7 weeks after being in medically induced coma for pneumonia. Feeling sad and emotional. Is this normal?

[lgt525]

Hi all,

I just found this site and reading stories of others that went through similar experiences to what I went through is really helping me.

I woke up in from a medically induced coma in the icu with a tube in my mouth. I had been in the coma for 12 days. A couple of days later they removed the tube and due to no non icu rooms being available, they let me go home a couple of days after that. I recuperated at home for a month and went back to work this week.

Here is what I am experiencing:

1. I have no memory of getting to the hospital or being in the coma.

2. I get sad and tired off and on during the day.

3. I get scared every time I have a tightness in my chest that I am going to relapse

4. I get anxiety over little things. Like yesterday there was a spider on my wall and I obsessed that my house was going to be invaded by spiders. I have never had much anxiety before my hospital stay.

I would like to hear from people who went through something similar. When were you back to full energy? How did you deal with the emotions and episodes of anxiety?

Thanks!

[jojokarak]

Hiya and it's totally normal how your feeling... I was told when I come out of my coma that it would take a year to 18 months to get back to normal, but I didn't but that was due to something else ...

The tiredness, the depression, nightmares when you do sleep, no energy and irrational fears ...

You should see your GP and let them know how your feeling it's completely normal to suffer with depression and PTSD after being through something so traumatic and don't worry the memory loss and fogginess is completely common as well X

[Ericeast]

I still get depressed,very sad or extremely angry very easily. It does get better as time goes on though! And the memory loss is completely normal,you wouldn’t want to remember what you’ve been trough anyways! I count that part as a blessing. Take care friend,I’m always a message away if you need to chat

[tessauk1]

It’s now 10 months since I was in ICU in 2 grade 3 Comas with Sepsis, pneumonia, Mrsa and organ failure. I was given a 1-2% chance of survival. I was diagnosed with PTSD a few months after coming out of hospital. I’ve just finished cognitive behavioural therapy for the PTSD, and for me, it has helped immeasurably. Apart from short term memory loss, in total I’ve lost about 2 years of my memory, which may or may not come back in time, I finally feel I have recovered completely and feel better than ever. I wish you well in your continued recovery.

[Sepsur]

Have a look at a couple of ICU conditions - cognitive dysfunction & ICUAW. The acute muscle waste for some can be as high as 40% in the first 10 days. I was emotionally turbulent for a time - once home, I could change from mild to murderous in the twinkle of an eye. I believe the cocktail of sedatives & antibiotics we endure are extremely mood altering & take months to fully leave system. ICUAW meant getting dressed in the morning was exhausting - alone - the ordeal of physically overcoming temporary handicap & the mental/emotional energy required, could be overwhelming at times. Good diet, exercise, friends & family help & in time your determination to come through it, will be the deciding factor. Keep trudging ....

[lgt525]

Thanks for the thoughtful replies everyone! I really relate to what everyone wrote. For the first two weeks after getting home, getting dressed WAS a major chore and I was so bloated from the saline solution I could not get into any of my clothes lol. I am making progress now that I have been home 4 1/2 weeks. I can walk steps, and I am sleeping a full night only waking up a couple of times. I still have the PTSD weird feelings. I know its PTSD because I had PTSD back during the 9/11 era because I was in Tower 2 so I know exactly what it is like to have those weird disoriented body sensations and feelings of being somewhere else. Sometimes I will be overwhelmed with "hospital" smells that are not there lol. It really encourages me that all of you are doing better.

[stevet11753]

Hi, you're the second case on here recently who appears to have been discharged from hospital way too soon after coming out of an coma. I was under for ten days, it took me four days to come round, 31 days in ITU and ten weeks in hospital. I wasn't released until I could walk and climb stairs. Your situation may have been very different from mine, but I still can't believe how soon you was released from hospital after the trauma of an induced coma.