Medically induced coma recovery process after 2 w... - ICUsteps

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Medically induced coma recovery process after 2 week?

Mylove124 profile image
13 Replies

Boyfriend woke from a drug induced coma. Recovery process? My boyfriend was in a drug induced coma after 10 days the doctors took him out of it. And he started regaining consciousness. He suffered a gunshot wound to the pelvis on June 19th he had to have many surgeries and went from critical to stable condition. They induced a coma to allow recovery. On July 5th he opened his eyes and that’s all I know for now because his mom is not letting me and my family really know what’s the recovery process she keeps saying he is doing good but not talking right now and when I try to ask further she says she doesn’t feel like talking about it and it’s so frustrating it’s making me depressed and sad. We have been together for 5 years and have a son together. His mother has always been very dramatic and likes to be in control of everything even caused issues in our relationship. And I feel like this situation she is really really making me miserable on purpose I understand she’s going through a lot but so am I. She is not allowing him to have visitors only her and his sister I’m literally in a sunken place. And trying to be strong for our son and my daughter but this is so traumatizing that I can’t be there with him or talk to him. Can someone please tell what the recovery process is after being in a induced coma for 2 weeks and finally waking up . Please

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Mylove124
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Mylove124 profile image
Mylove124

Please somebody

beardy_chris profile image
beardy_chris

I'm afraid there is no simple answer to your question. People respond differently to the drugs used to create an induced coma and take differing amounts of time to regain consciousness. It isn't a switch that you turn back on and suddenly the patient is wide awake. Your boyfriend is likely to be confused and drifting in and out of consciousness.

There are probably restrictions on visitors due to COVID-19 risks.

I'm sorry but it isn't possible to tell you what might be happening to him right now.

Mylove124 profile image
Mylove124 in reply tobeardy_chris

Thank u so much I will just keep praying

MarthaKos profile image
MarthaKos

I am extremely sorry you have to go through that. It’s already distressing as it is but being left out by his family must be horrible. I agree with bearded_chris, there’s no one person that comes around like the other. My boyfriend was on an induced coma for over two months, opened his eyes the day after they reduced the sedation, but fully and properly woke up after a month. He will most likely not remember the first a week or two. He will be very weak. If he is still in icu they will only probably allow visitation once a week, and that would be one person only. If he is on a normal ward there will be no visitation allowed.

Are you in the U.K.?i would suggest speaking to the nurse in charge or the consultant and explain your situation, they might be able to help?

I wish you best of luck with everything, and praying your soon with your boyfriend again xx

Mylove124 profile image
Mylove124 in reply toMarthaKos

Thank u so much and the nurses won’t give any info over the phone

Sepsur profile image
Sepsur

On this link is a pdf called ‘intensive care guide’ - this gives you a really good idea of what happens during critical care.

icustepschester.org/informa...

BHDFlower profile image
BHDFlower

I have not been in your situation when it comes to a gunshot wound, but my father was in an induced coma and took a while not just to open his eyes, but to move any extremities or speak.

Are you able to call and speak to any nurses to ask how he’s doing? And while visitation is limited, you have a son with this man. Surely some exception can be made so that his girlfriend, the mother of his child, is able to have firsthand information on his status?

I don’t know your situation, but I would go around his mother for information. You are a huge part of his life, too, and need to be informed so that you can stay strong for your children.

As for reassurance, I can just offer that people vary greatly on their response to drugs and comas. We got some negative doctors in the days following my father’s treatment, but resolved from the beginning that we would give him every chance and not let percentages dictate how we handled it. Your boyfriend might take longer than others to hit milestones, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come around. But advocate for yourself! He’s not awake to demand that you be treated with significance, so you have to do it in his stead.

This all comes from a place of love, though. I have the utmost empathy for you and I hope you get good news.

Mylove124 profile image
Mylove124

Thanks for the replies everyone

Copse77 profile image
Copse77

I am really sorry for the traumatic situation you are in. Remain hopeful is the best advice we were given by one kind consultant. We were in different circumstances but please remember everyone is an individual and recovers at different rates. As other advice suggested on here you should call the hospital as the mother of his children and ask for updates. The drugs used to induce coma are very powerful and it may take some time for him to wake up. It can be several weeks so please don’t be disheartened if his progress seems slow. Wishing all the best for a good recovery.

PeterJu profile image
PeterJu

hi - I was on a ventilator for 9 days. When I came round, i received oxygen via a mask for a few days. suffering from delirium or hallucinations is pretty common and happened to me and nearly everyone else I know. Also you have muscle wastage, as muscle is what the body first processes to obtain energy whilst you are on a ventilator. This will affect the muscles you think of, but also ones you do not think of like those that operate your voicebox and lungs. walking will be difficult and also often we suffer from problems with thinking, planning, following conversations etc. This is because about 40% of our energy is used to operate our brain. So in summary do not be alarmed when these things happen and it is reasonable to expect that your boyfriend will take some time to improve on thses things, which he will. best wishes to you all

Mylove124 profile image
Mylove124 in reply toPeterJu

Thank you I will continue to stay prayerful and patient. I know he will come around I just wish I was able to go through this process with him but I’ve been denied that. So now I have to wait for him to reach out

Georgiab123 profile image
Georgiab123

There’s no time mine son suffered terrible head injuries after being hit in head with hammer, on a like support weeks until he desided himself to come off it , then slowly he started to recover and come out of conscious state, 3 years this week he’s recovered remarkably got a lot of problems but is able to talk and can phone us , so please done give up

LovingLioness profile image
LovingLioness

Hi Mylove124

Hopefully your boyfriend has recovered well by now, and you got back to be with him and your kids. Would you mind sharing how things went on for you? How did you stand and cope with all the waiting and not knowing and not seeing him?

I am writing because I'm in a slightly similar situation currently. My boyfriend of a little over 1 year got sick and suffered a sepsis while I was visiting him. He kept me secret from his family due to former bad experiences. They only got to know about me and my existence the hour he was admitted to hospital - I was waiting at his apartement, thinking he was asleep from the antibiotics infusion, would contact me some time later, and would be back home a few days later.

6 hours later, a neighbour rang the door and had my bf's sister on the phone (we didn't think to exchange numbers etc when she dropped me off before driving my bf to the hospital), telling me he had gotten worse, was put into an induced coma and moved to the university clinic, shortly after she had dropped him off there.

It's now day 47 of him being in hospital. He's been in the induced coma for 30 days, 7 days waking up/coming off the sedatives, and now what's considered awake since 10 days. I haven't talked to or seen him yet, and it's been 5 weeks since my last visit in the ICU with him.

I'm living in another country than him, only getting very basic info by his sister once a day at a random time. It has caused me so much emotional pain and distress, depressive symptoms again, and a panic attack 2 days ago. I don't suffer from anxiety usually, and have just recovered from depression. Still I consider myself "lucky" it happened while I was there with him, and not with me being back at home, as I would only have heard from him that he doesn't feel well and is in hospital, and then nothing and no way to contact anyone for info...

Despite his sister not really approving of it, I'll be flying to him in 10 days, staying for 10 days. Yesterday she told him about my plans to visit, and let me know that he isn't sure whether he wants me to visit him yet. He's only ok with her and their parents visiting him - according to her. He has gotten a tracheostomy to wake up from sedation easier so he can't speak, and his muscles have severely atrophied. He's just learning to breath and sit again, and can scribble very few letters, and nod or shake his head to yes-no questions. I'm not sure how delusional or himself he is yet, according to his sister he sometimes remembers yesterday.

I'm afraid he might still be trying to keep me secret from his family, as he for sure won't remember I met his sister just before he was admitted. I'm unsure of how much of what his sister tells me to be my boyfriends wishes might be more her opinion instead. I'm aware all I get to hear about him is filtered through her perception and by the infos my boyfriend is given and what questions exactly he is asked. I'm anxious for the tracheostomy to come off (or for him to be able to use a speaking valve) so he can talk again, and am so impatient for the moment when he can and wants so contact me directly again, without his sister being in between. Hoping this will be before I am there physically...

We have talked every day since the moment we met for the first time, up until the day he was induced into coma. I've been through some struggles, but this is the hardest time in my life so far.

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