Are there any members of this group who are aware of anyone being placed into an induced coma with pneumonia and whilst in the coma suffered kidney issues and were placed on dialysis and then came off it. Has anyone knowledge of anyone coming out of an induced coma and being unable to speak or move their body from the neck down. Having a tracheotomy and learning to speak a few words even though they were slurred. Never regaining movement from the neck down . Totally being quadrapleagic ?
I would be interested to know the answer to the above if anyone is able to assist me.
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Twoblu
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everything you describe is within ‘normal’ bounds.
ICU acquired weakness & muscle waste is common with long term sedation & critical illness. A normal adult uses 2k calories a day. In ICU a person can use 6.5k calories a day fighting that level of trauma.
The only way the body can access enough protein is to convert muscle.
A person can lose 40% muscle in the first 10 days of sedation.
Voice issues can be a combination of diaphragm & core strength weakness, trachy scarring etc etc.
I was in ICU with multiple organ failure after double pneumonia, avian flu, strep an infection & septic shock. After my respiratory system and kidneys failed, my heart also failed. I was on dialysis for 7 weeks with no long term issues.
Is he truly quadriplegic - I mean does he respond to pain stimulus in his hands and feet?
Brain damage or spinal cord damage being very different from muscle wastage. When I came out of ICU coma I certainly felt quadriplegic - I couldn't even sit up and it took me six months to be able to walk again.
my brother was placed in an induced coma after sepsis from flu. He did suffer kidney issues and was put on a filter and had to relearn how to swallow how to speak how to walk over the following months. I will post a link to our family story and hope it is helpful. Best wishes for recovery. Its a difficult time but remain hopeful is the best advice one consultant gave us.
Just to echo the fellow members comments above, I believe it's perfectly 'normal' to have most of these issues. A year ago today I was taken into ICU and remained in there for 8 months, 6 weeks of that in an induced coma. I had Ecmo life support, tracheostomy, filter for kidney failure, pneumonia, covid, ecoli, sepsis. You name it and I can probably check it off my bingo card. When I woke, I could barely move my eyes and fingers, no other movement. ICU doctors put it down to muscle wastage due to the length of time in a critical state.
I had to relearn everything. I spoke by lip reading and eye pointing to a board. Very gradually little movements began coming back. Luckily I had an amazing ICU team of therapists to help rebuild my processes piece by piece.
One year later I'm home, I'm somewhat mobile using a Rollator walker, and all strength and feeling in my upper body is nearly 100%. I struggle with neuropathy and dropped foot in both of my legs and feet, and this makes mobility harder. My lung function is not great but currently having tests to see if this will recover.
Wish you or your family well in this journey and we are all here to talk and answer questions (no matter how silly you think they may be) about our experiences.
I had bilateral pneumonia, collapsed lung, Sepsis,Sepsis Shock, with multi Organ failure, StrepA, AKI and on Dialysis, two ICU induced Heart Attacks, Intubated and Tracheotomy
When discharged from Hospital, I couldn’t walk, or get up if a chair, my left arm was paralysed totally, took five months to just moving fingers. muscle wastage loads. I’m a now awaiting Conductive Nerve Induction testing for my , neuropathy, also under spinal injuries team. Couldn’t swallow and chocked on nearly all foods, refereed to S.A.L.T team, I had a Videofluoroscopy and that showed a few things I was born with but never impacted me, but they found my gag reflex was in hightened mode and was protecting my epiglottis hence gaging. But I still have to drink lots of water with each meal.
Long winded way to say yes everything you are suffering from is normal for most of us coming out if ICU
It’s scary and frustrating and upsetting, we all just try to do our best each day and given time things will get better
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