Mum Not waking up

[Olivia12345]

So yesterday my mum spoke to us and would move her legs all day she was talking but not opening her eyes. I told her she had newmonia and about 2 hours later she told the nurse “I have newmonia” so she does know what I’m saying and keeping it in her mind, even though she is talking she will not wake up! This is the 5th day now she has been off sadation and not woken up, doctors are saying they are happy with her but not telling us anything to why she couldn’t be waking up. She will call us by our name and I went out yesterday for 5 minutes and my sister told me that she kept shouting for me. As youse probably have been threw or experienced the same things I am right now then u know how hard it is for me and my family. Can somebody please help me and give me some advice as being young I don’t even know what to say or to ask doctors.

[Sepsur]

Hi Olivia it took me 11 days to properly come around and then some. Look at icusteps.org.

or icusteps.org/patients

There is also a phenomenon called ICU delirium which your Mum may experience - it is temporary. I hope you improves well each day.

[Olivia12345 in reply to Sepsur]

Aw thanks very much for ur reply it is just hard as a family not knowing why she won’t wake up. I will have a look on the websites and have a read up on it thank you

[Sepsur in reply to Olivia12345]

It is often a combination of reasons, how old your Mum is, how long she was in an induced coma, the level of sedation, the sedation used, the combination of medications, how much your Mum’s system can process affects of sedatives. If your Mum’s liver or kidneys are not firing on all cylinders yet, the toxins of the illness & sedatives will take longer to leave her body and hence she’ll take longer to wake - that’s what I understood from my own experience.

[Olivia12345 in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you very much well today around 5 o’clock she woke up a little more and stayed awake she would respond to us and talk to us all day and keep her eyes open so hopefully she is a little more better each day. Thank you very much for ur advice and reply.

[Sandyeggo]

Olivia, first and foremost I am very sorry for the pain you’re going through. You sure came to the right place tho. So your mom is breathing on her own it sounds like so she is awake just not opening her eyes? That’s probably b/cuz she’s tired and/or she’s still heavily drugged cuz Drs don’t want her to get nervous or anxious and start pulling out IV’s, tubes and whatever else she may be hooked up to. If medical staff is withholding information maybe they’re just giving all information to just one family member an I’d be willing to bet it’s whoever is with her first thing in the morning an if you don’t get to hospital til later you might be missing the “ hand off” of information. So you should probably tell the attending physician that you need to be told of her condition everyday at whatever time you agree on. Or you could put on your sweetest smile an kinda beg the charge nurse to keep you in the loop, Bottom line it’s much easier if you befriend one of her medical team. I hope your burden becomes lighter tomorrow and I hope your mom is doing better.

[Olivia12345 in reply to Sandyeggo]

Hi thank you very much for your reply. They took the tube out 4 days ago now and yesterday she opened her eyes and spoke to us all day but would keep dosing off the nurse told me to go and get family members in as this is the most alert she has been. She told me the nurses have been pushing and shoving her about (she means turning her to get her in a position) haha. I get their for the correct visiting times which is 1:30 pm and stay right up until 7:30 pm alls the nurses tell us is “some people take longer to wake up as other” but as you will probably know it is frustrating watching our mum not wake up after being off sadation for 6 days so I just needed a little advice. Hopefully today she will be abit more alert than yesterday and she will continue to progress. Hopefully she is either tired or it is the drugs. Thanks for helping me out.

[Angelia1234 in reply to Olivia12345]

How is your mom doing? I hope the progress has continued!