Were you told that you were being put into a coma?

[Howallergic]

Just that really.
It's quite a few years ago now, but the last thing I recall is struggling to get off the bed to go home and a nurse saying 'we're just giving you something to relax you'.

I woke up out of the induced coma 2 weeks later (and had no idea that I had been in one - in fact I thought I was still waiting on a doctor to see me so wanted to go home as I had been waiting too long - another story lol). During the coma my organs had started to fail etc. and I almost died. I realise I needed to be in a coma as I recall they couldn't get my BP above 60/40 and they were fussing around me and what happened while I was in the coma would indicate that I damned well needed to be in one.
My only question is, is whether you're ever told that we're going to be putting you into a coma?

I can answer some of this. No, it's not standard to tell people they are being put into a coma as it's not proper terminology. Generally the person is not in a state to really take anything in so information is limited to none. However, in cases where you do believe the person is capable of understanding what you are saying at the time, you use terms such as going to sedate you, so you will go to sleep/ a machine is going to assist with your breathing if you start to have trouble (it's standard and of course they will have trouble but this causes less stress)/ you will have a tube down your throat etc. You don't use terms such as ventilate, intubate etc as a lot of people don't understand at the best of times and it takes an age to explain and these are situations where you don't have the time to do so and the person is generally lucky to comprehend the simple concepts anyway due to how ill they are. I think medically induced coma is a bit of a weird phrase tbh as sedation is more accurate.

To the person above who said it is taking away people's consent - utter rubbish. If someone needs this then they are not in a fit state to be able to provide informed consent.

Also to the person above asking what was done, how ill were they, lasting effects etc. No-one here can tell you that. You will need to sit with someone who has your medical records from the event who can work through that with you.

Hopping, Gerard wasn't literally asking the people on this thread for those answers. Dearie me.

@TableFlowerss the op won't have her notes but it's recognised good practice to keep a patient diary for the patient to read once they've recovered. It includes day by day events and also photos. Relatives and nursing staff contribute. Most patients can't remember a thing which causes alot of anxiety - just imagine if 2 weeks of your life or longer is just erased from your memory, incredibly traumatic. Talking about and explaining difficult situations is an integral part of psychological recovery for ICU patients.

@Howallergic I think @Nomnomarrgh was responding to your question directly about their post, where you asked “So I’m guessing I was sedated only, if I could still pull at tubes and such?” and she was replying to say that in a coma you can in fact move and pull at tubes so the fact that you were moving doesn’t necessarily mean you were sedated only. Your response saying “not exactly the question I asked” was a little bit rude, seeing as the poster responded exactly to a question you asked. I think you may have misread it, as you seemed to have thought she said you were dead when in fact she said it’s not like being dead. I notice you apologised to another poster for misreading their post.

Really sorry for what you’ve been through and just trying to help explain that the poster wasn’t trying upset you.

I lead what someone above called the ‘crash’ team.

I always tell people but I don’t use the word coma. I say I’m going to give them medicine that will make them sleep, just like an anaesthetic (that’s what it is), and once they’re asleep I’ll put a breathing tube into their throat and we will help them breathe until they get better. The ‘induced coma’ thing is a phrase used almost exclusively by the media.

These patients are usually very sick and have such low oxygen or blood pressure levels that it’s entirely possible they don’t remember what I say to them.

I even say it as I intubate people who have had a cardiac arrest and are getting cpr as I put the tube in.

Many people have PTSD after an ICU admission. It is good to seek help if you feel you need it, no matter how long after it is.

You were given an anaesthetic OP
Not put in a coma, there is a big difference.

That is what I was saying.

An anaesthetic for two weeks? Isn't that what an induced coma is?

I actually thought for a long time that I fell into a coma myself. It's only recently that I've realised that I was put into an induced coma myself.
It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. I'm over it. Just curious. Never know what to say about medical history apart from that apparently I was in a coma and had multiple organ failure - but I don't actually know.

You were given an anaesthetic OP
Not put in a coma, there is a big difference

What's the difference?

Why are people being so rude to the op? She's using commonly understood terminology and trying to make sense of the traumatic experience.

I hope the people being arsey/aggressive arent medics because this is a ghastly way to talk to someone about their traumatic experience.

I can’t believe people are calling the OP rude! She has clearly gone through something traumatic!!
Horrible people.

I hope you’re doing ok today OP

I hope you manage to arrange a debrief style meeting OP, it sounds like it would help have answers to some of your questions and help your mind heal from your ordeal.

Do you have any ongoing health issues due to whatever caused you to end up in ICU? If so you could also ask to speak to the team at the hospital that deal with any condition you might have as that may help too.

Didn't manage to get time to ring the hospital today, but will put it in the diary for Monday. I did ask my GP about it, but from reading notes, there was very little on my file about the admission. I don't think it even mentioned multiple organ failure, 2 weeks coma or anything.

@Howallergic assuming you are in the UK, you might benefit from contacting the charity ICU steps who support survivors of critical illness - they are really good.
www.icusteps.org/

This is a really interesting thread and I'm really sorry for what you have been through OP.
Whilst it wasn't me when DD1 has sepsis at 3 weeks old and crashed, we were taken to a room and told that she needed some help and that a machine would help her while she slept. They meant a medically induced coma but those words weren't used.

I agree, this is such an interesting thread.
I've never really thought about ICU and how traumatic it must be for the patient, I knew it was traumatic for the family of the patient - but I assumed the patients were so ill they would be aware of how traumatic it all was IYSWIM.

I would love to know if you managed to give up smoking after the experience op ?
I'm guessing not, but I wondered if your habit as been re-set by the 'missing' 2 weeks and that meant you weren't craving nicotine anymore? (I'm guessing the doctors don't prescribe nicotine patches when patients are sedated as they aren't needed?)

I'm also in awe at how hospitals and the staff really fight for poorly patients lives - even though they are so close to death - it's incredible.

Nope didn't manage to quit smoking. First thing I recall asking for!