Not being able to walk or move

[Lassie2011]

did anyone else experience total loss of being able to walk, move hands or whole body after wakening up, even neck and face muscles? I couldn't even lift or hold or turn or feel anything after for a long time

[Heretotellthetale_]

hi, yes, I was effectively completely paralysed from the neck down. All I could move when I woke was my head from side to side. I couldn’t move my body even a millimetre, it was completely dead. Movement returned so very slowly, the most helpless and vulnerable time of my life. To depend on staff 100% for comfort, being free from pain and pressure sores was horribly difficult. I was absolutely determined I was going to get my mobility back and spent hours everyday doing my physio. After 6 weeks I could finally stand with the help of 4 physios and a Sara steady. Once I could do that I was off, no stopping me!! I improved fairly quickly after that. I vividly remember the feeling of the middle of the night, I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move a muscle so couldn’t use a call bell, absolutely no way to ask for help. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy!

[Lassie2011 in reply to Heretotellthetale_]

Yes I found all that the same, so very difficult, I still think if there had of been more physio and more physios involved (I just had 1) my recovery would've been much quicker but all done and dusted now!

[charliesdad]

Hi yes I did I did not start moving my legs until I was back on a normal hospital ward, it did come back and I still call them my jelly legs, occasionally sat too long in a chair and my legs will go to sleep and take a few steps to start working again.

[Sepsur]

icu acquired weakness ICUAW & muscle waste seem to go hand in hand. The body appears to strip itself of muscle often as much as 40% in the first ten days. In trauma the body uses about 6.5k of protein a day - the body doesn’t store protein so it’s easiest source to convert is muscle - hence the dramatic muscle loss - days to lose but months to rebuild - it won’t naturally just regenerate

[Ckbrowder]

Exacrly what happened to my husband. He can walk now with a walker only. Took weeks just to move a hand or arm. In the states, we call it critical illness myopathy. We are still in the hospital here in Texas. Admitted December 10 and today is April 26th. Going to be going home in a wheelchair with a walker for short distances.

[Lassie2011 in reply to Ckbrowder]

Took me 6 months to get home, the very best of luck to you both

[BigH63]

Hi Lassie

Yes as Sepsur says ICUAW is one of the main reasons because of prolonged immobilization and prone positioning, leading to unexpected compression and stretching of the nerves (Neuropathy)

Also medication taking its time to leave the system.

I can remember not being able move any part of my body when awake, head , hands etc I like it to short term Locked in Syndrome, very frightening. Things did come back slowly, I was told I lost 60% of muscle mass in my stay which I’m still trying to rebuild a year on. But hopefully it will come back.

Good luck

[Misterpaulwood]

Woke completely pasalised after 8 weeks in induced coma.Took a good while to learn to move talk and walk again.

It's a slow process but things get a little better every day.

[Lassie2011 in reply to Misterpaulwood]

It seems to be an effect the medical professionals aren't aware of? They all expressed the opinion that I wasn't trying hard enough, even though I couldn't physically feel a single fibre of my body. Movement came back through occupational therapy and physio very slowly. Do you think it might've been the heavy drugs we were given? That it's a side effect of that possibly?

[Misterpaulwood in reply to Lassie2011]

Most definitely, quite common with heavy use of ketamin especially

[Lassie2011 in reply to Misterpaulwood]

I never actually researched what they use to induce a comatose state and maintain it, I'm sorry I didn't ask but they probably wouldn't have told me at the time. They absolutely skived off any questions I had, refused to tell me anything, I'm still at a loss to know why, what and how

[ZanderB in reply to Lassie2011]

I got my hospital records (all 4,500 pages) under data protection. I felt a bit guilty putting the hospital to the trouble but it’s all electronic and a patient diary hadn’t been kept for me so I wanted to try and fill in the gaps. Anyway, I was rather surprised at the amount of fentanyl, amongst other drugs, that was used on me.

[Lassie2011 in reply to ZanderB]

I must look into that