Induced coma for benzo withdrawal

[[Ca...]]

I was in an induced coma for 4 days. I would never want to be in a coma again tbh. It's not fun! They had these gloves on me so I couldn't grab or pull anything out if I woke up, and my arms were tied to the side of the bed. It was something like a saw movie because the night before I woke up, I was coming in and out of consciousness and trying to scream. It was awful.

 

I'm assuming they still gave me my benzo's intravenously during the 4 day period because I didn't wake up in withdrawal. They gave me klonopin for the remainder of my hospital stay though.

 

Oh my goodness, this is terrifying!

It sounds like sleep paralysis, but way worse and tied up!

 

Why were you in IC?

It was a near fatal overdose, and had an 11 day stay at the hospital until my ck's were down around 400, but only 4 in ICU. They kept me in an induced coma until my CK levels dropped, as they were 60 times higher than normal.

 

Very well could have been sleep paralysis. Later in the week when I was feeling a bit better, I had told my mom about waking up at night and trying to scream and get out of those gloves, but she said she was in the room all night with me and I never woke up! It was terrifying. I clearly remember whimpering and struggling to free my arms from those plastic ties they had strapped to the bed. It could have been whatever drugs they had me on that were wearing off, they wanted me to wake up that day. I do remember the sound of the IV fusion machine from that night and the colors it was throwing off hitting my eyelids and creating these closed eye visuals of sorts with bizarre dreams. It felt very real though, so I think my mom must have left the room for a bit that night.

 

I would never want to be in any type of coma again, even if it got me out of the worst of the benzo withdrawal. This was really only back in November, and I haven't felt quite the same since!

It is all realy odd.. I had times where I was "awake" and aware of the whole situation, surroundings, and interactions... But when I revisited my ICU bed site it was nothing like it.. But there were much vaguer times I thought I was in a different bed spot, that could well have matched.. They said I was in the same spot the whole time...??

 

Thanks for sharing, this has been good for me to revisit... Sorry its so fresh for you.. Its nearly 10yrs for me...

 

Not a problem that it's kind of fresh. Idk about you but I do think about it all the time. It was just such a weird experience that it's hard to explain. I always think about that night before I woke up though, it was like they didn't sedate me as heavily or something, or it was all in my head. I have no memory of the hospital prior to that night, but I kept going from being in a dark ICU room with the lights out and tied down trying to scream at people walking by- and then drift back off to this weird place that looked like outer space with the IV fusion machine in the background, I don't know if you remember the sound, but it almost sounds like the wheel of fortune wheel spinning so I kept picturing that  . In hindsight, I think the "stars" I was seeing in "outer space" was from the IV machines green light, or thats the only thing that makes sense to me at least. And I also don't even think they turn the lights out in an ICU room, maybe it was just a weird dream. I think maybe that was in my head too. Glad this was brought up now, because after seeing you talk about your experience it makes mine not seem so crazy after all  I guess hallucinations are normal with coma?

Sorry...

Yeah, I think when we are out propper, its just blank with no time attatched.. like a general anasthetic... All in all I probably have a bout a week of time to "account" for... 

I probably didnt fixate on it much because I moved on to other worries over the following years in hospital, -perhaps "desensitised" might be a better word... The "sounds" would fall under this..

 

I should mention that it wasnt all bad... Flying around in a WWII "flying machine" that looked remarkably like a hospital bed and curtains, seemed fun at the time (triggered by news events)... And I fell desperately in love for a minute or so (triggered by ummm... -a pretty nurse I think..!!) lol

I guess Its more the feelings that I endured that are the problem, the hopelessness...  Memories just promp those...

I dont think about it much unless there is some unexpected trigger, and in the big picture its realy the least of my worries..

 

MTB, its kinda early days, but I think it will fade away for you, like most things...

-Well I hope so...

 

 

[[Wh...]]

What an interesting thread.  Thank you for sharing your experiences of an IC.  Glad you all made it out alive. 

[[Ca...]]

What an interesting thread.  Thank you for sharing your experiences of an IC.  Glad you all made it out alive.

Thanks,

For my part, it was probs good for me...