How long will this stage last? Induced coma 10 days , it’s now 3 weeks , off sedation but on meds for ; seizures and agitation ( sodium valproate) , bp meds, and insulin . He sleeps most of the time and when he wakes it’s for a short while and doesn’t track with his eyes. He looks as if he is in his own dream world. Makes grimace and occasionally smiles if I mention names of family. Responds to pain and I think he can hear. He can move his upper body head turning and some upper shoulder movements with slight arm movements. He is fitted with a tracheotomy so can’t communicate by voice. Anyone been through this with a loved one as I am terrified he won’t come out of this VS . Will they lower his meds so he can come out of this sedated sleeping phase ? Dr don’t indicate when he will wake up or if . Say hmmm depends on individual. EEG shows some damage . And prognosis was bad at day 3 .
Update week 4 : first real communication by head turning, arm grip and finger gripping . So relieved at the slightest signs .
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I am sorry you are going through such a traumatic time. There is a helpful link explains about the effects of medication to induce a coma and it takes time for these drugs and their effects to wear off which affect the persons response. I went through a similar situation with my younger brother who was a fit and healthy non smoker before contracting sepsis. I will forward you the link. Remain hopeful and be reassured that the drugs are incredibly powerful and take weeks to wear off. It is very frightening but my advice is to keep a diary and over time you can track improvements. This will help you to see his progress.
Read my story. Sounds like my hubby. 7 day induced coma, vs about a week or 2, minimal conscious another week or 2. Drs gave very little hope and tried to get me to put him on hospice at wk 6. He's now in a nursing facilty walking with a walker, dressing himself (slow), eating by himself, speech is great but not perfect, old memories in tact new ones good but some hiccups. Id say he regained 85% of himself so far. 6 months in. My advice is reading, music, lots of touch, massage, scents in his room, ask for hugs and kisses (i got that long before hand squeeze and toe wiggle). Stimulate ALL his senses and be persistent, positive. Grab onto any hint of response and work with it. Miracles happen.
Your response gives me hope. Thank you . I was devastated when dr said it’s less than 20% chance. It’s like your heart crushing when they give you the dreaded news. Today he was a little alert and moved his arms . So I live in hope.
How long was it till the higher concious brain came to recognise and communicate with you ? My husband stares at ceiling and is flexing arms at moment. I don’t know if he can see or make sense of who we are? Dr said brain damage was pretty bad so the higher order consciousness may never come back? It’s terrible as my child (toddler) asks is he awake yet and why is he not saying hello ... plus it’s emotionally upsetting for me to think he may never come back to us as he was before.
My hubby stared at the ceiling for a week or so, then he'd look in directions but no eye contact for another week or so. I honestly feel he comunicated in ways long before the drs recognized, theyd always say its reflex or coincidence...keep in mind i have no clue how long my guy was without oxygen. It may have been only a few minutes. Hes not 100% but hes come a long way in this 6 month (so far) journey. It was about 2 full months before staff started recognizing responses. Looking in my direction or toward someone talking. Then maybe smiles at jokes. Then following certain commands. He had moments like you describe of just moving his arms randomly. Rolling back and forth constantly. It was very hard to see but now i feel it was his waking up process. I am gonna pray your hubs shows you some signs that hes coming back as well. Keep me posted
Hi there - my husband had a hemorrhagic stroke on June 1, 2018. He was in a medically induced coma for two weeks and also experienced the non verbal, non tracking period for another month or so. He’s now walking and talking with no physical impairments. His short term memory has been impacted and he takes frequent naps as he’s also on BP, anti seizure and antidepressants meds. We prayed day and night for his recovery and thankfully he’s coming along.
Thank you for your kind reply . Did he have any signs of coming out with his limbs moving first ? We have head turning frequently, blinking, yawning smiling into air at nothing in particular , and arms movements. No leg movements yet. I’m hopeful that it’s the brain trying to wake up parts of body before it comes back as a brain active consciousness of higher level. I miss my husband so much and I pray he comes back to us. I’d give anything to have him ask for a cuppa tea. May yours continue to recover and I hope others see the progress in ours to give them hope too. As it’s scary not knowing and dr don’t offer real hope. I guess they don’t know much about the complexity of the brain as we hoped they did.
It was strange because when he first awoke, he was instructed to give a thumbs up which he appeared to do. After that for a period of at least three weeks he would just stare and not really move at all. I thought that he may be vegetated and even had the hospital discharge team request a meeting with me to discuss long term care options. I continued talking to him, showing him movies and playing him music. He responded to me one day verbally out of the blue and from there we continued to work on his motor skills. I had to prompt the staff to test his walking and having him sit up. He used a wheelchair for a few weeks, then a walker and eventually nothing. He was only discharged from rehab in September which was a good three months since the stroke. I see bits and pieces coming back to him memory wise and parts of his personality continue to shine through. I don’t want to sound preachy but honestly, prayer was the only thing that got me through that time. It’s a very long road and there will be setbacks and huge milestones but try and keep positive and celebrate the small successes. The brain is so complex that doctors cannot always be the definitive source. Miracles can and do happen.
Rene78 your story also very close to mine. The head turning in the beginning was so hard. My man was bald on the back of his head for months from that stage. The memories came back out of order, hallucinations for a while, the trache coming out was huge because the talking made sense! Thats when i really knew he was "there". @worriedfor your hubs is following similar path, there IS hope. Prayer, patience, persistence, positivity. Celebrate each improvement no matter how minor it may seem because it'll make more sense in the future but know he is likely to be different in some way(s).
Hi how’s your husband doing how? my dad is the same after a cardiac arrest he’s walking and talking however he’s really quiet a times, very confused and severe memory loss it’s been about 3 months since the incident x
I am also very sorry to hear this. I was in the same situation with my father a year and a half ago. The prognosis was also bad. However, he woke up and very very slowly began to speak, eat, move properly again. We have no idea how long he was without oxygen but it was some time. It is an incredibly long process but stay positive. Play his favourite music, put pictures of family and places up where he xan see them once he has left ICU...talk to him alot!
My dad was in hospital for a total of 2 months. Now he's still recovering. He has TBI (traumatic Brain Injury) this has affected his memory but he's still getting better. There are lots of groups out there and people to offer suppor. It will be a marathon but keep positive and look after yourself too. Best wishes.
Love the update. Look for ANY positive, it will keep you going. That's great that hes gripping your fingers! Is it to command? Ask for a kiss, hope that dont sound weird but its the first command my hubby followed and it was consistent.
I too am sorry that you are going through this, My husband suffered cardiac arrest a year ago was down for about 45 minutes, as a result suffered anoxic brain injury, as a result to that I am now his full time caregiver and to be honest I am living day by day. Every brain injury is different, my husband was in that stage, what you can do is now be his advocate, you are his voice now, and if there is something you see that you dont agree with speak up. BUT the most important thing to remember is that TIME is what is needed. God Bless
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