flashbacks

[Korean13]

hi I was wondering if I could connect with individuals in how I can manage flashbacks from time I was in a coma how do you manage when this happens to you as I want to get on with a normal life and this is holding me back !

thankyou

[Sepsur]

they may not go of their own accord - if you are getting flashbacks and intrusive thoughts as a result of PTSD - then some form of therapy is probably the answer. Has anyone discussed EMDR or CBT with you?

[Korean13 in reply to Sepsur]

Hello and thankyou for your reply. No I have not heard of either I am currently waiting for input but there is a waiting list. I have been reading since my trauma how to manage and have been writing things down to help me which I was managing ok with but I took ill last October and flashbacks started again they are easing but it is knowing how to manage these. I didn’t have input when I left the hospital initially after a 3 month stay back in 2021 so it’s been ups and downs but finally I thought I got there when these happened again . Have you managed your symptoms ? If so how did you do this thankyou

[Sepsur in reply to Korean13]

PTSD wasnt an obvious dilemma for me, or rather, I didn’t recognise the symptoms because I thought you had to be a soldier or an emergency service operative to experience PTSD.

Many years after ICU, I sought counselling.

There are many elements of PTSD that I can not control or eliminate but I have managed to turn the volume down on most of it.

I’ve found most post ICU legacies are here to stay in some form or other.

[Korean13 in reply to Sepsur]

Thankyou very much ! It’s much better than was in first instance sometimes smells start this off or my mind just knocks off and refers to the moment . When I first went home I had to cover mirrors keep curtains closed cover the television this doesn’t happen now it is weird flashbacks I don’t even think I could explain to anyone

I hope all is well with you

[PeterJu]

Hi. I had terrible flashbacks and found that try as I might, I could not deal with them on my own. I ended up seeing a psychiatrist. One of the treatments I received was EMDR. I have no idea how it works, but it did for me.

There are also techniques like visualising a safe place, in turn reminding yourself that the flashback is not real or happening.

I recommend you consider getting professional help- maybe your ICU unit could point you in the right direction? best wishes, Pete

[Korean13 in reply to PeterJu]

Thankyou so much I have been managing on my own however after illness last October and hospitalised they re emerged I didn’t have input after ICU I am awaiting input now. My kidney consultant speaks with me and said to keep a journal which helps however I want to return to work and wondered how people are managing

[Sepsur in reply to Korean13]

Got back to work after 9months - it was part time for a long time - I’m self employed - now I work to my own capacity & abilities - hence I’m broke 🤣🤣

[Lux95 in reply to Sepsur]

Lol, sounds familiar. At least you were smart enough to wait 9 months. I waited exactly one month - just long enough to be sure I could walk to the car and see straight enough to drive. We then moved half way across the country for a high pressure job that I realized the first week was doomed to fail due to dysfunctional management failures, egos, and working for people that had no idea what my job required, much less what the ICU does to us, and couldn't have cared less on either account.

Sometimes I think I might be confusing that job with one of my ICU nightmares. It helps me remember the nightmares more optimistically.

Now I'm back self-employed, and broke, but MUCH happier.

[Sepsur in reply to Lux95]

👍

[APartofMe]

Perhaps some trauma counselling or therapeutic intervention. For me personally, I have gone down the private therapy route. In the mean time, grounding techniques may be useful. Having physical objects that remind you that you are safe. It could be a stone, or a blanket or something else, that when you hold and tell yourself that you are here and you are safe, it helps you to focus on the present. Another option could be to place your hands in cold water and focus on how this feels. For me, it has been 3 years almost since my icu stay and over time my flashbacks have become less frequent but they are also less powerful, in that I can divert my attention. I wish you all the best for your future.

[Korean13 in reply to APartofMe]

Thankyou so much ! I have been dealing with things myself as I was afraid of hospitals and professionals I was in a coma and came out of coma during the pandemic I didn’t know anything I couldn’t see family and a majority of staff at the hospital did mistreat people hence making me afraid of hospitals I have overcome the hospital part however flashbacks reappeared after a hospital stay last October (I used to do counselling) it’s managing these flashbacks I have a comfort blanket I keep which makes me feel safe I would like to go on holidays but the thought of airport getting on a plane etc I can’t recall what to do and if I will be ok I need time out in a place away from where I live this is what’s kept me going the past 5 years and I am now able to go away but something holds me back I am waiting for the trauma counselling thankyou very much

[FamilyHistorian]

firstly we are all different. A had problems with the analog clock in icu. It had multiple faces and lied. When I came home it transferred its powers to our toaster in the kitchen which used to follow me when ever I went into the kitchen. In the end I was stronger than it and saw it off.

But in general I had CBT which helped me a lot. I can remember all my hallucinations in detail (5 years on) they don’t cause me any problems. I treat them as living in an alternative reality.

I used to watch the ambulance and hospital programs on tv. When I came out I couldn’t watch them and kept finishing up in really distressing tears. I decided that I had to overcome this so forced myself to watch them, over a period of time it got better to the point I canoe watch them all. There are a couple of sounds that can trigger me and the occasional smell.

I have PICS / PTSD and rely very much on relaxation and going to my safe place..

[Misterpaulwood]

Flashbacks and vivid nightmares ruined my life, luckily I had therapy for 18 months using EMDR therapy and other clinical psychology techniques. Now all is well and my life has changed for the good. Don't give up things can get better.

[ZanderB]

EMDR helped me. I was a little cynical in advance but do think it helped.