Corinne Vien

Dr. Edlow said that when Jake arrived to them, reports from other physicians at other hospitals stated that his level of consciousness seemed to be fluctuating at this time.

Dr. Edlow said that when Jake arrived to them, reports from other physicians at other hospitals stated that his level of consciousness seemed to be fluctuating at this time.

I asked about the bedside exam and what a slight level of consciousness could mean.

I asked about the bedside exam and what a slight level of consciousness could mean.

I asked what this uncomfortable stimulus could be. Are they throwing slimy wet rags on people just waiting for an, ew, get this off of me? Dr. Edlow laughed and he said, no, no wet rags.

I asked what this uncomfortable stimulus could be. Are they throwing slimy wet rags on people just waiting for an, ew, get this off of me? Dr. Edlow laughed and he said, no, no wet rags.

Now, as a reminder, when Dr. Edlow had seen Jake, this was before Jake was put on hospice, Jake had been told time and time again that he had six months to live. He would die by Christmas, and then he would die by New Year's. And there was this suspicion that maybe, just maybe, there were flickers of awareness here and there, brief sparks of life breaking through.

Now, as a reminder, when Dr. Edlow had seen Jake, this was before Jake was put on hospice, Jake had been told time and time again that he had six months to live. He would die by Christmas, and then he would die by New Year's. And there was this suspicion that maybe, just maybe, there were flickers of awareness here and there, brief sparks of life breaking through.

But as this disease continued to progress, Jake's body deteriorated even more, and he was soon assumed to be mostly vegetative at best. Doctors certainly didn't realize he was conscious the entire time.

But as this disease continued to progress, Jake's body deteriorated even more, and he was soon assumed to be mostly vegetative at best. Doctors certainly didn't realize he was conscious the entire time.

So an MRI is not the end-all be-all in terms of providing answers in regards to consciousness and the severity of injury pertaining to consciousness. And with this realization that there could be some level of consciousness within Jake, doctors wondered if this injury to the white matter was the reason for the inconsistency in the bedside exams.

So an MRI is not the end-all be-all in terms of providing answers in regards to consciousness and the severity of injury pertaining to consciousness. And with this realization that there could be some level of consciousness within Jake, doctors wondered if this injury to the white matter was the reason for the inconsistency in the bedside exams.

Sometimes they felt like Jake was responding in a meaningful way. Sometimes he didn't respond at all. Was this just chance? Or maybe was it because the signals weren't always getting from one part of his brain to the other?

Sometimes they felt like Jake was responding in a meaningful way. Sometimes he didn't respond at all. Was this just chance? Or maybe was it because the signals weren't always getting from one part of his brain to the other?

The MRI also showed that there was no injury to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for processing and interpreting information, enabling functions like sensation and perception, voluntary movement, learning, speech, and cognition.

The MRI also showed that there was no injury to the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for processing and interpreting information, enabling functions like sensation and perception, voluntary movement, learning, speech, and cognition.

So if Jake was conscious, this would mean he would likely be able to hear and feel, think, see, even with his positional eye gaze, but that his brain couldn't quite accurately send signals to the rest of his body to respond appropriately. To speak. to move to wince in pain.

So if Jake was conscious, this would mean he would likely be able to hear and feel, think, see, even with his positional eye gaze, but that his brain couldn't quite accurately send signals to the rest of his body to respond appropriately. To speak. to move to wince in pain.

Dr. Edlow has said it himself. There's no clear answer to what caused Jake's injury. Toxic leukoencephalopathy is rare, and its origins aren't fully understood. It's believed that inhalation of toxins can lead to this diagnosis, and in Jake's case, doctors suspected heroin played a role, possibly due to a contaminant in the batch that he'd been smoking.

Dr. Edlow has said it himself. There's no clear answer to what caused Jake's injury. Toxic leukoencephalopathy is rare, and its origins aren't fully understood. It's believed that inhalation of toxins can lead to this diagnosis, and in Jake's case, doctors suspected heroin played a role, possibly due to a contaminant in the batch that he'd been smoking.