Agitated when waking up from induced coma

[Ella15]

My boyfriend has been in an induced coma following a severe head injury for over 3 weeks. Every time they try to wake him they say he gets “agitated” but surely this is normal? How are they ever going to bring him around if he gets agitated every time? I feel like we are getting no where, and then they just sedate him again. Has anybody got experience with this?

[Ferham]

Hi Ella

I had weeks and weeks of this with my husband with his "sedation holds", he kept getting anxious and his heart rate and BP would rise, eventually they managed to remove all sedation. Please take comfort they really are the experts , I know it's so hard when you are sat waiting for the positive news.

[Ella15 in reply to Ferham]

Hi, thanks for replying. How long was your husband in the induced coma? I know they are used to doing this, but it’s just so frustrating it feels like they sedated him again all the time and I don’t know how he ever won’t get agitated?

[Ferham in reply to Ella15]

He was in a coma for 36 days , I know it feels like this day will never come , it was the longest and darkest time of my life .

Are you able to speak to the consultants at all to see what medications they are using ?

[Ella15 in reply to Ferham]

I hadn’t thought of that, I will definitely ask. Does this affect him waking up?

[Ferham in reply to Ella15]

I really don't know , but the consultant can tell you if they can give some anxiety meds, which helped with my husband . Sending you both positive wishes x

[mylko]

hi Ella,

i was in a coma for 6 weeks in march - may this year. they attempted to wake me up many times, but each time i was described as ‘agitated’ and ‘aggressive’. this was due to the sedation leaving my body and causing me hallucinations, making me think the nurses were trying to hurt me whereas they were actually helping me. it’s a common side effect of weaning off sedation / ventilation and the longer you’ve been under the worse it will seem when trying to wake up. i’m now 2/3 months awake, and it’s almost as though nothing has happened. be patient, be gentle with yourself, and trust the process xxxx

[Ella15 in reply to mylko]

Hi thanks so much for replying xxx

[Sepsur]

Welcome @Ella15

As other responders have mentioned that agitation is a common theme with patients, I would suggest that my agitation was due to the horrific delirium that I was experiencing & the discomfort I was in. It is a hell of a ride for everyone.

[Ella15 in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you for replying xxx

[FamilyHistorian]

Ella15

So I was sedated / ventilated for 6-8 weeks my family were told I would wake up when I was ready. Of course I didn’t know that people were worried so might have tried harder 😂. It’s really hard for relatives at this time so look after yourself. Once on recovery it will be both of you on a journey so make sure you have “me time”.

I have been home since mid March and I am still recovering.

[Ella15 in reply to FamilyHistorian]

Thank you, I will try to look after myself so I can support him when he wakes xx

[JulieB_]

Hi 👋 yes we had that. My other half said that he was aware his sedation had been lifted and was the dreams and hallucinations that made him agitated he believed. He isn’t a violent person but told me he thinks he recalls hitting out even. This went on for 2 weeks before they lifted sedation fully. It was awful for us so I understand your own worries. He was also ventilated which caused him anxiety when they lifted sedation. They won’t lift sedation until they are happy he can cope. Being agitated isn’t good for a patient stats so try to be patient and not worry. He may need to give his brain more time to heal even. Don’t worry... he’s in the best place with the best help. I hope this helps a little. Love and thoughts xxx

[Ella15 in reply to JulieB_]

Thanks for replying it’s nice to have people to relate to xxx

[Onestepfirst]

Hi Ella,

Is he currently on a ventilator? We had this problem with a dear one, they kept saying she wasn’t waking appropriately and thrashing around. I think that’s largely to do with the ventilator as that was kept in during the holds. She did wake up appropriately after a number of tries, and with a different type of sedation. Your loved one will get there, it’s such a slow process but they know what they are doing. If he’s still on a ventilator have they considered a trachy instead?

[Ella15 in reply to Onestepfirst]

Hi, yes I think they are considering a trachy. Hoping he will wake before that but may be the best option. Thanks xx

[brittanysims30]

my boyfriend was in a car accident july 21,2020 they had to helictoper him to memphis he just now open his eyes fully and he got a tract in and feeding tubes to eat. but he cant follow command at all. the nurse told me it a small spot on his brain they need to fix and see will he come back to his self . i hope so but he is paralazed on his left side . but he move though but he stare at you and open his mouth . God got him i leave in his hands .

[Sepsur in reply to brittanysims30]

It goes without saying that your bf’s medical staff are going to be in the best position to understand what is happening with him but Have the staff mentioned ICU delirium?

If you follow this link - it ‘might’ help explain some of what’s going on. I hope you get more positive news very soon.

icusteps.org/assets/files/b...

[brittanysims30 in reply to Sepsur]

hi my boyfriend brother girlfriend was driving and she got to argue with her babydaddy in the car . my boyfriend was in the back seat with his cousin. everybody did not get hurt though . just my boyfriend did though when his brother pull him out the car he stop breathing and airlift to memphis . he been ICU since july 21,2020 and they put him upstairs out of ICU . he got a small spot on his brain and a feeding tube in his stomach and a tract in his throat . he woke up and now he stare at you but he cant follow command at all . they scared to do that surgery of his breathing and he start having seizures and he is paryalzed on the left side and he get frustracted sometime they said but he not talking or nothing . it hurt though we have a baby on the way im due in february though i prayed everynight for him. but i hate this for my boyfriend. will he every remember anything or not the doctor said it going be a slow process though . he dont even know nothing .

[Misslioness]

Hi Ella

How is your boyfriend doing now?..i see this post was like 28days ago i just heard about this site today i was in a coma for 5-6weeks each time they would try to wake me i was a bit aggesive towards the nurses and my hallucations was very bad i thought they was trying to kill me and i still belive that in my head and have nightmares still now...but im told this is all normal it will be a year this week and i am recovering very well just keep hope.

[ElnadeWitt]

I know this is an old post, but I’m going through pretty much the same.

My husband had a bad fall on Wednesday at work. He suffered a brain injury (few small bleeds in the brain) and fractured both his nose and collarbone.

He was put in a induced coma, is ventilated and has a feeding tube and is on pain meds as well. He has been stable the whole time and after a CT scan on Friday, they started waking him yesterday.

Because of covid I am not allowed to visit him at all, which is extremely frustrating! All I can do is wait for the doctor to contact me, which was only once since he has been admitted and further I have to phone the hospital daily for updates.

This morning I was told that he is back under sedation because he was to aggressive yesterday and pulled out all the tubes

I am terrified because I don’t understand what is going on. Why is he aggressive and won’t the fact that he is back on sedation do more harm than good? I’m sure it will be easier for him to stay calm if I’m there with him, but that is not permitted. Won’t the prolonged sedation harm his brain even more and is the aggression a sign of severe brain damage?

I have never known anyone with a brain injury, so I have no idea what to expect and whether my husband will be okay or not. The fact that the doctor is not giving regular updates is just making matters worse....I just want to know if he will be okay and if his reaction is normal or not 😔

[Sepsur in reply to ElnadeWitt]

Hi @ElnadeWitt

Welcome. Please make a new post 😊 - you’ll get more response ( probably). There are 3 PDF guides on this page that may explain a lot of what’s going on. ICU delirium is very common and normally short lived.

Look at intensive care guide

ICU delirium

Brain injury

Hopefully they will explain what’s gone on.

icustepschester.org/informa...

[ElnadeWitt in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you so much! I will definitely go have a look 🌺