Sedation on ventilator

[Username1981]

I am new to the site. I really hoping for some relief that I’m not on my own. My husband came down with covid in the new year. He was taken into icu and put on a ventilator on the 11th of Jan. He’s been doing well with everything apart from the sedation. The dr decided a tracheostomy was the best option for him so the sedation could be reduced. The tracheostomy was 2 days ago. They have reduced his sedation down enough so he can open his eyes. I have video called with him but I’m worried as he just isn’t responding. He moves his head from side to side but that is all. When I speak he doesn’t really look at the screen and there are no facial expressions from him. The nurses have said they “believe” it’s still down to the sedation. I really want to believe this and that covid has not effected his brain in anyway. The dr did a ct scan a few days ago which came back normal. Is this normal for people ? The only way I can describe my husband at the moment is the lights are on but there is no one home. I’m so worried as we have been together for such a long time and have 2 young children who really miss there Daddy

😔

[janexlee]

My Dad is going through the same as well. Brain ct scan is normal, yet he was unresponsive even though his eyes were open. Just today they had to resedate him because he started to breathe too fast. It feels like constant cycle of setbacks but Im hopeful for better news to come. I heard it takes at least 1-2 weeks minimum maybe even longer to come around after sedation. Stay strong 💓

[Username1981 in reply to janexlee]

I hope we both get our loved ones back to normal ❤️

[Jbujanda82]

It does take a sometime to come out of sedation and be alert. It took my father a little more than a week to fully come out of sedation after his tracheostomy. I don’t know if your husband had any complications with his kidneys, my dad did, and because of this doctors told us it took his body longer to metabolize the sedatives. I felt the same anxiety you did!! I even posted about it!! Hang in there it seems your husband is on the right path!!

[Username1981 in reply to Jbujanda82]

No complications apart from a temperature which they are unsure if it’s an infection. I have never been an anxious person but the last 2 weeks have been very hard. I’m trying to stay positive. Thank you

[Sepsur]

If you look back at past posts on this site, you will see how many people have gone through the same nightmare as yourself. The phenomenon of coma patients taking differing amounts of time to wake predates Covid. Although it is probably fair to say that many Covid patients appear to be taking a proportionately longer time to wake. - this could be a unique side effect of disease but mostly likely it is down to a legacy of treatment. Many Covid patients are proned, which requires a deeper level of sedation to ensure the patients synch with the ventilators. Hence taking longer to wake. There was also a time when the pandemic was causing worldwide shortages of preferred paralysing agents, so ICU teams were having to use older generation drugs which had more side effects, one being unresponsiveness. A patient will also take proportionately longer if they have renal issue or dialysis. All in all, if the MRi or CT shows nothing, hopefully your husband will start to come to fairly quick. It took me 11 days from when sedation was reduced.

[FamilyHistorian]

Nothing is normal in ICU as we are all different. But what you are describing is not uncommon. There many is us describing what happened to us in ICU I was sedated / ventilated for nearly 2 months and took ages to come round. This time last year I was still out of it and I came home mid march

[Xyluh in reply to FamilyHistorian]

Between the time that you were released from sedation and now, how would you describe your experiences? Did you have delusions? What helped you stay calm? When did you start getting a better grip on reality?

[FamilyHistorian in reply to Xyluh]

About a year ago I had stepped down to a cardiology ward by then the sedation had worn off but the delirium was still very active. When in ICU the hallucinations were very real but I was quite lucky in that the staff nor my relatives tried tried to kill me. They were/are very real and I can relate them all in detail. I had problems with a clock in ICU and transferred its powers to our kitchen toaster. One of my strategies was non avoidance and the toaster is no longer a problem. I had some new hallucinations in the ward and these were even more real but not an issue. At home I have had repeat and two new hallucinations which haven’t repeated. The first was my wife sleeping beside me with a knife beside her and the second ..... I have a recliner chair and unusually I fell asleep in the afternoon when I woke up I couldn’t, my chair was surrounded by icu machines and I went back to sleep later I woke up again and they had gone.

What helped me? I started to write them down, I talked to my wife (well not quite as I cried a lot) and when I joined ICUStepsChester where I was able to talk to like minded people. I also had a course of CBT.

Getting a grip on reality is really difficult. My pre ICU memory has been effected which means I don’t really know what are true memories and what are not because some of my ICU reality is based on memories which are not true.

Obviously this about me, there is no “normal” although there is “not uncommon” for some people it longer than others.

You do need to think about now and not then and develop strategies for dealing with it.

[Ren2985]

My dad went through the same thing about 2 weeks ago. After his trach, he took about 1 weeks to be off sedation. Also, some days he was experiencing delirium. It’s all “normal” some people to take more time. Now he completely off sedation and is responding more and talking, but with the trach still in we can only try to read his lips. But it’s definitely progress and takes time

[FamilyHistorian in reply to Ren2985]

Please be patient with him. He will know exactly what he is saying. It’s everybody else that doesn’t understand!

[PeterJu]

hi. I was in ICU on a vent with covid last April. You can see that whilst this worry is awful for you and yours and very distressing, actually lots of us go through a slow "wake-up" when coming off the vent. The sedative drugs we are on to keep us still are massive and their effect will be felt for many weeks. I am sure the ICU team are doing everything they can. the experience and knowledge levels of the healthcare workers have increased and outcomes for people on vents are better. Wishing you all the very best, Pete x

[Bynxy]

Hello I was one of the very first people to have covid19 pneumonia that was in December 2019 I was sedated and put on a ventilator for a week and half everything you are describing about your husband is normal when I was sedated and put on a ventilator and they brought me out of sedation slowly I was just the same as your husband he will respond and start talking soon just give him time

[elsieadams]

It must be very frustrating to see your husband in this state. As my husband went through watching me on life support for a week after going septic from a ruptured appendix. I had no idea who I was or about two weeks . If the ct scan came back normal then there should not be any brain damage but his whole body has been affected by trauma and covid. Keep talking to him and perhaps some soothing music during the daytime. I pray he will soon be home with his children., Keep strong and try to stay positive that he will soon be able to respond.