How long does it generally take to feel 'normal' after an ICU stay?

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

I went in on Monday with a DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). I left ICU for a ward on Thursday and came home yesterday. I was really lucky and there was no organ damage so everything should go back to normal.

I'm really surprised at how weak I am and at how my body feels like it's not mine, all the edges seem off somehow. I think my proprioception is off. I had pretty good muscle tone beforehand, I go to a personal trainer twice a week and walk for an hour-ish three or four times a week. Now it's an effort to go upstairs/downstairs, or to sit or stand back up.

Also, everything hurts a bit, even my earlobe where they had the heart rate monitor. I'm pretty sure that will pass quite quickly though when the bruises go down and the pressured areas recover and rashes clear up.

This happened to my mum, she was misdiagnosed with T2 for two years then, unsurprisingly, went into DKA at which point they realised it was T1 (nothing like nearly dying to get ppl to listen to you). We had to fight to even get the paramedics to consider DKA - I was pointing at my mum saying 'that is NOT my mum!' cos she looked grey, paralytic, like a shriveled raisin & couldn't talk. The change was sudden & incredibly dramatic, like she'd suddenly aged 20yrs.

She was in for about the same time as you & it did take a while for her to feel 'normal' but that obviously coincided with her starting insulin for the first time etc. My limited understanding is that it's phenomenally hard on your body even though it's 'quickly' fixed so take it easy bearing in mind that it's something that can result in death (obviously didn't for you else THIS would be a weird thread!) & drinking plenty of water.

You left ITU for a ward on Thursday and came home on Friday?? Bloody hell that’s shocking, no wonder you feel shit you poor thing!

I think you need to plan to be in bed for at least a week, if not longer, and then still more time just recovering at home with regular rest. This will have taken a huge toll on all your body systems.

To be fair there was some reluctance to discharge me simply because 'that's not how it typically works' but I was fairly desperate to get out and all my levels had stabilised and the endocrinologist and the physio both cleared me. So when they said I could go I phoned DH to come and get me straight away before the next blood test, just in case something had gone slightly off in the meantime.

Sorry to hear about your DM @Caerulea, shocking that they misdiagnosed for so long. I've been T2 for about 15 years and pancreatic function has always been checked so I'm definitely not T1. There was a lot of puzzlement about what could have caused the DKA and no clear conclusion. So going forward I'm going to be checking ketones if I feel at all 'off' so that I can at least get early treatment and not have an emergency. I don't actually remember Monday at all, but when my DS came in to visit me on Tuesday I got a very rare hug so I think I probably looked pretty bad.

Oh you know it's bad when your kids spontaneously hug you lol. I hope you get to the bottom of it, I'd just assumed you were T1 but, again, limited knowledge here!

Sounds like you need to find a TV series to binge, on the sofa, under blankets with tea (or black coffee with no sugar) on demand ;)

We were told a week for every day in icu. If you are bed bound you rapidly lose muscle mass and mobility, let alone the effects of the drugs. Rest up and do some gentle exercise when you can.

I think you need to understand how ill you were/are. Patients in ICU typically have one nurse per patient because the person so is very ill that they need some one to monitor them at all times and adjust treatment accordingly.

If you were a healthy adult with ‘just’ flu it would take you a couple of weeks to get back to normal to normal. You’ve been a lot more ill and were in ICU 48 hours ago, you need to allow your body to recover.

Thanks all. I'm planning to allow around a fortnight before anything approaching real life, so no driving or carrying laundry baskets downstairs etc. I'm going to go to my regular personal trainer sessions but will take taxis, the physio at the hospital said I would be fine to do that (he's great, it will be much more rehab than actual gym stuff). And I will also go to my sewing class because I love the people and I'll be just sitting, I won't bring my sewing machine, just some hand stuff. It'll be a right pain in the neck for DH because of school runs and hockey/football training and matches but we'll manage. Fortunately DS can drive so might be able to do some of it.

I will also milk it for all I'm worth with the family. Sympathy is hard to come by in this family, and they seem a bit shaken and off balance so I'm taking advantage.

I’m absolutely amazed you were moved out of ICU and then discharged only a day later! Most ICU patients would go to HDU, then a regular ward before discharge.

I don’t think it’s a linear journey sadly….

I was in ITU for about 10 days with flu & sepsis, then on a ward for a couple of weeks. It took me 9 months to feel like I was ‘me’ again. I did contact sepsis support who told me it would be 9-12mth to recover from sepsis. They were right.

Wishing you good health, and maybe a CGM x

Just because you are home it doesn’t mean you are well. You have been very unwell and your body has a lot of adjusting and healing/adapting to do. Lots of nutritious foods and rests, be very careful in the first couple of weeks with your PT. Make sure they understand how unwell and still low energy you were/are.

I think it was an unusual case, certainly people kept popping in on the Tuesday to marvel at the difference in me. Although perhaps all DKAs are rapid decline and rapid recovery. As @AgathaMystery has said, it's not linear. I don't remember Monday, but was alert on Tuesday if not myself, and then Wednesday my own personality was back just a tireder version of me. By the time I moved to the ward I could go up and down a flight of stairs and had a shower by myself. TBH I could have gone to the ward a day earlier than I did but there wasn't a ward bed, and they were still wanting to do hourly checks for another day and they had spare beds on the ICU so they kept me.

Lots of the staff expressed surprise at the rapid improvement, I don't know whether they genuinely don't see it very often or they were just being encouraging. The recovery is slowing down now though, so I'm just going to keep at it steadily.

I was in ICU for 8 weeks then on a normal ward for 3 months whilst I learned to walk, talk, swallow feed myself again etc,
I tried to commit suicide but I had secondary complications - necrotising fascitis in my leg ( I had to have multiple surgeries) I had sepsis twice, had to have a tracheostomy
I also had multiple organ failure. This was jan-may 23 and I'm only just starting to feel ok physically but I was very very ill.
I was in ICU for 6 weeks in Jan 2020 for trying till myself and it took me about 6 months to recover that time fully. Fairly easily but didn't have secondary complications.
You will feel weak, breathless and tired for a while yet

OMG @CaptainBeanThief, hugs to you. That all sounds horrendous, I'm so glad you are making it out the other side. Please take care of yourself.

Sepsis not DKA and managed to avoid ICU but I’d say don’t underestimate how long the recovery might take - physically, cognitively and mentally. Don’t the and rush it.

Thanks all, I'm taking it slowly as advised. Everything hurts less than it did but my muscles are still weak.

My granddaughter's preschool had a grandparents' day so DH and I went this morning. It was lovely and we had a nice sit down for coffee and chat with other grandparents too. I felt fine except when we were on our way back to the car and there was an uphill section in the car park, for that bit I had to hold DH's arm and walk very slowly. It felt like when you walk in a swimming pool, only more resistance. It was actually harder than stairs in a way, less tiring than stairs but very slow and no way to push forward harder.

My Mum and brother came over for lunch yesterday. My brother is recovering from emergency heart surgery so we were comparing weak muscles and who has the worst bruises. My Mum was in extremely bad form, she is desperately passive-aggressive when she's not feeling well and the stress of both of her DC being ill has obviously wiped her out. But I'm sure she'll improve now that we are both heading back towards normal.