Port Glasgow grandmother survives 'catastrophic' brain bleed

Isabel Cullen, of Port Glasgow, collapsed suddenly at her niece’s house last September and was rushed to University Hospital Hairmyres in East Kilbride for treatment.  

Doctors discovered that the 69-year-old had suffered a ‘massive’ haemorrhage on the right side of her brain. Her family say they were told that she would not survive.

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Isabel’s daughter Heather told the Telegraph that she and her loved ones faced a difficult choice after they received the devastating news.

She said: “We were told that there was no possible way that she would survive the amount of bleeding she had.

“She was given her last rites and we were all at the side of the bed thinking she was going to die.

“At the time they said that her brain had shifted by six to eight millimetres from the midline of her brain, which is catastrophic."

The family say that the decision was made to put Isabel on end-of-life care in a private room with her loved ones at her side. Isabel's husband Peter said he thought his wife was being 'put in a room to die'.

But to the surprise of Isabel’s family and doctors, she woke up the following day, asking to go to the toilet and have a drink.

Since the subsequent decision was made to take Isabel off end-of-life care, she has made a remarkable improvement.

She was transferred to Inverclyde Royal at the end of September, where her family say she received ‘fantastic’ care before being discharged on December 20.

The local grandmother can now wash and shower herself and is even able to walk with a stick and a leg brace.

Heather said: "She's a miracle.

“For her to be able to speak clearly, communicate effectively and have no issues with her brain memory-wise or cognitively is incredible.

“To be walking, albeit with assistance, shows she’s getting stronger and making further small improvements every day.”

Despite the remarkable improvement Isabel has been making, her family have still had to play a large role in supporting her recovery, with Heather being forced to quit her job. A care package had been in place for Isabel after she left the hospital but a change to her discharge date caused problems and meant the family have faced a long wait for further support.

The family say they are unhappy over Isabel’s initial care and the subsequent problems and intend to lodge a complaint.

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde said: “While NHS GGC cannot discuss individual patient cases publicly, we would like to apologise for any upset this patient or her family has experienced.

“The discharge was planned in discussion with the patient’s family, and we remain in regular contact with them to provide ongoing support.

“We would welcome the opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have.”

Judith Park, director of acute services for NHS Lanarkshire, said: “While it is inappropriate to discuss individual patients, we can confirm that decisions on the treatment and care of patients are taken by a multi-disciplinary team involving clinical and nursing staff.

“We are sorry that this family have concerns about their mother’s care and would encourage them to contact our patient affairs team as soon as possible so we can address the concerns they have raised directly with them.”

Meanwhile Isabel’s experiences have inspired her granddaughter Shaeleidh to organise a charity gig to raise cash for Chest, heart and Stroke Scotland.

The event, called ‘Rock Your Heart Out’ is being hosted at Nice ‘n’ Sleazy in Glasgow on March 19.

Tickets cost £5 and are available at https://tinyurl.com/3x2msn4e