COVID induced coma

[Denylady]

I was put into a induced coma because of COVID October 2021 and still experiencing flashbacks of the terrible dreams and nightmares there still so vivid I’m just not the same person since the coma , does anyone else have the same problem ?

[FamilyHistorian]

HiWhilst we are all different what you are experiencing is very common. You are not alone! There are many consequences of being in a coma including memory issues, personality changes and as you say flash backs and the effects of the hallucinations. I can remember all my hallucinations in considerable detail but they don’t cause me any problems as I regard them as being in another life. I had CBT which helped me understand things and come to terms with them. Your ICU may offer a follow up service which if nothing else may signpost you. Your GP may be able to help as well but their experience of icu patients may be limited.

It really helps to talk about especially to those who have been through what you have as they will understand.

Have a look at the ICUSTEPS or Critical Care Support Network websites.

[Sepsur]

No but I was told that if I had an persistent problems after ICU, I should seek medical advice.

Trauma memory is stored in a different way in the brain - simply - it doesn’t get processed in the usual way so we might need help to get our brains out of the loop.

EMDR and CBT therapies can be really effective for people.

[Beanyynwa]

Dear Denylady, I am so sorry that your are experiencing these flashbacks. My sister who was in an induced coma due to coronavirus for 60 days last year has frequent vivid flashbacks and suffers from PTSD. She is being supported by a therapist after referring herself through her local Talking Therapies Service. Her GP supported this referral. My sister has found the therapist's support very helpful particularly in terms of strategies to manage when she is experiencing a flashback. I have made a small card for my sister to let professionals she meets in her home or during hospital appointments that she has flashbacks and how to support her as she has had them in the ambulance and during appointments. I hope that this helps you. There is support available and with this help and time things do and will get better. Good luck and big hug.

[Hidden]

Hi. The nightmares in ICU were bad for me as well, and it is clear from this site some take longer to recover than others. Although I remember most of my nightmares I am not haunted by them. Once I woke up in ICU and realised where I was the nightmares stopped. I took an anxiety tablet for 2 months until I came home. I spoke to the ICU psychologist once in hospital and once when home. I more recently filled in a PTSD questionaire as part of my Long Covid recovery, but dont have any issues here. I appreciate we are all different and I hope your ICU follow up with the Team or with your own GP can help. One thing that really helped me was to get hold of my clinical notes so I could see what actually happened in the total time I was in hospital care of which 14 weeks was in ICU.

[Nala8573]

Hi, I’m the same I was put into a induced coma on the 2nd nov 2021 for 8 days, I’m still having dreams and sometimes can really affect me for days after, my life hasn’t been the same since always here if you want to chat on inbox xx

[qmcsurvivor]

As others have said similar experience 10 days ventilated with Covid Christmas 2020 till 3rd January 2021. At first it was difficult to know what was real and what was not and still to this day when awakening I don't know where I am for a second or so. I was concerned I was getting PTSD and referred to psychologist and still waiting however things have improved and 20 months later the bad memories caused by delerium and induced coma are still there but in the background and not intrusive, some things now that happened or thought I think I can now understand that the monster I heard sucking was just the noise of a suction machine, hopefully as time passes you will improve but yes a horrible experience and one I wouldn't want to experience again.

On a slightly different note I strongly beleive I had a near death experience as memory was calm and safe and the only one I had during that period and from being told afterwards it is palusable as they nearly lost me.

[HalfPint11]

HiMy covid experience which sounds similar to yours was Jan/Feb 2021. Some of the weird dreams I can look back on and smile as they were just a bit whacky but not scary. However, sometimes something can trigger one of the scary memories which is unsettling. I still find it hard to piece everything together as I was in a coma for the whole of February so to miss out on a month of your life is a weird thing especially when someone reminds you of something that happened during that time and I have no recollection of it. I also still find it hard to understand what was real as I am aware that I had "conversations" with medical staff who I later found out never existed. I have been talking to a PTSD specialist who has suggested we try EMDR and also Trauma Narrative To try and make sense of it all. Still early stages with that but here's hoping. I appreciate how difficult it is as you really don't fully understand how this effects someone unless you have been through the ICU experience so however empathetic friends and family try to be I do find that people just think I went a bit crazy for a while due to the drugs! Be kind to yourself and give yourself time and space. I do think I tried to get back to "normal" too quickly but you do need time to come to terms with it all in my experience. Take care

x

[Lellynelly1]

Post Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) is a real thing. For months I had flashbacks and had to spend lots of time with my husband working through the timeline so I could begin to process what were real memories and what were false memories. I was in a coma on life support for 2 weeks in December 2019. I would say it took me around 2 years to get some sort of normality back to my mental state and emotions, and at least 2 years to recover physically. I had never heard of PICS til I googled my symptoms. It turns out the hospital normally offers group therapy for it but they were closed because of Covid, but there are support groups online. There is a large Facebook group too.

[Ta-thanx]

Hi Denylady

It will get better over time, but how much time no one can answer.

I was rushed into ICU after I phoned for an ambulance, because I felt like I had only minutes left gasping for breath. The ambulance turned up very quickly and almost instantly set off with lights and sirens going. The last thing I remember is a slapping on my face and a voice saying come on Peter we're nearly there. I don't remember much after that, I do know that I had to be resuscitated and intubated in the ambulance outside the hospital and then straight to ICU, not going into details but this was back in 2010. I had a sort of shell shock reaction to ambulances with the sirens going for about 4 years, thankfully that stopped.

Dreams and nightmares were almost every night for about 7-8years.

And recently when Covid started and news reports where showing ICU departments on the TV, the sights and sounds brought it back to the front on my memory in a flash, not as bad as it was initially.

I don't think it will ever go away, I think about it everyday at one point or another, but at least you eventually start to realise what was real and what wasn't back in ICU.

The recent memories could be due to a lot of hospital appointments for cancer treatment and having many CT MRI and a few other scans that I can't remember what they are called. And then having SABR radiotherapy which is scary, amazing, pain free and a bit overwhelming all at the same time.

But this is nothing compared to ICU and it's still fresh in mind after 12 years.

Oh and the initial call for an ambulance turned out to be pneumonia 14 days in ICU 10 in an induced coma on a ventilator 4 days on HDU, and just over a month in hospital, I was back in work after 4 months.

Good luck and stay strong.