Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) - Let's talk

I am so glad I found this forum/thread! I thought, until now, that I was the only one who suffered from this! And it's such a relief to give it a name, instead of thinking that I am going "crazy"!

Wow... a year ago I suddenly developed severe nec pain and lost all feeling in my left arm. Saw an orthoneurosurgeon ad was found that I have a disease that turned my spinal Ligament to bone forcing the discs to crush my spinal cord.

Surgery was scheduled for the following week but I never lasted that long. The pain was so great and the condition so bad that I lost function of my left arm and leg and that was the last thing I remembered for a month. Wife took me to the ER and they did surgery the same night... for six hours.

After surgery, I started to bleed after the removed the breathing to to the point where they couldn't put the tube back in and they performed an emergency tracheotomy to save my life. During that, they ended up resuscitating me for the first time. Off to the ICU and now am totally paralyzed. Two days later I start bleeding again and theybtrsucitate me for the second time.

I was in the ICU for 3 1/2 weeks. Don't remember any of it. My issue is I am a clinician who practiced in the ICU so when I came to, it all hit me. I cried for weeks,

I am a year out and still partially paralyzed on my left side. I can't stop talking about my issues to people. Even perfect strangers. I cry at the drop of a hat. I went back to work full time only to find that I cannot physically do the work due to the pain.

My wife just wants me to stop talking about it but I am consumed with it. I know that I have t fully dealt with it. Now I'm staring down the barrel of having to have another surgery and I am scared to death (pardon the pun). Can't talk to my wife about it and my family and friends are tired of me talking about it.

I am seeing a counselor (just started). The ring that bothers me the most is this gap in time and memory. And the residual paralysis and pain is t helping. I'm afraid of losing my job and the change all of this means in our lifestyle. Scared only scratches the surface... the nightmares have pretty much subsided and I am filling in the gap in time with fantasy. I just make it up. I don't know what else to say...

Hi everyone. For seven months now I have been searching for something and I just don't know what it is. I had an elective surgery on Sept 7 that went horribly wrong. I'm still recovering, if that's what this is. I live at home with TPN each night to keep me alive. My abdomen is still healing with a wound vac from my seventh surgery since my original elective one. I was septic starting on Sept 8. I don't remember ever waking up from the first surgery. I don't think I ever did. I don't remember any of the rest of the month of Sept. There are bits and pieces, but I don't even know if they are real or not. I should be dead. That's what the Drs said. They had written me off....Left they room at one point and told my three young daughters I would not make it. They, along with the rest of my family, were in the room as they were trying to revive me. I don't remember any of it. Thank goodness. All I remember is darkness. Nothingness. When I became aware finally, I was paralyzed still from the meds. Couldn't walk or talk either because of the tubes in my throat. No one told me what happened so I was very confused as to where i was and why. Every organ in my body shut down, except my heart. That went into overdrive and they couldn't even slow it down.i guess I had several reasons to live. I still have many health issues, not even close to recovery. But, I can walk and talk again and I'm just now trying to make sense of it all. I was in the hospital initially for 68 days. Then again, off and on, since then. A week here. A few days there. Still confused. Still cry all the time. I have scars all over my body. They'll never fade. I'm still trying to make sense of it all.
Mouse355

Wow... a year ago I suddenly developed severe nec pain and lost all feeling in my left arm. Saw an orthoneurosurgeon ad was found that I have a disease that turned my spinal Ligament to bone forcing the discs to crush my spinal cord.

Surgery was scheduled for the following week but I never lasted that long. The pain was so great and the condition so bad that I lost function of my left arm and leg and that was the last thing I remembered for a month. Wife took me to the ER and they did surgery the same night... for six hours.

After surgery, I started to bleed after the removed the breathing to to the point where they couldn't put the tube back in and they performed an emergency tracheotomy to save my life. During that, they ended up resuscitating me for the first time. Off to the ICU and now am totally paralyzed. Two days later I start bleeding again and theybtrsucitate me for the second time.

I was in the ICU for 3 1/2 weeks. Don't remember any of it. My issue is I am a clinician who practiced in the ICU so when I came to, it all hit me. I cried for weeks,

I am a year out and still partially paralyzed on my left side. I can't stop talking about my issues to people. Even perfect strangers. I cry at the drop of a hat. I went back to work full time only to find that I cannot physically do the work due to the pain.

My wife just wants me to stop talking about it but I am consumed with it. I know that I have t fully dealt with it. Now I'm staring down the barrel of having to have another surgery and I am scared to death (pardon the pun). Can't talk to my wife about it and my family and friends are tired of me talking about it.

I am seeing a counselor (just started). The ring that bothers me the most is this gap in time and memory. And the residual paralysis and pain is t helping. I'm afraid of losing my job and the change all of this means in our lifestyle. Scared only scratches the surface... the nightmares have pretty much subsided and I am filling in the gap in time with fantasy. I just make it up. I don't know what else to say...

Wow... a year ago I suddenly developed severe nec pain and lost all feeling in my left arm. Saw an orthoneurosurgeon ad was found that I have a disease that turned my spinal Ligament to bone forcing the discs to crush my spinal cord.

Surgery was scheduled for the following week but I never lasted that long. The pain was so great and the condition so bad that I lost function of my left arm and leg and that was the last thing I remembered for a month. Wife took me to the ER and they did surgery the same night... for six hours.

After surgery, I started to bleed after the removed the breathing to to the point where they couldn't put the tube back in and they performed an emergency tracheotomy to save my life. During that, they ended up resuscitating me for the first time. Off to the ICU and now am totally paralyzed. Two days later I start bleeding again and theybtrsucitate me for the second time.

I was in the ICU for 3 1/2 weeks. Don't remember any of it. My issue is I am a clinician who practiced in the ICU so when I came to, it all hit me. I cried for weeks,

I am a year out and still partially paralyzed on my left side. I can't stop talking about my issues to people. Even perfect strangers. I cry at the drop of a hat. I went back to work full time only to find that I cannot physically do the work due to the pain.

My wife just wants me to stop talking about it but I am consumed with it. I know that I have t fully dealt with it. Now I'm staring down the barrel of having to have another surgery and I am scared to death (pardon the pun). Can't talk to my wife about it and my family and friends are tired of me talking about it.

I am seeing a counselor (just started). The ring that bothers me the most is this gap in time and memory. And the residual paralysis and pain is t helping. I'm afraid of losing my job and the change all of this means in our lifestyle. Scared only scratches the surface... the nightmares have pretty much subsided and I am filling in the gap in time with fantasy. I just make it up. I don't know what else to say...

Hello,

I'm considered a trauma patient. December 2013, I was on my way to work and was hit head on by a sleeping Drive (MVA). I do not remember much and was flown by helicopter to a Trauma 1 medical center. I was in a coma for a month and in rehab facilities for 9 months. My injuries were extensive. Broken pelvis, TBI, damaged abdomen/bowel, many broken or fractured bones, blood clots, and many issues. This was three years ago. After many surgeries, rehab, and now back in rehab to walk without a walker. My biggest issues have been retraining of bowel and bladder and I'm still going from one extreme to another in this area. Other issues are with family members not understanding the severity, which I'm trying to overcoming issues with counseling. They were there in the beginning and now are estranged. I'm trying to rebuild my relationships with the ones I can. I still at times have some memory loss. Doctors consider me a miracle, while the daily pain and struggle remind me of where I'm at today.

Wow... a year ago I suddenly developed severe nec pain and lost all feeling in my left arm. Saw an orthoneurosurgeon ad was found that I have a disease that turned my spinal Ligament to bone forcing the discs to crush my spinal cord.

Surgery was scheduled for the following week but I never lasted that long. The pain was so great and the condition so bad that I lost function of my left arm and leg and that was the last thing I remembered for a month. Wife took me to the ER and they did surgery the same night... for six hours.

After surgery, I started to bleed after the removed the breathing to to the point where they couldn't put the tube back in and they performed an emergency tracheotomy to save my life. During that, they ended up resuscitating me for the first time. Off to the ICU and now am totally paralyzed. Two days later I start bleeding again and theybtrsucitate me for the second time.

I was in the ICU for 3 1/2 weeks. Don't remember any of it. My issue is I am a clinician who practiced in the ICU so when I came to, it all hit me. I cried for weeks,

I am a year out and still partially paralyzed on my left side. I can't stop talking about my issues to people. Even perfect strangers. I cry at the drop of a hat. I went back to work full time only to find that I cannot physically do the work due to the pain.

My wife just wants me to stop talking about it but I am consumed with it. I know that I have t fully dealt with it. Now I'm staring down the barrel of having to have another surgery and I am scared to death (pardon the pun). Can't talk to my wife about it and my family and friends are tired of me talking about it.

I am seeing a counselor (just started). The ring that bothers me the most is this gap in time and memory. And the residual paralysis and pain is t helping. I'm afraid of losing my job and the change all of this means in our lifestyle. Scared only scratches the surface... the nightmares have pretty much subsided and I am filling in the gap in time with fantasy. I just make it up. I don't know what else to say...

Hello,

I'm considered a trauma patient. December 2013, I was on my way to work and was hit head on by a sleeping Drive (MVA). I do not remember much and was flown by helicopter to a Trauma 1 medical center. I was in a coma for a month and in rehab facilities for 9 months. My injuries were extensive. Broken pelvis, TBI, damaged abdomen/bowel, many broken or fractured bones, blood clots, and many issues. This was three years ago. After many surgeries, rehab, and now back in rehab to walk without a walker. My biggest issues have been retraining of bowel and bladder and I'm still going from one extreme to another in this area. Other issues are with family members not understanding the severity, which I'm trying to overcoming issues with counseling. They were there in the beginning and now are estranged. I'm trying to rebuild my relationships with the ones I can. I still at times have some memory loss. Doctors consider me a miracle, while the daily pain and struggle remind me of where I'm at today.