Doctors have begun bringing Joan Rivers out of the coma she was placed in last week after she stopped breathing during an outpatient surgery at a Manhattan clinic.

Joan Rivers Update

Rivers is expected to be fully brought out of the coma by sometime on Tuesday, at which time doctors will be able to evaluate what damage was done to the legendary comedian’s brain. It’s been speculated that Rivers may have been deprived from oxygen for a considerable length of time that may have affected her motor skills.

“The waking-up process has begun and will take until Tuesday,” a source close to the family said to the New York Daily News. “There is real concern that the part of the brain that controls motor skills may have been compromised, leaving her as either a vegetable or in a wheelchair.”

The health scare, according to an insider, could have and should have been avoided, which could lead to Rivers' family filing a lawsuit against Yorkville Endoscopy. “The night before she was performing and now she is on life support,” a family member told the News. “An 81-year-old should not have that procedure as an outpatient. Very ill advised.”

While Joan Rivers’ daughter Melissa Rivers remains hopeful, saying in a statement that the family is “keeping our fingers crossed,” taping for her mother’s E! show Fashion Police has been canceled. The longtime host was scheduled to cover New York Fashion Week from the city. Rivers’ Fashion Police co-hosts Kelly Osbourne and Giuliana Rancic have both taken to Twitter to hope for her full recovery.