AMA
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 14:42
emptythelitterbox · 23/02/2023 14:35
What a very interesting thread.
I recall after my late husband's cancer surgery him being in the ICU on heavy doses of morphine. He was definitely hallucinating.
He knew who I was and all but he insisted there was a cat in the room and the litter box needed emptied!
My son was in an induced coma for nearly a week after an auto accident. A month later I'd received the police report and the report was a death report. Needless to say I lost it reading it.
After they removed the breathing tube and brought him out of the coma he said he was thirsty, had a bad headache and sore throat and asked me why he was in the hospital.
He didn't really say much about it as he was just 8 years old and I was super focused on his recovery.
He's mid 30s now!
Gosh, only 8? How was he recovery wise, if you don’t mind me asking? I hope he’s happy and healthy now ❤️
Namechangedforthisonetoday · 23/02/2023 14:57
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 14:08
STOP IT! That’s so similar it’s scary. I need to talk to your friend 🤣
Namechangedforthisonetoday · 23/02/2023 14:00
My friend had a very similar experience to you OP, it was crazy reading what happened to you! She was in a coma for 3 weeks, and on being brought round was convinced she’d given birth to triplets, was saving the world in New Zealand, had been captured in Italy, was married and many many other strange things. She also spoke about tests to get somewhere else!
Honestly! She came to stay with us after she was eventually discharged many months later and we thought she was fine. Then one evening we were in the kitchen and a look of panic came over her ‘oh my god I’ve left the triplets in New Zealand!’ She was frantic! Then within about 10 seconds realised what she’d said and got very upset. Unfortunately she has been left with a brain injury and I suspect this is why she gets ‘muddled’.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 15:16
Namechangedforthisonetoday · 23/02/2023 14:57
Honestly! She came to stay with us after she was eventually discharged many months later and we thought she was fine. Then one evening we were in the kitchen and a look of panic came over her ‘oh my god I’ve left the triplets in New Zealand!’ She was frantic! Then within about 10 seconds realised what she’d said and got very upset. Unfortunately she has been left with a brain injury and I suspect this is why she gets ‘muddled’.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 14:08
STOP IT! That’s so similar it’s scary. I need to talk to your friend 🤣
Namechangedforthisonetoday · 23/02/2023 14:00
My friend had a very similar experience to you OP, it was crazy reading what happened to you! She was in a coma for 3 weeks, and on being brought round was convinced she’d given birth to triplets, was saving the world in New Zealand, had been captured in Italy, was married and many many other strange things. She also spoke about tests to get somewhere else!
I had brain fug for years and would still say I’m not quite at the level of academic intelligence I was, but thankfully didn’t seem to suffer with brain damage.
I hope your friend is doing ok. If she ever wants to talk, I’d love to swap stories.
Toddlerteaplease · 23/02/2023 15:19
I did a placement on a PICU that pioneered ECMO as a student about 20 years ago. It was then the only place in the country that treated adults on it. I was just in awe of the technology. It's just incredible what can be done. I had a friend who survived 9 weeks on ECMO when she was six. She had an extra 12 years that ECMO gave her.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 15:35
Gwen82 · 23/02/2023 15:17
Is it your dinner party story and you shoe horn in to conversations?
Definitely don’t shoe horn it in. Especially as it was 9 years ago now. No one likes people like that 🤣.
I don’t bring it up unless people ask specifically, it’s a medical discussion where I might have gone through similar so can give a perspective or I feel it’s properly relevant. It happened but it doesn’t define me so doesn’t define my conversation. I guess there are a couple of recurring jokes (Putin and beluga whales) that come up with people I know well. Nothing heavy ever.
Thought it was a good AMA topic as it’s not something most will go through and might not want to ask those who have, directly.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 15:36
Toddlerteaplease · 23/02/2023 15:19
I did a placement on a PICU that pioneered ECMO as a student about 20 years ago. It was then the only place in the country that treated adults on it. I was just in awe of the technology. It's just incredible what can be done. I had a friend who survived 9 weeks on ECMO when she was six. She had an extra 12 years that ECMO gave her.
That’s amazing! I did know that it started off as treating babies.
Such a wonderful machine.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 16:14
RattlewhenIwalk · 23/02/2023 15:58
Were you scared, were you able to communicate, were you in pain. How long did it take you to recover (I hope you are fully back to normal!)
There’s a grey period when I must have been “awake” (will have to ask family if it was before or after ECMO) where i was all tubed up so could only communicate by pointing. A bit like being black out drunk I don’t remember anything much of it other than the laminated picture board for me to point at….and being sick all over the photos that they were showing me (my poor sister got caught in the cross fire 😬). That was in part of my dreams and she was really angry with me (in reality of course she wasn’t)
I was constantly terrified. Family voices definitely comforted me, as did Harry Potter audiobooks, as they were familiar. As said before though, I wasn’t afraid of dying.
As an aside, NEVER put radio 4 on to coma patients. I think that’s where a lot of the weirdness started 🤣
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 16:16
Sorry, the point of the first paragraph was that I must have had communication ability at that point, but can’t remember it. When in the full coma I had nothing. They brought me around to the point of checking my reflexes a few times a day but still at a point of sedation.
pippinsleftleg · 23/02/2023 19:15
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 13:49
Thank you for your input. Again…the quote marks were alluding to facetiousness.
But ultimately, is this the hill you want to die on given the subject matter? (Sorry, “die” on.)
PurpleButterflyWings · 23/02/2023 13:45
This. ^ @GhostFaen You didn't 'die.' 🙄
Minteraye · 21/02/2023 16:59
Sorry know this isn’t the point of the thread but this is a bugbear of mine – you only die once, if you’re still here you didn’t die.
You might find this thread interesting OP. Some people genuinely can’t grasp the subtleties of speech (though some people are just arses!)
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4743831-to-ask-what-you-think-your-reading-level-might-be?page=1
Minteraye · 23/02/2023 19:53
pippinsleftleg · 23/02/2023 19:15
You might find this thread interesting OP. Some people genuinely can’t grasp the subtleties of speech (though some people are just arses!)
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4743831-to-ask-what-you-think-your-reading-level-might-be?page=1
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 13:49
Thank you for your input. Again…the quote marks were alluding to facetiousness.
But ultimately, is this the hill you want to die on given the subject matter? (Sorry, “die” on.)
PurpleButterflyWings · 23/02/2023 13:45
This. ^ @GhostFaen You didn't 'die.' 🙄
Minteraye · 21/02/2023 16:59
Sorry know this isn’t the point of the thread but this is a bugbear of mine – you only die once, if you’re still here you didn’t die.
I don’t think it’s that people can’t read or have low levels of literacy (and I guess you don’t really think that either). I think it’s more that they disagree on the chosen use of language (and understand that the speaker knows they didn’t really ‘die’). I don’t think it’s being pedantic either – there’s a pretty substantial difference between a near-death experience and y’know, death. And just to be clear, that’s death, not ‘death’.
It’s already an extreme thing to happen (and interesting to hear about), it doesn’t need to be sensationalised, it just kind of trivialises the subject matter – this is my impression, you might have a different impression. It would be interesting to understand more about where the actual line lies between life and true death (as the blurring of language shows, medical advances are changing our understanding of where the point of no return really is, and what the human body is capable of surviving).
Have enjoyed the thread OP and found your answers fascinating.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 20:27
pippinsleftleg · 23/02/2023 19:15
You might find this thread interesting OP. Some people genuinely can’t grasp the subtleties of speech (though some people are just arses!)
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4743831-to-ask-what-you-think-your-reading-level-might-be?page=1
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 13:49
Thank you for your input. Again…the quote marks were alluding to facetiousness.
But ultimately, is this the hill you want to die on given the subject matter? (Sorry, “die” on.)
PurpleButterflyWings · 23/02/2023 13:45
This. ^ @GhostFaen You didn't 'die.' 🙄
Minteraye · 21/02/2023 16:59
Sorry know this isn’t the point of the thread but this is a bugbear of mine – you only die once, if you’re still here you didn’t die.
🤣🤣🤣
Thank you!
I thought I’d been clear enough. This made me laugh.
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 20:44
Minteraye · 23/02/2023 19:53
I don’t think it’s that people can’t read or have low levels of literacy (and I guess you don’t really think that either). I think it’s more that they disagree on the chosen use of language (and understand that the speaker knows they didn’t really ‘die’). I don’t think it’s being pedantic either – there’s a pretty substantial difference between a near-death experience and y’know, death. And just to be clear, that’s death, not ‘death’.
It’s already an extreme thing to happen (and interesting to hear about), it doesn’t need to be sensationalised, it just kind of trivialises the subject matter – this is my impression, you might have a different impression. It would be interesting to understand more about where the actual line lies between life and true death (as the blurring of language shows, medical advances are changing our understanding of where the point of no return really is, and what the human body is capable of surviving).
Have enjoyed the thread OP and found your answers fascinating.
pippinsleftleg · 23/02/2023 19:15
You might find this thread interesting OP. Some people genuinely can’t grasp the subtleties of speech (though some people are just arses!)
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4743831-to-ask-what-you-think-your-reading-level-might-be?page=1
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 13:49
Thank you for your input. Again…the quote marks were alluding to facetiousness.
But ultimately, is this the hill you want to die on given the subject matter? (Sorry, “die” on.)
PurpleButterflyWings · 23/02/2023 13:45
This. ^ @GhostFaen You didn't 'die.' 🙄
Minteraye · 21/02/2023 16:59
Sorry know this isn’t the point of the thread but this is a bugbear of mine – you only die once, if you’re still here you didn’t die.
As the original poster I read them with mild amusement. I was aware what the word “died” would have but thought in the title, with quote marks I’d get away with it. As my consultant told me, I was clinically dead twice. He used the word died without any hint of light heartedness.
Other than in my title (with the quotes) I haven’t attempted to persuade anyone I was dead. It’s a bit of a dick move from the three people to jump on that and only on that, but I guess they’re allowed to post as freely as I am so 🤷♀️. I think if they’d not been so excited to jump on the word “died” they might have seen the thread as a whole.
I’m very aware I’m not dead. I wasn’t trying to sensationalise anything. I feel trying to explain how you were brought back from the brink of death after every organ stopped working might be more sensational and (completely) over the top compared to “died briefly”.
I agree, that line of death, and where it is is so interesting. Why muddy the dialogue caring about how you say “heart stopped for x amount of time”?
I don’t feel bad feelings for anyone who doesn’t think I died. I didn’t. I’m still here. But according to my consultant I “died”, so it’s grey area. 😉
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 20:47
adriftabroad · 23/02/2023 20:31
Do you have PTSD do you think?
I was in a coma for 5 weeks, 5 years ago and can genuinely say I have never been the same since.
Yes. Major ptsd for years, but I’d say I’ve got to a point of comfortably coping now. Hospital visits, for any reason, really set me off.
Talking therapy was the worst thing I could have tried and set me back a lot, but I know works for a lot of people. You will get through this. If you want to talk please pm me (if that’s a thing on mn).
mysunandstars · 23/02/2023 21:01
My husband suffered a cardiac arrest last year and after 3 shocks from an AED with some CPR they managed to get him back. He spent some time in ICU in a coma. He remembers absolutely nothing the day of the arrest and a good week after he woke up.
Post ICU delirium is a real thing though, he absolutely wasn’t himself for a while after he woke and we weren’t sure if he’d suffered brain damage from his down time. However he was convinced he was at the beach and his nurse had been in the sea. Thankfully he fully recovered.
I would say at times he feels frustrated that he can’t remember anything and wishes he knew more, other than black nothingness for that time. I sometimes feel jealous he doesn’t remember how traumatic that time was for us all. His nurse told me the hearing is the last thing to go so to talk to him when he was in the coma - I played him videos of his daughter in his ear, convinced it anything would stir him it would be her. Guess we will never know if he heard her.
adriftabroad · 23/02/2023 21:13
GhostFaen · 23/02/2023 20:47
Yes. Major ptsd for years, but I’d say I’ve got to a point of comfortably coping now. Hospital visits, for any reason, really set me off.
Talking therapy was the worst thing I could have tried and set me back a lot, but I know works for a lot of people. You will get through this. If you want to talk please pm me (if that’s a thing on mn).
adriftabroad · 23/02/2023 20:31
Do you have PTSD do you think?
I was in a coma for 5 weeks, 5 years ago and can genuinely say I have never been the same since.
That is incredibly kind.
This weekend I will. Thank you.
To the pp asking about hearing... I heard EVERYTHING. But could not respond or move.
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