Congresswoman raises 2 fingers, gives thumbs-up

[Turborama]

Source: AP

By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer – 53 mins ago

TUCSON, Ariz. – Doctors treating Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords said Monday the congresswoman was responding to verbal commands by raising two fingers of her left hand and even managed to give a thumbs-up.

Giffords, 40, is in critical condition in the intensive care unit of Tucson's University Medical Center after she was shot through the head Saturday during a meet-and-greet with voters outside a supermarket. Two patients were discharged Sunday night. Eight others, including Giffords, remained hospitalized.

Recent CAT scans showed no further swelling in the brain, but doctors were guarded.

"We're not out of the woods yet," said her neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Lemole. "That swelling can sometimes take three days or five days to maximize. But every day that goes by and we don't see an increase, we're slightly more optimistic."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110110/ap_on_he_me/us_med_congresswoman_brain_injury

[Avalux]

1. That's good news! It wil take awhile for the swelling to go down so they can re-attach her skull.

Recovery might take months or even years. But the fact that she's able to process commands and move her hand today - excellent.

[Posteritatis]

5. I'm staring at that phrase and kind of boggling at the world we live in

"So they can reattach her skull." Because that's what they're gonna do, and because we're someplace where people can use phrases like that somewhat casually, because we're in a world where someone with that kind of injury can have their skull kept chilled in storage for long enough for the injury to abate to the point where they can put a big piece of someone's head back on.

Trauma medicine these days ... impresses me.

[Politicub]

7. Great news!! Trauma care is so important

Here in GA, the referendum to add $10 extra car tax each year to fund more trauma centers in the state didn't pass. The shortsightedness is insane.

My husband had a serious accident and was taken to a trauma center, and a team of specialists descended to stabilize him and mend his bones. I still get emotional thinking about it. Many people really don't appreciate what trauma care means until they have an emergency.

It is indeed impressive.

[MrMickeysMom]

8. You made an excellent point about that referendum

I recall when Mike Malloy brought it up, thinking how many people might choose to "poo-poo" it. Jeez, I'm hoping they take a second look at it.

Because of the advances (some through war zone experience, I'm afraid) and advances through research, you can see why the expertise in emergent medicine has made the ER and ICU the most expensive cost of medicine. MUCH is due to trauma care.

[wordpix]

11. like my condo assoc.---members don't want to pay $10 more/mo. for new roof, new driveway

asphalt, fixing the sidewalks...then they complain b/c all these things are falling apart ---it's insane.

[Kingofalldems]

2. Excellent!

[unkachuck]

6. double Excellent!....n/t

[aquart]

3. I love a good miracle.

[HighLowRoller87]

4. Oh! That's news to me! Good News!! She's a beast surviving this so far :)

[truthisfreedom]

9. Oh man. I'm not sure I'd want to survive a gunshot wound to the head, especially

one that passed through my brain. The likelihood that quality of life could be restored seems so small. I wish her all the luck in the world and I hope she recovers somehow.

[rainbow4321]

12. One of the things that is worrisome

Is how in one of the articles they make a point of saying "she used her left hand to raise two fingers".

Given that the left side of her brain is injured, her right side could be having physical limitiations. I wish they were talking about her using both hands to make gestures.

[Mika]

14. Life and the consciousness to experience love is the most important.

I'm a surgeon and have performed trauma surgeries, and I have seen amazing things. Life itself is too precious to dismiss.

If one can feel love, and be around to be loved is paramount.

This I know.

---

[freshwest]

16. You made my evening. Thanks.

O8)

[bananas]

21. Thumbs up to that.

:thumbsup:

[boppers]

15. Gabby's a genius.

I don't mean that in the sense of "she's smart", she is, literally, one of those rare folks smarter than 99.99% of the planet. She had to be, to get into the schools she was in. She could lose 30 IQ points and still be smarter than most people.

The bullet was through-and-through, ripped through her left hemisphere, but we don't know yet what her quality of life will be like, she's trying to heal.

[Thor_MN]

10. She's a better person than me.

I don't know that I would have raised two fingers.

[Greg K]

13. I kinda doubt she really understands what happened yet.

[freshwest]

17. Or she may not care. All that matters is she's still here.

[Lasher]

20. That's right, little bitty steps right now.

It is very good to see that she is responding.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

18. May she find good health very soon.

I wish her and her family the best of outcomes.

[midnight]

19. K&R....

[Quantess]

22. K & R