kanzz,
The discussion on this thread has my curiosity peaked. I've seen discussion about agonal respiration and have been able to get a very basic understanding. I expect this type of breathing to occur prior to death when the pressure increases in the brain. I'm curious if before this happens, if JB could not have appeared to be dead--heart rate decreased and very weak or shallow breathing where she may have appeared to be dead or very near death.
From
sportsinjuryclinic.net in describing a concussion:
Severe cases will more than likely result in mental confusion lasting for 5 minutes or more. Severe ringing in the ears or tinitus may be experienced. Prolonged loss of memory of events before the accident may occur. Loss of consciousness for more than 5 minutes is possible along with an
increase in blood pressure and a decrease in heart rate.
From a site that calls itself:
The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
Children, and people in general, with severe traumatic brain injury have high pressure inside their skull due to brain swelling. If not treated, death can occur. Decreasing consciousness, extremely uneven pupils that do not react to light stimulus,
slow heart rate and respiratory slowing are all serious signs of traumatic brain injury, as is abnormal posturing. It is extremely important to have a physician or other trained health care professional be aware of the young child's symptoms to insure that treatment is provided and the risk of further damage to the brain is illiminated.*
I bolded parts of the quotes and don't know if these sites are accurate.
So somewhere in the timeline, could JB have gone from appearing to be dead by have very slow heart rate and shallow breathing to agonal respiration as she got closer to death?
Also, thank you for your input to these forums.