Icu delirium and not sleeping ?

[Mccarthy0702]

My dad was taken off sedation on Thursday, after 31 days in induced coma with covid . He was well enough for a FaceTime call Friday and although upsetting he recognised us and had two tears running down his face.

Since then he really suffered with this icu delirium and seems to be fighting his sleep only having maybe a hr or two off a night even tho they are giving him sleeping meds. This is worrying as his condition now seems very static and I think it because he’s not sleeping so therefore very weak . He’s had a good few problems along the way one main being his kidneys he’s back on dialysis.

[Sepsur]

I didn’t sleep for 3 days solid after waking from coma - it was hell - the staff increased my sleeping tablet to no effect. I would drop to sleep for 2min & think I’d been asleep for hours. The clock tortured me!!

I think this was a side effects of all the drugs coupled with a terror of returning to the world of delirium

Sleep is so important for recovery - hence most patients come on in leaps @ bounds when they get home / good diet / good sleep- getting outside in sunshine & fresh air.

Sleep & critical illness

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Mccarthy0702 in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you for the reply , am hoping to have a zoom call later and try asking him to get some sleep. There is a nurse with him today she is fantastic and he seems to recognise her voice and takes comfort from her as she has looked after him many time’s .

Hoping once he starts sleeping his recovery process will begin. He’s also very swollen is this covid problem or just because he’s been laid there for 5 weeks ?

[Sepsur in reply to Mccarthy0702]

I can’t answer your question for sure but I would suggest that if his kidneys aren’t working well - he may have some water retention - again, I certainly swelled up. My gut also swelled ( like I was pregnant) I think all the antibiotics & stuff messed up with my natural gut fauna. I then had the added dimension of having no control over my guts one minute - thanks to VRE ( hospital acquired) & then I couldnt go to the loo because I was on so many opioids. Oh the joys of ICU.

[Heartgal151 in reply to Sepsur]

My dad is now 5 days out of ICU and about 2 weeks off the ventilator. He had basically no sleep in that time from then to now. Sleeps maybe an hour or 2 a night. But he has come through the delirium eventually and so will your Dad!! It’s just the drugs working there way out of their system xx