Does this sound like delirium?

[Chickennug23]

Hi my dad has been in itu for 2 weeks today after a heart attack and multiple other problems caused from that, he was on a ventilator and sedated for 10 days. He is now awake but can’t talk from the ventilator only very quietly but most of the time we can’t hear it, he knows who we are but doesn’t seem to be able to focus on us for a convocation for long and has hardly any emotion and is looking around a lot and no focusing on things. The nurses have said he’s a bit confused does this sound like delirium?

[Courtmsorrell]

My mom just went through all of this. She came home finally last month. Please ask the docs if they have him on anything that's still sedating him. Sometimes they will continue with a sedative and this can also make him feel more confused. I found out finally that they were giving my mom seroquel after tube being removed. My mom was hard to handle and I think it was making their job easier they thought by giving it to her. It also wasn't helping her come around any sooner. My mom thought people like the nurses and such were trying to kill her and none of them could touch her. I finally told them no more and I swear her mind started to clear. The tube can cause damage or it just hurts from it being in for so long. Your fathers voice will come back. I'm sure he will have speech and rehab that will come in and work with him.

I honest to God thought my mom had brain damage when she woke up. Her mind was not clear at all. Your dad may not just be clear headed yet... all that sedation has to wear off, but unfortunately my moms doctors and nurses kept sedating her so she wasn't getting clear headed quick enough for me. Freaked me out and I told them to stop giving it to her. I read somewhere where it said for everyday they're in ICU that it takes a few days to recover just from the 1 day. So happy your dad is awake!!!

Also, if your dad is confused... which you will know more as time passes, he may not know where he is. It's good for family to be there to help redirect him. I had to write in huge letters on a dry erase board in front of her bed MOM, you are in such in such hospital and when she'd get confused I'd point at it and she would read and snap out of it for a sec. I've never had to deal with anything like this on my own and it was scary. Write back and update on how he is.♡

[Chickennug23 in reply to Courtmsorrell]

Thank you so much for your reply it’s really hard because we can’t be there with him so only see him on a video link for ten minutes a day but when we ask him do you know who I am he nods his head and try’s to say yeah but he’s said things like “I want to come home for a proper bath” but the nurses also said the other day he was pointing to beds and not making much sense my mum got 20 mins yesterday to see him but they said they got that wrong and she wasn’t aloud to see him anymore at the moment but she said he was looking straight through her he said her name when she asked him who she was and gave her a kiss when she tried to listen to what he was saying but it’s been 6 days now that he’s been awake and I think she is a bit worried that the hospital are drumming it into him who she is and we don’t know much about delirium or what he was really like till she went to see him yesterday because the hospital don’t mention it all to us. I’m so glad your mum is home must be such a relief after the amount they go through. X

[Rhyl1 Partner Moderator ICUsteps]

There are types of delirium and this sounds like “hypoactive” or quiet delirium. The person may not interact at all or do so in a quiet way. This is opposed to “hyperactive” delirium where the person is very agitated. There are tests such as the CAM-ICU that staff can use to check whether a ventilated patient is delirious. There is more information at icudelirium.org/patients-an...

[Chickennug23 in reply to Rhyl1]

Thank you for your reply when they was first waking him up they said he was getting very agitated and for a few days they had to sedate him again but he’s been awake now 6 days and we only get to see him ten mins a day in a video link so it’s really hard to tell how much he’s improving or the full extent of how he is acting and as he can’t talk it’s even harder to get what he’s saying.

[Sepsur]

Your description mirrors what my wife described of my first few days awake after coma. Have a look at some of these pdfs on this link

intensive care guide & delirium pdf for starters

icustepschester.org/informa...

[Chickennug23 in reply to Sepsur]

Thank you that has been very helpful.

[FamilyHistorian]

Hi

From my experience yes it is and to be fair it’s not something that should unduly worry you. I was sedated and ventilated for just under 2 months and I see from my hospital notes that they had already diagnosed me delirium a couple of days after my op. I lived in my own reality. I didn’t have a clue about visitors (we had them then) and my hallucinations were very real. It took along time to ween me off the drugs and the effects last a long time.

They talk about 10 days for each day in hospital for recovery that’s not the time for the drugs to wear off. But we are all different.

I was lucky and given a trachy early on.

I had to relearn to swallow, talk, eat, walk and then there were the mental issues particularly in relation to the hallucinations and memory loss.

I would say at this time it’s really important that you take care of yourself. You will need even more strength when you mother comes out of hospital.

I happy to answer any specific questions.

[Chickennug23 in reply to FamilyHistorian]

Thank you for your reply, had a video call today and made it clear he was definitely hallucinating and since raising the concerns with the doctors they have confirmed he does have delirium and have done another brain scan still showing normal. Your story is inspirational and is amazing what people can go through and come out the other side this is all still new to me was a complete shock he had a heart attack at home on the 25th of feb and had a blocked artery to the heart they put a stent in but the next day his heart stoped twice and he’s had pneumonia his organs failed and blood pressure was low had internal bleeding that night they told us he wouldn’t make it till morning but he did and since then all has improved except the circulation in his legs and now the delirium.

[FamilyHistorian in reply to Chickennug23]

If it helps I wasn’t a COVID patient- pneumonia / sepsis/ heart attack / valve replacement

[Chickennug23 in reply to FamilyHistorian]

Yeah I did have a read of your bio

[Grant_za]

The advice / comments from others is accurate and drawn from their own direct experience.Patients arriving at hospital unconscious or even semi concious, often have difficulty in comprehending where they are and why they are there, especially while sedated. Many soon enough recognise they are in a hospital but may not understand what treatment they have had, the outcome and why they have difficulty in communicating.

This in turn leads to frustration and anxiety. Another poster mentioned writing a note in big clear letters as a reminder - this is a very good idea worth trying.

If you get a clear sense the message is being understood, consider adding reassurance to your note telling your dad he cannot communicate properly for the time being due to the tube in his throat.

But speak to his medical team first, you don't want to bombard your dad with information. You may have good news you are eager to share, but try take it slowly. While the medical team has the clinical knowledge and experience, you have a life of personal knowledge and experience in communicating with your father and are better tuned to "micro expressions" when communicating with your father - the small things that may go unnoticed by clinicians.

Work in concert with the medical team, but don't under estimate the bond with your father, along with the slight nuances you would recognise.

[Charliech]

Sorry to hear about your dad. I spent 7 days in ICU and I remember feeling very confused when I was coming off sedation, I couldnt talk normally for a while due to the breathing tube and it caused mu mouth to become very dry. Lots of other patients were hallucinating during the night due to the medication which is very normal. It must be so hard not to see your dad and that probably causes more confusion for him, i relied on my family to tell me what had happened to me and to help me improve my memory. I suffered cardiac arrests during labour.

[KatVG]

I'm no doctor so I'd say listen to them, but I can say that I was very confused in ITU and also lost my voice because of a ventilator. I couldn't and still can't remember a lot of what happened when I became ill. There are lots of things that can make someone confused when they're very poorly, and being in unfamiliar surroundings won't help. Ask for a chat with the medical staff to express your concerns and tell them you need to be more informed about your dad's condition. It may take time before they know. Best wishes to you, your dad, and your family x