increasingly stable, the initial cause of the bleeding has been diagnosed as churg-strauss disease and can be kept under control with steroids, she will probably feel much better than she has done for a while if or when (as I believe) she makes a full recovery. Beyond supporting life functions and providing medicines the rest of the healing process is left to the human body itself. If there is damage to the brain it may heal as she is young, the extent of any damage will only become obvious if/when she regains consciousness.

I am a great believer in prayer, I have used it many times in my life and am embarrassed at how trivial some of my uses have been, but I know it works. Any prayers that are said for Ladan are most warmly appreciated, I feel moved and strengthened by the extent of support being offered to Ladan from people of all religions from all over the world, as well as the use of some alternative healing techniques that send possitive energy in her direction. Ladan has been fighting a tough battle and is surviving, all the strength you can offer her through prayers is a bonus I truly appreciate and thank you for.