sedated question

[bobbiediane]

My dad had a heart attack sunday, he got admitted into a hospital & was diagnosed with pneumonia afib and renal failure. He’s been doing a lot better since then but today he had another heart attack, they were waiting on his kidneys to get better to put dye in him to see where his blockages were to put stints in. He’s now in a sedated state, & his kidneys need to do better & his blood pressure in low. When i visited him he was twitching his tongue & lips & would squeeze my fingers & grip them pretty hard, & at one point i could’ve swore he kept squeezing my hand so i couldn’t move it away like i was trying to do. Can he actually hear me or is that stuff just impulses?

[Hidden]

I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. I don't know if it is the same with everyone but when I was intubated and heavily sedated I could hear people talking, music playing, feel touch, etc. Never give up hope. Just be there and try to prepare for anything. Love and prayers to you and your family.

[bobbiediane in reply to Hidden]

could you differentiate the people who were talking or could you not tell?

[Hidden in reply to bobbiediane]

I could clearly hear my boyfriend and parents. Then of course the nurses but didn't see their faces until I came out. I have been under 2 times now. Please be aware that he could also be having ICU syndrome. Hallucinations and or dreams. But in both I could tell who the people I cared about that were with me.

[bobbiediane in reply to Hidden]

i’m gonna to try & talk to him about stuff only he would know i know or things he’s told me about & see how that gets me, i really hope these just aren’t impulses

[bobbiediane in reply to Hidden]

my dads also intubated, so sad to see that. everytime he would grip my fingers my heart broke, & i cried

[katiegardenhead in reply to bobbiediane]

It's so sad and scary to see but the fact that he's gripping your fingers is a really good sign! My dad didn't do ANYTHING at first, wouldn't react to pain or grip or anything, which was really scary because they were worried about his brain function...so your dad reacting to stimuli is a really good thing

[Nawalsaleh in reply to bobbiediane]

I know the feeling, it’s heartbreaking.

[Hidden]

Sweetheart, I don't believe that they are just impulses. Keep the talks simple and happy just in case he is hallucinating. The hallucinations that can happen may not be positive.

[bobbiediane in reply to Hidden]

thank you for being so nice, i feel so intimidated by the doctors i don’t like asking questions especially if they’re just impulses or not bc i assume they’d just tell me there’s no way to know. you’ve definitely calmed me down, thank you for the prayers & love we need all we can get. my mom isn’t in my life so my dad is all my sister & i have, i don’t know what i’d do without him.

[Hidden]

You may not have to be without him. My boyfriends Dad came back from being intubated from a stroke with a previous heart attack and he's 83 years young. But I understand. I lost my Mom to cancer 3 weeks after coming home from intubation. My daughter doesn't have the greatest relationship with her Dad, so I'm all she has. I am here for you any time. If I dont respond right away, Im sleeping but I promise to write you back.

[Sepsur]

I had vivid dreams concerning family & friends - often involving those sitting (or being talked of) around my bedside- I have no idea what Was dream or real - Sometimes touch is as much of a salve as soothing words.

[katiegardenhead]

My dad was rushed into ICU with a huge internal bleed (basically 'bleeding out'/in shock)...he then suffered two heart attacks afterwards which couldn't be treated because the treatment would thin his blood and put him at risk of another bleed. Basically they couldn't do anything and just had to hope his body would stabilize, but they were preparing for the worst. He was intubated for 2 weeks and sedated/in a coma for most of that time. My dad can't remember much of his time in the ICU but I would talk to him when he was sedated and he would move his head, squeeze hands, etc...this took a while though, for the first couple of days when they removed sedation he didn't react at all and had to go for a brain scan! The fact that he is reacting at all is to me a really good sign. The nurses also kept telling us to talk to dad because it would comfort him, even though he was in a coma, and that he could probably hear us. He was in the ICU for around 6 weeks and on a ward for two weeks after, and now he is home and recovering with us all it's such a scary situation to be in but being intubated/sedated is good for him because it'll allow his body to rest and recover.

[bobbiediane in reply to katiegardenhead]

he has fluid in his lungs & his heart isn’t doing too good around 15% & he’s kidneys aren’t doing too good if they’re even working at all at this point & he’s not strong enough for dialysis rn

[Copse77 in reply to katiegardenhead]

Dear Katie

I read your reply with hope. My brother is in ICU after ECMO and has suffered some bleeds. He is responding to us his family by moving his eyebrows and nodding. We have been told by the nurses to keep reassuring him as he can’t speak yet after being incubated on a ventilator for 3 weeks. He is off ventilator but still having some oxygen and dialysis. I would really appreciate your advice or anyone who can help. Thank you.

[Renusaini9]

I'm so sorry to hear about your father. My aunt was Intubated and in a medical coma for a long time- she could hear us and it was through the constant talking that she started responding when they reduced the drugs- she didn't remember everything but she knew we were there talking to her. I'd keep talking to him and also playing music he liked x