ICU and intubation

[Pilar0617]

Hello I’m brand new and have been reading a lot of people’s posts! I’m truly sorry that everyone is suffering still in their own way! I just got home from the hospital! I told 5 drs something was wrong with me and none of them would give me an answer as to this awful pain I was having! Finally, I got rushed to the hospital told I had a pneumonia, pleural effusions, an infarct and a separate pocket of dire infection isolated in another part of my lung! After struggling with my breathing the drs told my friends and family if they didn’t intubate me I would die! I woke up much sooner then they expected thus not sedated I tried ripping through the restraints! I cannot remember so much and it bothers me so much! I’m really struggling with this missing about 7 days total! I do however remember thinking I was going crazy as the hallucinations were horrible! I was told I told stories that made no sense as well! I work in healthcare and opted to just get better at home! Does anyone have any advise regarding missing time? I wish you all the best one day at a time! I think for me this really scared me as I’ve always felt invincible having survived 8 pulmonary embolisms! No one is invincible that’s for sure how dumb of me!

[Sepsur]

Did anyone keep an icu diary for you?

[Copse77]

I hope you might find this short radio programme helpful. It’s by a former ICU patient who is a trustee of Steps. It also includes a clinical psychologist speaking about the effects on the brain of sepsis. I found it very good.

Best wishes

bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001jpv

[EEBB]

Hi I am 15 months into recovery after being in induced coma with pneumonia and everyday gets a bit better. I am missing about six weeks memory still but am now beginning to separate what actually happened and what was hallucinations. I am pleased to say that I can now laugh about some of the "incidents" I thought had happened to me (i.e. being on manoeuvres with the army and making a cryonic baby) but it took me 10 months to mentally come to terms with it. The ICU diary helped a great deal so I could understand the feelings I had.

I wish you well in your recovery.