Memory loss and confusion after a heart attack.

[Pyro_uk]

Hi Everyone,

My father in law had a heart attack two weeks ago. He collapsed and had to be resuscitated. The ambulance was there in 4 min what a blessing they are.

He had two stent's put in and was put into an induced coma. Two weeks on and he's up and about talking eating and breathing.

But there is an issue he keeps talking gibberish having conversations about things that didn't happen and fixating on little things like going to the shop and driving home.

I have no experience of this whole thing and the shock was imense. He is a healthy bloke and then this. Have any of you got any experience you can share that can give us some hope he will be back to his old self.

The doctors just say things like " it's part of the process" and " everybody is different" they do amazing work but these are not helpful or comforting answers

Any help you can offer would be great

[Karenpr]

If your father in law had to be resuscitated there is a chance that his brain went without oxygen for a short period. That is not to say there is any brain damage but there was trauma to the brain. Then the added trauma of being placed in an induced coma, plenty of evidence about people who are convinced they were abducted by aliens when they come round, it’s evidently called ITU psychosis!

My husband was convinced he was at a financial conference, I truly wish I had videoed his explanation of what was going on - our children had to leave the room through crying with laughter.

It does take time for everything to settle down, my husband eventually stopped talking total rubbish about what happened and what was happening. He has changed slightly, loses his temper quicker, sleeps more. Look out for depression, anxiety and PTSD again all very common after this sort of thing.

[Pyro_uk in reply to Karenpr]

Thank you it really helps knowing others have gone through similar. Are the changes in your husband such that you feel like he's a different person ? How long did it take before you saw a shift in what he was saying ?

[Karenpr in reply to Pyro_uk]

No he’s still the same person, there are subtle changes like his temper fuse is much shorter. He recently bought boxes of pot noodles (😂) why I ask myself.

His cardiac arrest was in July and by August his irrational belief of what had happened had gone away, but how much was he stopped talking about it because we kept telling him that wasn’t what happened I don’t know.

Like the experts say everyone is different, not only due to the trauma but how the person deals with it. If you think about it logically they died, granted they have no memory of the event usually, but they know it happened which must be really frightening. Like a child who believes there are monsters in the wardrobe they are trying to find a way to cope.

[Pyro_uk]

Thank you so much this very helpful. Best wishes to you and all your family.

[arethusa_12]

Yes I would say this is quite normal. I had open heart surgery with a new Aortic valve and I can say that the strong drugs they put you on makes you think all sorts of weird things. I thought at one stage I was in a prison and almost texted two friends to 'spring me'. Luckily my wife (a nurse) had already confiscated my phone. I continued to have weird dreams for a while, even after I got home.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

My father had a cardiac arrest a few days after being hospitalised with a heart attack. Whislt you could have a normal conversation with him for about five days he interjected with bizarre observations about other patients dying, or having visitors that either lived overseas or were no longer around. On discharge he could remember none of this and we never mentioned it again!

[Pyro_uk]

Thanks everyone for your replies it has really helped us .

[Hope200]

I have a similar issue with my partner so its reassuring to hear that it could be a normal reaction. How do people cope with irrational beliefs? Has anyone seen PTSD develop?

[Karenpr in reply to Hope200]

Lots of reassurances and try to talk them into “the real world”. If PTSD gets really bad see your GP.

[Curlyman83]

Yep, this was me…I thought I was at work and that the doctors and nurses were work colleagues trying to kill me…I was actually and embarrassingly quite rude to them.

I was back to my normal self after ten days but had severe post arrest amnesia.

Wishing you and your family all the best.