Induced coma

[Lornz]

Hello, I was an induced coma for 6 weeks from early may, I'm out of hospital and home now. I'm finding my memory is terrible. I have no memory from about a month before my admission and now I keep forgetting little things and lots of them, like remembering to look at my diary where I have written appointments ect....is this normal, and will it get better or could it get worse? I feel like I'm constantly worrying

[Sepsur]

A lot of the sedatives used on us cause retrograde amnesia & anterograde amnesia - this explain the holes in my memory before a coma & why I struggled to remember, problem solve well after leaving ICU 💙

[Lornz in reply to Sepsur]

My sister brought me a word search and asked me the next day if I liked it. I threw it at her, she thought she had insulted my intelligence but then later realised I couldn't even write my name yet

[Sepsur in reply to Lornz]

I’d no interest in number puzzles before ICU - to calm any anxiety ( after ICU & able to write) I did & do soduku

[Lornz in reply to Sepsur]

Ohh, I've not tried a sudoku, I used to be good at them 🤞

[Gooddaysunshine]

I would say it is very normal. Two years on after my lengthy coma/ICU stay my once razor-sharp memory and planning is now very patchy.

I cope by using a combo of a pocket diary (for medium to long term appointments etc), google calendar (for the coming week), and - finally - I am in the habit of sending daily emails to myself as a reminder of what I have to do the following day.

All a bit clunky and frustrating but memory fog seems to be one of the long term effects of ICU I think.

[Lornz in reply to Gooddaysunshine]

Ohh yes, I do check my emails...thank you that's a good idea

[Gooddaysunshine in reply to Lornz]

I also put appointments in Google Calendar for 2-3 hours earlier than they actually are - so if I miss my own overnight reminder email and forget on the day, the GC prompt will pop up on my phone in enough time for me to get to hospital/doctors/meetings etc.

Sounds strange, but when one is still cognitively clunky it has to be done!

[Sepsur in reply to Gooddaysunshine]

I stick everything on notes on my iPhone 😊

[Lux95]

That seems common. I could easily multitask and keep track of multiple thoughts and/or conversations prior to spending a month in the ICU, and relied on that ability quite often, but now find I can't.

My memory stops about a week before I went to the hospital. I now randomly forget common words in conversation, and tasks I had planned seconds before, simply because I was briefly distracted.

It's been a year and a half since the ICU for me. It can be frustrating at times, so instead I try to let it be a reminder that enjoying a simpler life is valuable, regardless of ICU side effects.

[Lornz in reply to Lux95]

Yeah, I've found that if my train of thought is disrupted ive completely lost the thought. I was always pretty good at remembering and time management I hope it improves, but I think I need to be prepared that it might not

[downthemoor]

As others have written here....totally normal after ICU though I was given no warning of this ..in fact not of any of the recovery process ..I've replied to lots of posts regarding this. I'm in month 8 and finding it's getting worse ...I struggle to follow a recipe ...I used to multitask all the time ...and I'm very very frustrated but as my psychologist says 'you might not like the new you' ..and that's spot on. I'm glad I'm retired (I'm 66) as would never be able to work. I'll never be able to return to some challenging voluntary work I was doing either.I certainly can't drive yet my brain just mush. I'm going to have to work out what my new life will look like...meanwhile I'm trying to learn pacing as am constantly crashing by doing too much !

[Lornz in reply to downthemoor]

I hope I will be able to work again, it's early days though!! . A few people have mentioned that my personality has changed..I dont think it has I still feel like I'm me. I have however lost my filter, so it seems when I think it I say it, which has caused offence on a couple of occasions...I'm being let off as I've just got out of hospital....so im hoping my filter returns of I might loose a few friends!!

[Lux95 in reply to Lornz]

Losing our filter also seems to be quite common. I'm still very much that way, and had to talk to my family about it so they wouldn't become frustrated. It might help to alert friends and family so they can better understand.

My discharge paperwork had a list of medications given during my stay that was 2 pages long. Of course we aren't going to act the same - the human brain and body weren't meant to be marinated in that many drugs, however helpful or necessary they may have been under the circumstances. I just try to thank God everyday that I survived, and consider the scars a reminder of how precious life is.

[Lornz in reply to Lux95]

I do feel very lucky to be here, and those who love and care for me have been their alot. I feel quite overwhelmed. I cant get my head round the whole situation

[Ta-thanx]

A lot of the things you mention seem to happen to a lot of people that spend time in ICU. And in most cases they all seem to improve over time, don't rush things your body needs time to recover and this includes your mind. It can play tricks on you for a long time afterwards, but you get used to these lapses. It's been years since I was in ICU (13 to be precise) and I still think about things that happened or not as is in most cases.

My memory is good at things from years ago, but short term is what can only be described has patchy, and not very consistent. I tend to make notes in my phone if I think I'll forget that, ironically I normally don't forget things when I say that. 🙂

One of the hardest things I find is my attention span, I find it very hard to concentrate on things for any length of time, and just stop midway, I will go back eventually and finish what I started. This is definitely something that only started after ICU.

This is rambling on a bit, this is another thing I've sort of picked up too.

It will get better just give it time

All the best Peter.

[Lornz]

Thanks Peter, I appreciate your words. I've always been a ramblers, scary for others if that gets worse Haha...it is early days for me I'm just trying to get my head round things, I am glad I've spoken to people who have been in the a similar situation...thank you

[Sleepalotmore]

Hi, this is definitely a common thing im hearing of people eho have been in icu/unconscious. I'm now 3½years since my 3month spell in icu, on ECMO for 25 days fuel to acute lung failure and pneumonia.

I'm constantly forgetting th odd eor, gorgeous what I'm talking about mid-sentence ,etc. It's very frustrating. My memory was always very sharp and reliable. I did start to think it must be my age ( I'm now 59) but it seems too instant and coincidental after icu.

Although it's extremely annoying, I try to remind myself that it is a minor inconvenience considering I could and was so nearly dead!

I wish you luck, but most of all, go easy on yourself. You have been through a lot x

[Lornz in reply to Sleepalotmore]

Thank you, I am feeling like I've been really lucky. I need to get used to my brain not working the way in which it did before . I need to rely on a dairy and constant reminders before everything. In hoping it does get a bit better than it is now

[Tig48x]

This is very normal. Even a year on i still have to write everything down.

[Lornz in reply to Tig48x]

I just hope it gets better