my grandmother is 83 years old, previously had a stroke about 4 years ago, and no other medical problems in her whole life. About four weeks ago, she had a blood vessel burst in her brain which caused bleeding. When we brought her to the hospital they opted not to do surgery because she was coherent, could write her name, and recognized us all. She had been on blood thinners, and whatever they put her on to help thicken her blood caused fluid to build up in her lungs.. so they ultimately put sedated her and put her on a respirator. Two weeks later when they tried to take her off, she couldnt breath on her own. They ended up putting in a trach and taking her off sedation. That was four days ago, and she hasnt woken up. Today the neurologist said after and MRI and an EEG that there was a signifigant amount of blood that was causing pressure on her brain stem. The other parts of her brain were functioning fine but that This was why she wasnt waking up or breathing on her own. So we have to wait it out. I have questions though. What are we waiting for? Does the blood-or i guess clot- at this point-heal itself? How long can something like that take? Can the pressure cause her brain stem to rupture in anyway? And why was she talking and breathing on her own, hours after it happened and now she isnt? ( the dr said it probably only bled a few mins) I know we should have asked him all of this- but when you hear it you are too busy processing it all..any help would be greatly, greatly appreciated. much thanks!