I woke up in the ICU imobilized (hands bound to the railings) and ventilated (could not speak) - told that my heart had stopped and I was put in a drug-induced coma for 2 weeks to make my lungs breathe. Last I remembered, I had a bad flu at first - went to the ER and was sent home being told that I had a very nasty bug. Two days later, I went to my doctor's office and had a chest xray and was told I had pneumonia - sent home with an antibiotic, prednisone and a pain killer for my torturous headache.
Apparently, two days later I was having difficulty breathing (I recall vomiting, though did not produce much as I had not eaten in days) and my daughter called 911.
A respiratory technician was beside me as I was waking up from the coma and informed me that my heart had stopped beating and that my lungs were full of liquid and I had been diagnosed with ARDS.
Hallucinations and drug-hangover confused real-life conversations for a few days, but I was extubated 3 or 4 days later (torturous wait). I was discharged a few days later, sent home to recuperate with a walker as my muscles had atrophied from the 3 weeks of being bedridden.
It's been 2 months since I've been home - I can walk up to 5-6 miles on flat ground for exercise which has helped my lungs expand and my legs are mostly back to normal.
It's my joints and muscle stiffness that seem to be getting worse. I don't recall this being a problem when I first got home from the hospital - I was focussed on regaining my strength and balance by using the walker and moving about the house (not staying in bed). Definitely, after walking initially around the neighborhood caused muscle fatigue and soreness the next day. But now it seems that my joints are stiffening up and causing me more pain than before, especially in the mornings or when I wake up from naps.
My fingers are especially sore and stiff, they loosen up during the day as I use them. My shoulder is feeling like I will develop 'frozen shoulder', my knees are aching when I go up or down stairs...
Searching effects of muscle atrophy after sudden onset of illness doesn't address what I am experiencing... does anyone else have these symptoms? I have experienced hair loss, fingernail denting, skin sloughing/shedding -- and now joint pain and stiffness...
I am wondering if this will improve or get worse with time...
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I was in hospital from 4 February until 3 March. The majority of this was spent in ICU battling severe septic shock, multi organ failure, pneumonia and blood clots. I was not expected to survive. I have ridges on my nails and my hair is starting to come out. I'm using a wheelchair and a stick and have been told the pain in my knees and feet is because the toxins have triggered an arthritic response in my joints. Today I have been given an exercise regime and have been advised to use an exercise bike for 5 minutes a day and gradually building up. I am also being referred for hydrotherapy. I have been told my ongoing problems are to be expected as I was so ill and it can take 18 months to return to pre illness health. I'm coping because I am here to tell the tale against the odds. Hope this helps you to know your symptoms are understandable.
I know how you feel! I have just done the same. It was a shock when i could walk in a straight line perfectly and at normal speed and then the first time i needed to side step around something i almost lost balance and fell over. Even looking somewhere other than where i wanted to go made me loose balance. It was a real challenge. My advice is just to practixe as often as you can and when you are just sitting down you should be doing any basic leg excersise you can. Even raising your heels of the ground over and over or raising your toes repeatedly. Anything to get your muscles used to moving again.
Thanks for sharing your story/situation -- I am glad you are on the mend! I realize that I'm having trouble wrapping my head around what happened to me and what I am now experiencing... I am humbled by everyone's stories and now realize that I am lucky to be alive and sharing conversations with you all and that I need to accept the fact that recovery will take time.
The toxin explanation for joint pain/arthritis will help me cope and understand what I'm experiencing.
Don't push yourself so hard!! Treatment and recovery in full will take 2 years. I can barely walk still but am building up my distance over time, I was discharged end of March following 5 weeks in hospital, 2 of which in induced coma. Remember you lose 3-11% muscle mass PER DAY that you are in bed in hospital and you don't have the strength to walk 5-6 miles on your poor muscles yet.
When in the coma our fingernails and hair stop growing so I too have bad dents in my nails and my hair is falling out.
It will get better, but you must listen to your body and rest in bed when you need to. You nearly died!!!! I know that it's still a massive thing to get your head around but your body had said right, enough's enough, shut down lads to all your organs. Give it time to wake up again and go back to little and often for walking xx
Sorry for being so forthright, didn't mean to be so direct, just go easy on yourself, don't push too hard or you'll make yourself ill again. Have you got an icu steps support group near you? I went to my first tonight, was fantastic!!
I have the same finger pain 9 months after 3 weeks of drug induced coma caused by acute pancreatitis within 1 day followed by pneumonia again within 1 day followed by ARDS ans MOD. I was close but recovered. I do not remember that pain immediately after the coma, but I do after 1 week. Compared to what I went through, I see this pain as nothing. I have experienced that fish oil helps reducing the pain in the joints but continuously using the fingers in spite of the pain is the best remedy. A good exercise is washing the dishes in hot water.
I spent 9 days in a come due to complete organ failure. I was in hospital for a month. I’ve learned how to walk. Then, went back in the hospital for 11 weeks with 10 surgeries. I get very stiff when sitting. I can’t just wake up and get out of bed or I will fall. My fingers hurt every morning. I was told it would take me 1-2 years before I’m back to what I was before. Even mentally, I can’t think of some words.
take it slow, it took almost a year for my joint/tendon/ligament pain to resolve. you've had so many surgeries! i'm sorry to hear about that, but all the more you will have to be patient and take it very slow to let your body heal.
hang in there, as time passes, your mind will become more clear - your body just needs for you to help it heal slowly and steadily.
hair falls out, but it grows back after a few months. eat well, and try not to over work yourself, okay?
Just came across this in search of information on the exact symptoms you listed. My story is similar, flu, pneumonia, add in a perforated ulcer... body went into septic shock with multiple organ failure. Woke up to a nurse giving me dialysis. My coma was almost 3 weeks, and all fluids and nutrients via IV. Had to learn to walk again. Been home 2 months and much like you described feel worse than when first sent home. Any tips or advice? Feels like I have stopped healing, I did have a few surgeries for ulcer as patch did not want to hold... kidneys came back thank god. One minute I feel good, the next I need to lay down. Feel useless lol
let yourself sleep as often and as much as needed... our bodies were put thru the ringer for almost a month, right? like i said, it took a couple months to be able to just walk a normal gait, my joints ached for about a year.
i am three years out and having had urinary/bowel issues since that hospitalization, i'm now on probiotics as i believe those super strong antibiotics (for me, the Levofloxacin/fluroquinolones) not only caused all that tendinopathy - it totally messed up my digestive system causing me to suffer IBS (worse than before, had some issues prior) and bladder infection from the catheter...
good news is that all those things shall pass in good time - you gotta be patient and try to get back to as close to 100% as you can. go for walks and don't push it too hard in the beginning...
we SURVIVED the ordeal!! remember that, okay? happy to be here and happy to know you two are here also! hang in there!!
Thanks for the advice and kind words. It's nice to actually speak to someone who has been through it. My brain and memory is starting to work better so am kinda dealing with everything. Happy you survived as well
it's a scary thing to have to go through, and probably none of your friends or family can relate, right? but, there are some (maybe LOTS) of us out there, so this is a good place to be reassured that you will recover and be able to live your life normally again.
oh yeah, the brain fog and memory fog... that improves as well! all i could remember for a couple months was the extreme disorientation that i felt upon waking up in the ICU, on a ventilator, totally drugged up (though they were weaning me off) and hands tied to the bed rails...
it was traumatic! not to mention the weird hallucinations in the next few days as they weaned me off the drugs while still "bound and gagged" (told my friends i felt like Hannibal Lector)...
i wrote down my weird dreams, they happened for months, tho not as weird as when in the hospital... they subside - tho at times you feel like maybe you're losing your mind, right...
Fist bump right back at ya... yeah family and friends were amazing, but can tell they are getting bored with my progress haha... the fog is there, enough to know that it will be a while until I could return to my job which is very analytical, actually using the time to think out my future, been given a second chance and dont want to waste it.
Hello! I'm so happy to find this thread. I was in coma for 21 days and on life support because of brain and lungs swelling. After 7 months, I was able to work again but I'm still experiencing hair fall and joint pain especially on my knees, and my legs seems still a bit weak. Will my legs improve over time? Do I need to do exercise?
yes, your legs will get stronger over time, you must be patient and not push yourself too hard. take walks on level ground (no hills yet), a couple or few times a week if you are able. not too far, just get into an easy routine of walking around the block at first, then extend your walk slowly.
our bodies got slammed, it was traumatic -- so let your body recover slowly, okay? you will regain your strength/balance/stamina in time. i'd say give yourself a year... that's how long it took my body to stop aching and feeling wobbly/unstable.
i'm amazed that you are able to work this soon, but good for you!! just don't push yourself too hard. people don't realize how traumatic it is for our bodies to have to endure such invasive life-saving measures...
please take it easy and don't worry -- you will regain your strength!
Thank you! I go to work everyday and walk to the bus stop and to the metro, maybe I can consider it as an exercise for now. I want to learn how to run again, but I still can't because my head aches when I'm moving a lot.
Hope you are doing well and happy, sy_n! Glad to know you
Good news! I'm making a huge progress on my recovery! I recently joined a yoga class and been quite active in the gym. I might get a Personal trainer this week, I sleep better now even without relying on any medications. And finally, I enrolled myself in an online class, tho I have to deal with this brain fog. I'm trying my best to collaborate with my mind. :))
Hi there! I'm fine, it's been almost 4 years since my episode with pneumonia/ARDS -- since I haven't smoked since then I have gained weight but all other symptoms (the joint/muscle aches and pains) have gone from about 3 years ago.
I'm glad to hear you are doing well! You are near 100% by the sound of it, congratulations! I would say I'm 100%, but I am old actually (63 now), so now I can feel the beginnings of arthritis in my hands/fingers which isn't related to that ordeal. Kinda sucks. LOL.
But we're HERE, right? I'm not going to complain, I'm happy to be here, fat and sassy, but alive! You sound young and healthy, so I imagine you shall be jogging by next year, so keep it slow and your body will allow -- it just takes time and you are still healing. Good luck to you, I'm glad to hear from you that you are doing well!
Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I had pneumonia too when I was in a coma; I easily gets tired and also have joint pain and headaches every day.
I was surprised last night that I can jog now on a treadmill, but for just a couple of minutes, then I need to put a hot compress on my knees when I got home to alleviate the pain haha. I'm in pain even if I do nothing anyway.
I was depressed since 2018; a month after I was discharged in the hospital I'm having suicidal thoughts, but it is gone now. I think being physically active helps me a lot,
63 is not that old I'm turning 33 next month. yay!!!
You have your youth -- you will fully recover, just be patient and don't push it, okay? You'll need AT LEAST a year, maybe 6 months more. You don't want to injure your joints or ligaments/tendons by pushing yourself to run too soon. when you are free of pain, then you should start slowly running.
Jogging is high impact on your leg joints... just do brisk walking for now. low impact, along with your yoga is key to loosening up and strengthening your body...
I have recently been recovering from necrotizing faciitis of the esophagus (flesh eating bacteria) and as a result i was put in a medically induced coma for 2 weeks and was unable to walk when i woke. Recoverd the next two weeks i hospital and came home feeling prerty much 100% then i noticed a tiny pain under my arm and day by day it has got worse until the point that all my chest muscles just consistantly feel like i have spent the day at the gym, so natuarally i was researching why when i stumbled on this post. During my research i found something called fibromyalgia which doesn't really fit my symptoms but seem to match up with yours and i think you might be interested in having a read about it.
my joint aches resolved after about a year or so -- i am certain it was an aftereffect of the fluoroquinolones that i was given during that month in the hospital. there are studies collecting data regarding tendonopathy and joint pain as side effects of that family of antibiotics.
from what i understand fibromyalgia is not something that goes away, as i have a couple friends who suffer from it. luckily for me, my aches were remedied with time - and i most certainly will not take fluoroquinolones or any drug in that family ever again (and i advise friends and family not to, also)...
now that i've been brought back into this thread, i am wondering how you are doing now. i hope your discomforts have resolved... hoping you are well and safe in this pandemic...
Thank you for your post, I was in the hospital after catching Covid-19. Ok spent 16 days in the ICU from March 22 to April 7th. My story was so similar to yours. I had covid Pneumonia that turns in to Ards and was heavily sedated and on a ventilator. I "woke up" April 1st. April fools! I was tied to the bed because I was hallucinating so badly I ripped out all of my tubes.
. My knees and hips are really bad. I am unsteady and pained going up and down the stairs. Stiff getting out of bed, my car and the couch. It's painful lying on my hips at night. It's been a bit discouraging. I thought after two months I would feel a lot better than I do. I can walk for an hour going uphill is a little challenging because I get a little breathless but I can do it ( working those lungs!) but then going up my stairs after is so difficult. I feel like a little old lady. Haha
I am happy to read your joint pain went away and that you feel better years later.
Thank you for sharing it helps to read of someone who had a similar experience and is doing better. 💓
it definitely isn’t “fun” waking up under heavy sedation to find yourself bound & gagged to a hospital bed! the hallucinations are no joke, either, right? i remember seeing wild animals walking about in my ICU room - but all the while knowing that if i opened my eyes, they’d disappear as they were a figment of my narcotic medication weaning.
regarding your bodily aches - especially joint pains - please be patient and go slow. you will feel better in time. it might take months, so do things slowly and regularly. regarding your lungs — they’ve been to hell and back, so they will take maybe a year to recover. hopefully you will regain almost 100% of your lung function in a year. it will take time for them to heal, and it’s quite amazing how our organs can self-repair… i am around 90% full lung function after 4 years!
but it takes time. so give yourself plenty of time to recover slowly.
i’m so glad you are a survivor — hang in there, you might try physical therapy to develop a “program” for your recovery, it definitely helped my joint pains and tight ligaments/tendons.
Hi Bren! I have greatly improved. I no longer have joint pain, thank goodness. I do have difficulty with the stairs and balance when I am tired at the end of a day being on my feet.( I work with children so I am on my feet for hours) but I feel that will improve over time as well.
Hi. I spent 6 weeks in an induced coma with Covid and 10 weeks in hospital. My recovery is slow and I get so frustrated.
Every morning I wake up and like you every joint in my body aches. I do some stretches and it gets better through the day. If I sit for a while I do stiffen you again.
My left shoulder is so painful and difficult to lay on my side. Physio is working on it, I guess it takes time for the soft tissue to repair and the skeleton to realign itself after being probed etc.
I also have pain in my hands, swollen fingers ( can’t make a fist) I also have lumps and bumps in my hands. Very painful. The GP does not know how to treat it. Has x-rays done and awaiting results. Pain killers and Gabapentin don’t seem to help and it starts to get worse again towards the end of the day.
I take Vit D, my skin is so dry and my feet shed skin like a snake! Hopefully with time and physio it will improve. In the meantime I am learning to live with it.
Did you get any rehab? My husband went into hospital towards the end of March and due to his lack of mobility is in a rehab centre . My husband could not even stand 3 weeks ago, he is now walking with sticks (slowly) but like you he is in immense pain, he has swollen hands and feet . Every bone in his body aches, it is really getting him down, the pain seems to ease when he is walking, but the moment he stops it starts again.
He is also very foggy with words , he says his feet are the main issue and quite frankly the GP are just paying his ailments lip service .
We have a covid aftercare team visiting him next week so hopefully we get some clarity.
sy_n did you have pain in your feet can you recall ? Many thanks for every bodies input
hi there, i'm also so GLAD your husband survived!!! i don't recall having swollen feet or hands (except in the ICU when i woke up... they were pumping fluids in me to keep my blood pressure up - but i normally have very low BP, like 106/62).
for me, my joint/muscle pains were (by my researching on the internet) caused by the strong antibiotic, levofloxacin/fluoroquinolone... the warning on this medication is "snapping of the achilles tendon"... talk about YUCK, right??
perhaps your husband and Mikesanuk were on meds that have similar side effects. do google the meds to see what those side effects might be. i was not warned by the doctors upon release from the hospital, btw. i had to do my own research... grrr.
regarding the brain fog -- YES, that happens. do not worry, the clarity comes back. try to remember that your husband, like me and Mikesanuk, were in an induced coma for weeks. we were drugged, our bodies were going thru serious trauma. it takes time.
in our heads, we are thinking clearly -- it is just that we can't respond quickly, because our bodies are traumatized and it will take a few weeks for that fog to clear. my husband and daughter were worried for a few weeks as i was quieter than normal. but i was very much aware of everything, it's just that i was focussed on why my body wasn't functioning like i was used to...
does this make sense? at any rate, as the body starts to cooperate, for me, my attention then turned to things around the house and i started crabbing about stuff -- and i heard my husband and daughter say in the other room, "oh, she's okay, she sounds normal now!"
: [
i was not amused. but i had to acknowledge that they were very concerned because i wasn't "acting normal", how they were used to me being (which, btw, is very crabby and bossy - LOL!). but we are rather foggy, everything is weird because we can't even hold things properly and we're so weak for weeks.... it is very frustrating so we aren't necessarily in the mood to be conversational. our minds are still reeling from the experience.
it gets better! please be patient. ask your husband if he wants to ask any of us questions... it may take awhile for him to regain his clarity, but it will improve over time, okay?
hang in there, i know it's hard not being in his head and understanding his trauma... he will be able to talk about it later, i'm certain...
Thank you so much for such an indepth and honest account . I have seen bits of my husband coming back, he is whinging about little bit's n pieces and he isn't even home yet
He is pushing himself thinking he will be back in work in a couple of weeks- he won't . He has been really lucky he has had a great physio team supporting him helping him to gain his mobility, as he has been so poorly. I keep reminding him although it's hard, he is still here and he needs to be thankful, in the UK we have over 40,000 deaths from Covid.
I'm still not aware what meds he was given in ITU, I know normally they do a diary, I don't think this took place, due to the sheer volume of cases in the hospital. It has taken him 3 weeks to learn to walk, and at the moment thats on sticks , he now also has footdrop, which is hindering the mobility .
Thanks so much for all the advice , it's really helpful.
i forgot to say that YES, every bone/joint/ligament/tendon in my body hurt for weeks... for me, especially my sternum because my heart stopped 3 times... the first time, when the paramedics came to my home, they did CPR for 6 minutes. i was told my heart stopped 2 more times at the hospital...
i had to relearn how to walk, i used a walker at home for a few days... it is amazing how the muscles atrophy so quickly... i couldn't even hold a pen to try to write when i woke up and still had the ventilator in me.
very frustrating. but like i said earlier, it gets better. it may take awhile... the skin sloughing off is bothersome and also scary at first. then the hair falls out in handfuls, later... but the skin shedding stops after a couple weeks, the hair comes back in a few/several months... yes, it took that long. don't be scared about it falling out...
Hi. I have been home for 4 weeks now. I am given two physio sessions a week plus exercises to do alone. I am taking Gabapentin and Codeine for the pain but to be honest does not do much good. My legs tolerate short distances before I get so breathless due to the clots. I have pain in the ball part of the foot but most of my pain is in the hands and shoulder. I was doing well but currently back on anti-depressants as hit a low point.
give your lungs the time to heal... and they will heal - it's quite amazing to see your CT scans in the subsequent years. i think it took at least 4-5 months for me to be able to walk a normal pace without becoming breathless. it may take a year, please just keep going slowly, okay?
you are in the early stages of recovery, so please try not to be discouraged or depressed... it will take TIME. your body needs TIME to HEAL. stay strong!!!
You have been to hell and back, as well as the physio twice a week hopefully an holistic plan is in place for you and your family as they have been in a dark place too. What part of the UK are you located in ? We are in the Midlands, I have seen some trust have really been proactive and are tackling some of the issues associated with low moods etc.
My husband is on Pregablin and codeine, again he says it doesn't touch the pain . I really hope you get the support you need physically and mentally . xx
gosh, you've been thru hell -- i'm so glad you've survived!!!
i know it's hard to be happy about surviving when you are suffering so... just know that there are things your body has to go thru:
1. your joints/ligaments/muscles have atrophied and have gotten stiff. they will hurt as you try to stand, walk, move, stretch... they have been in the same coma as you were.
2. sometimes the drugs will exacerbate your pain. don't push yourself too hard to stretch and flex -- you might injure yourself! google your meds, see what others have experienced/suffered to see how they have managed.
3. your skin will shed. weird, yes. but you were lying in a bed for weeks, so now that your are awake and moving about, your skin will slough off. it is a bother, i used special sloughing towels to get rid of the excess skin for weeks. you might try a loofa...
4. your hair will fall out. i think it's from the trauma, so don't be scared if you get handfuls of hair while bathing/washing your hair in the next several weeks. worry not, it will grow back -- but i think it helps to take multivitamins w/iron and eat lots of healthy vegetables... it will help your hair growth and also your skin which is sloughing off....
5. it all sucks. but be VERY HAPPY that you have survived!!! you have all the time on your hands to take it slow and recover. don't push it, your body has been thru the mill and to hell and back again. be kind and gentle, okay?
6. you shall recover!!! it might take months, but you will recover! please don't be impatient, you might be counterproductive to your recovery if you push too hard. you definitely don't want to injure your tendons and/or ligaments which have atrophied (when they do, they shorten and get stiff)...
7. get outside and get some vitamin D! try to savor the joy of being alive... you weren't conscious (as i wasn't) when you were so very very close to death. try to remember this, and be appreciative, okay? i know it's hard, it's frustrating... but hey, we've SURVIVED!
hang in there, it may take a year, maybe it won't, but you will get better. you will be able to resume your normal activities in time. in time, please give your body the time to recover slowly...
Thank you for your detailed reply. I appreciate it. Yes it is hard to be patient when you have been active, It frustrates me. My care givers are on the ball and will not over push me. I get our every day if I can - I know Vit D is important, I also take it as a tablet. I am so happy they never gave up on me. I have so much love and respect for everyone involved in my care. x
Hi, Its by default I found this site and its just what I needed to hear stories, experiences and post covid thoughts. I was in a coma 18 days, passed away twice but thankfully I'm here to tell the story and so glad all you guys are alive and im so proud of you all for being warriors. I am walking 2 mile per day and feel great whilst walking then boom, I seize an hour or so later which really frustrates me. My second issue being my shoulders which are unbelievably sore. Can anyone suggest any remedy apart from pain relief. My hair is falling out in clumps, has anyone experienced a complete hair loss post covid. All i am after is to chat to people in my position as I feel I would gain more talking to survivors. I was discharged 8th May and no follow up support.
your body is recovering from the shock -- yes, hair falls out and your skin sloughs off, strange at first. but consider what your body had to endure, all the drugs and physical trauma occurring in your organs... it will take time to adjust - if i recall, my hair started growing back a few/several months later.
regarding the joint pains - mine took about a year to resolve. it felt like i had arthritis in my hands, frozen shoulder, overall joint aches... it does resolve, in time. it may take months, so go slow.
regarding your walks, your stamina (and mainly your lungs) need time to regain, keep walking your 2 miles, but don't push yourself too much.
did they do cpr on you? if so, your sternum will ache for a month at least - well, mine did, probably because my heart stopped for 6 minutes the first time...
it took nearly a year to feel 90%, if i recall. i hope this helps - please take care, don't get depressed on bad days, tell yourself to be patient and cut yourself a lot of slack. you've been through the ringer, right...
I was in an induced comma for 44 days and in hospital for 69 in total. I'm 4.5 months out and I am still 85% of the time living with joint and muscle pain. I can walk around the house, but outside I can't walk very far. I had some serious health issues (see bio) but the recovery from a coma I wasn't warned about! Don't be too hard on yourself and take each day as it comes. Some days I'm ok and other days I can barely do anything. Hope you're on the mend very soon.
you are doing really well considering you were in a coma for 44 days! i was in one for 14 days. you lost all your muscle, so it will take a bit to get it back. but it does come back! hang in there, take it slow and don't over do it!
I'm the same I sleep quite alot I have the muscles pain the aches feel like it's getting worse hair loss nail loss I believe where all the same 5 months on still the same I was in coma for nine days and spent 7 weeks in hospital I don't feel like the same person since I came home I'm emotional most times . Been told it can take 18mths_ 2yrs or more .
take it SLOW... it takes time for your body to recover from the shock of it all. it will come back, your energy, your hair, your muscle tone and stamina. but it happens slowly and steadily. the psychological effects lighten up, tell yourself to be patient.
i'd say it took me a year to feel 90%. then emotionally i began to feel more normal after that. it is hard, it is lonely - but you aren't alone! hang in there!
i still remember very vividly my experience, and it's been almost 8 years now. but the trauma lessons after a year or so, i'd say... take care and try to enjoy the holidays. stay warm and healthy!
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I'm turning 33 next month. yay!!! 
10 months after induced coma
Memory loss after induced coma
Memory problems after induced coma
Walking after medically induced coma 
Joint and muscle pain 
