Can anybody share any first hand experience with being coded, on a vent, sedated, etc

Nurses General Nursing

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Has any member of the forum ever been resuscitated, put on a vent and/or otherwise sedated or in a coma? If so can you give us a little description of what it was like, what you remember, and anything else that might be interesting?

I often wonder what my patients are going through but rarely get the opportunity to ask this question.

Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

I never was, but my mom was. When I asked her just a few years ago, she remembers being awake on the vent when they told her they were going to extubate. She was really nervous (since she got attached to the ventilator, was in the ICU for a while), so once they extubated her, she remembers that the RT kept the ventilator in the room next to her for a few days to ease her anxiety. She was otherwise pretty healthy before that sudden fiasco, so the whole family was anxious. We didn't know if she'd make it (though I was a young child at the time, and I didn't know how bad it was).

When I would ask when mom was coming home, dad would just say when she's better, but I could tell he was nervous. My grandfather died that year, as well. That was a tough year for the whole family, but especially my dad. It was so nice how the neighborhood and church cooked us meals. My dad was split between working full time, raising all of us, and worrying about whether he was going to be a single dad.

KelRN215, BSN, RN

1 Article; 7,349 Posts

Specializes in Pedi.

I've had several patient experiences... the strangest/most interesting was a WADA test, aka "intracarotid sodium ambobarbital procedure". Basically, you have a cerebral angiogram, they inject sodium ambobarbital into one side of the carotid essentially putting half of your brain to sleep. They inject enough to induce hemiparesis and then test your verbal memory on the opposite side then they do the test again on the other side. When your dominant side is "asleep", you can't speak and your memory is significantly impaired. The interesting part of it is that when they were testing my right side- my non-dominant side, I couldn't remember hearing any noises- baby crying, cat meowing, etc but when they were testing my left side, I then remembered that I had heard noises on the other side. I had this test 9 years ago and I still remember it now.

I remember being woken up in the OR following the completion of my brain surgery (after being extubated), I remember being rolled into the OR and seeing the scrub nurse setting up after being given Versed. I remember most everything during my conscious sedation procedures and I specifically remember the first time I had it thinking, "now I completely understand why this doesn't work on our kids... because I'm awake and I know everything you're doing to me, I'm just too happy to care." ;)

Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

it was clear day... just like any other in the south of spain, when i left my great-grand-mama's home, heading towards my home in madrid. i decided to take the long route since i was in no hurry, besides i was enjoying the scent of the ocean and the incredible views that i could appreciate while riding my motorcycle. as i drove through the costa del sol region, i notices the tourist enjoying their vacation, sunbathing, swimming, while others just walking through the beach. unusually, as i drove my bike i noticed the lack of traffic along the coast. as i passed the beaches, and surrounded myself once again with the incredible views of mountains and ocean through the winding roads it began to drizzle. i recalled how great it felt the cool drops on my skin, when all of a sudden 100ft. away from me a truck had taken the entire two lane road. in the light of the, i tried my best to move my bike to the edge of the road, which at the time it didn't offer any guardrail. unquestionably, i can still visualized, the eyes of the driver's truck meeting my own in sure panic for a split second. thereafter, for a short moment a sigh of relief as he passed me by, without realizing that a metal pipe on the rear of his truck hit my bike, as it send me and my bike over the cliff. undoubtedly, the following played like a slow motion film, as i saw my bike gliding over my head and i felt my body weightless through the air. total darkness became my reality, as for some unknown reason i could hear the voices of strangers, trying to rescue someone as they said "is he dead?"... followed by the sounds of a siren. needless to say, i couldn't but help feel sorry for the person that they were trying to rescue, then the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks prevented me from hearing any further. past forward three months later, i could hear familiar voices saying "not this one, he's a fighter, he's leaving this place on his own two feet". a light coming from a distant window woke me up, as i saw a nurse like an apparition leaned over me and yelled out "he has awaken". at this level, i tried to move to investigate who was she referring to, but for some odd reason i couldn't, since i was in a full body cast with only my lt. eye uncovered. suddenly, sheer panic came over me as i noticed the large calendar from a short distance read august 30th, i felt restrained and cheated, i heard the nurse once again and a man's voice telling me to relax, as i fell into a deep sleep. assuredly, once i was fully awake the doctor and nurse informed me in front of my family that i have been in a coma for 3 months. lastly, after a year of countless surgeries and grueling physical therapy, 3 years passed, i graduated as a nurse from the same hospital were i was once a pt. having experienced the other side of nursing.

*4!#6

222 Posts

I have gone under twice for surgeries, I'm sure this is a common experience for many. I asked both times for them to tell me when they're giving me the drugs to put me to sleep, but either they didn't or they don't remember. Both times I had nausea when waking up. The first time I was laying in a bed and watched the pillow on the next bed swell up like a giant overstuffed marshmellow. Also the clock on the wall slid all the way to the ground and melted. These were visual hallucinations I presume from the aftereffects of whatever they gave me, haha.

I have heard from people on vent's that after they are extubated and awake they will literally kill for fresh water they are so thirsty!

AMN74

124 Posts

I was put to under sedation for a procedure a few years ago. MD told me pre op that I would be asleep, not know anything and when it was over they would wake me up. I heard everything they said during the surgery. MD was planning a weekend trip away to Asheville, NC, specifically going to Deer Field Park. I heard her talking to the or tech people while I was sedated. So after they woke me up, and I made it through recovery, she came in to check my progress and tell me what she found and what happened during the surgery. When she got ready to leave I told her that I hoped she had a good time at the Deer Field Park in Asheville this coming weekend, and she said, "Thank you" and walked out. When she got to the door, she stopped....stood there for a moment and turned around and came back into my room. She asked, "How do you know I'm going to Asheville this weekend?" I said, "It's about all you talked about while you were doing my surgery". She said, "You really heard me?" and I responded with, "How else would I know your personal business?" She told me in her office later that me telling her that changed the way she practices in the OR. She says she is very careful not to say things that could possibly "incriminate" her, and that she has cautioned all staff to keep it very professional in the OR.

allnurses Guide

Nurse SMS, MSN, RN

6,843 Posts

Specializes in Critical Care; Cardiac; Professional Development.

I have not but my brother had myocardial ablation done at Mayo Clinic and was intubated for a couple of days afterward. He said it was awful, that he felt a lot of panic and a lot of pain and very out of control.

sauconyrunner

553 Posts

Specializes in Emergency.

I was an intubated patient after a bad accident several years ago. I self extubated. Most of the time the sedation medications kept me completely unaware of what was going on, but when they turn the stuff down to try to wean you off the vent, Well...I was not a nurse then but I remember thinking, "If I can just get this thing out of my throat, I could breathe better" As it turns out I was not really correct about it. I do remember hearing the nurses talking about me and my situation as they turned me and such. I apparently did not have a very good outlook according to the nurses. That wasn't really cheering to hear.

It felt a bit as if I had woken up in a different reality, which I guess I had. I had a ton of anxiety, so I would recommend a lot of reassurance, and not talking so much about how the patient is doing, if it doesn't seem good, at the bedside. There have been a few books written about this, or articles. My favorite one, if I can find it I will post here. The guy was on one of those "autoturn" beds and was writing about how he felt seasick...

allnurses Guide

NurseCard, ADN

2,847 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

My strangest memory as a patient, I guess, was waking up in the ambulance after being in a car accident. I remember not being able to see anything because my eyes were swollen shut. I also remember not quite knowing who I was at first. I remember my brother asking the paramedics and EMT's "where are my parents? Do they know what is going on?" over and over again and me laying there thinking "what parents?".

I didn't fully come to and realize what was going on until we got to the hospital. I saw my parents and wanted to go home, but since my face was a swollen, bruised, unrecognizable mess, and I had a head injury, I wasn't going home anytime soon. I was in the hospital for two weeks in fact.

I was only 11 years old. I had to have reconstructive nasal surgery, my brother had a concussion and a humongous gash on his head that required plastic surgery. Other than that, we both turned out just fine, thank Goodness. My brother was 17 at the time and had been driving myself and a friend of his to pick up his girlfriend and then go to a church Halloween party. The friend made it out with just a bruised arm.

Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.

I have not been vented in the ICU but I have had 3 major surgical procedures that required intubation.

The weirest thing I remember about the first procedure, a total hip, was the spinal...they gave me something first (probably diprivan)...and I was in the middle of a sentance...the next thing I knew I was finishing that sentance and asking the anestheologist when he was going to do the spinal...he said I just did...and I argued with him!!! Until I realized that I couldn't feel anything below my waist...and that was freaky.

Waking in PACU, I do remember my throat being really sore and a raging thirst.

The rest of the stays were uneventful, as long as the post op pain control was adequate...which in 2 of the cases it was and 1 it was NOT..and I literally called the head of the anesthesia department and had a PCA placed....mainly because the nurse I had thought SHE knew my pain level better than I did......um...it wasn't pretty.....(I had bilateral knee replacements-fresh post op)

Moral of that story....Please listen to your patients about their pain levels....everyone is NOT drug seeking...!

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I've been coded. Down unknown amount of time under water before CPR was started. Shocked several times. I obviously survived but don't remember a thing. The only thing that happened from it was that I was always scared in a pool of being dunked. I would panic thinking I would never come up.

Honestly though I never knew it happened. My family kept it from me for 19 years. My mom never talks about it because she thought she lost me. I ask my dad and he says I am resilient just like him and his dad. Both whom should have died several times and never did.

It also spawned the tattoo on my side stating "do not go gentle" by Dylan Thomas. It's a wonderful poem about fighting death.

Specializes in PICU, ICU, Hospice, Mgmt, DON.
It also spawned the tattoo on my side stating "do not go gentle" by Dylan Thomas. It's a wonderful poem about fighting death.

Great poem...and Great Tatt....

Ok....WOW...Guy, that was some story...it made the hairs on my neck stand up!

So glad you not only survived but thrived!

Just speechless...as a PICU nurse in Florida, I first hand see drownings all too often..with very sad outcomes.

There has to be something very special in store for your life because.....

You, my friend, are a Miracle!

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