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

Dear Content and Well: You are my answer to my prayer. Since April I have been trying to find someone who went through the delirium. All I heard from were people who were caretakers, and my family, to tell me what people do when in delirium.
You don't know what a Godsend you are because this is something that one has to go through for anyone to believe it. I GOT mad at my husband for not coming to visit me in the hospital, but he was there everyday, I just didn't see him when I was in this state, or remember it, but he said I talked to him and answered all his questions and I was very upbeat and happy (hyper-delirium) and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and walk. And I wouldn't believe them when they said I had a knee replacement, I told them I had back surgery. (I was in denial that I need knee surgery, and I had 5 back surgeries, one of which was 4 months before the knee replacement). I don't remember this either.
I do remember falling. My feet got tangled up in the sheets when I climbed out of bed when a nurse yelled at me, and I fell on my knees to the floor. They took xrays and I was ok. This woke me up from the delirium but mind was all jumbled. They were going to tie me to the bed, which is the worst thing to do for a delirious person because they are scared to begin with, but they had a nurse with me 24 hrs round the clock.
A lot of funny things happened in my mind and what I did, but when I came to, it was the most God Awful thing that has ever happened to me.
Now I might have to have more back surgery and I don't know what to do. I am learning everything I can about this, and at the hospital, they think it was the DiLaudid they gave me for pain, and the older you get ( I am 70) the less you can metabolize the medication. But I think it was the anesthesia also. I have all my records and will inform the Doctors involved, and the hospital, what meds I took, and what kind of anesthesia I had, so this doesn't get repeated, but you cannot stop it from happening again, all you can do is inform and learn and keep yourself healthy. I was also anemic at the time, and maybe dehydrated.
I'm so glad you wrote to me, keep writing if you feel like it, and maybe we can help each other. Thanks for reaching out.
Marie
By the way, how did you find me ? I been writing to all the sites to find someone who has had this. Thanks so much. God Bless.

Dear Content and Well: You are my answer to my prayer. Since April I have been trying to find someone who went through the delirium. All I heard from were people who were caretakers, and my family, to tell me what people do when in delirium.
You don't know what a Godsend you are because this is something that one has to go through for anyone to believe it. I GOT mad at my husband for not coming to visit me in the hospital, but he was there everyday, I just didn't see him when I was in this state, or remember it, but he said I talked to him and answered all his questions and I was very upbeat and happy (hyper-delirium) and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and walk. And I wouldn't believe them when they said I had a knee replacement, I told them I had back surgery. (I was in denial that I need knee surgery, and I had 5 back surgeries, one of which was 4 months before the knee replacement). I don't remember this either.
I do remember falling. My feet got tangled up in the sheets when I climbed out of bed when a nurse yelled at me, and I fell on my knees to the floor. They took xrays and I was ok. This woke me up from the delirium but mind was all jumbled. They were going to tie me to the bed, which is the worst thing to do for a delirious person because they are scared to begin with, but they had a nurse with me 24 hrs round the clock.
A lot of funny things happened in my mind and what I did, but when I came to, it was the most God Awful thing that has ever happened to me.
Now I might have to have more back surgery and I don't know what to do. I am learning everything I can about this, and at the hospital, they think it was the DiLaudid they gave me for pain, and the older you get ( I am 70) the less you can metabolize the medication. But I think it was the anesthesia also. I have all my records and will inform the Doctors involved, and the hospital, what meds I took, and what kind of anesthesia I had, so this doesn't get repeated, but you cannot stop it from happening again, all you can do is inform and learn and keep yourself healthy. I was also anemic at the time, and maybe dehydrated.
I'm so glad you wrote to me, keep writing if you feel like it, and maybe we can help each other. Thanks for reaching out.
Marie
By the way, how did you find me ? I been writing to all the sites to find someone who has had this. Thanks so much. God Bless.

Dear Content and Well: You are my answer to my prayer. Since April I have been trying to find someone who went through the delirium. All I heard from were people who were caretakers, and my family, to tell me what people do when in delirium.
You don't know what a Godsend you are because this is something that one has to go through for anyone to believe it. I GOT mad at my husband for not coming to visit me in the hospital, but he was there everyday, I just didn't see him when I was in this state, or remember it, but he said I talked to him and answered all his questions and I was very upbeat and happy (hyper-delirium) and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and walk. And I wouldn't believe them when they said I had a knee replacement, I told them I had back surgery. (I was in denial that I need knee surgery, and I had 5 back surgeries, one of which was 4 months before the knee replacement). I don't remember this either.
I do remember falling. My feet got tangled up in the sheets when I climbed out of bed when a nurse yelled at me, and I fell on my knees to the floor. They took xrays and I was ok. This woke me up from the delirium but mind was all jumbled. They were going to tie me to the bed, which is the worst thing to do for a delirious person because they are scared to begin with, but they had a nurse with me 24 hrs round the clock.
A lot of funny things happened in my mind and what I did, but when I came to, it was the most God Awful thing that has ever happened to me.
Now I might have to have more back surgery and I don't know what to do. I am learning everything I can about this, and at the hospital, they think it was the DiLaudid they gave me for pain, and the older you get ( I am 70) the less you can metabolize the medication. But I think it was the anesthesia also. I have all my records and will inform the Doctors involved, and the hospital, what meds I took, and what kind of anesthesia I had, so this doesn't get repeated, but you cannot stop it from happening again, all you can do is inform and learn and keep yourself healthy. I was also anemic at the time, and maybe dehydrated.
I'm so glad you wrote to me, keep writing if you feel like it, and maybe we can help each other. Thanks for reaching out.
Marie
By the way, how did you find me ? I been writing to all the sites to find someone who has had this. Thanks so much. God Bless.

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...

Dear Content and Well: You are my answer to my prayer. Since April I have been trying to find someone who went through the delirium. All I heard from were people who were caretakers, and my family, to tell me what people do when in delirium.
You don't know what a Godsend you are because this is something that one has to go through for anyone to believe it. I GOT mad at my husband for not coming to visit me in the hospital, but he was there everyday, I just didn't see him when I was in this state, or remember it, but he said I talked to him and answered all his questions and I was very upbeat and happy (hyper-delirium) and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and walk. And I wouldn't believe them when they said I had a knee replacement, I told them I had back surgery. (I was in denial that I need knee surgery, and I had 5 back surgeries, one of which was 4 months before the knee replacement). I don't remember this either.
I do remember falling. My feet got tangled up in the sheets when I climbed out of bed when a nurse yelled at me, and I fell on my knees to the floor. They took xrays and I was ok. This woke me up from the delirium but mind was all jumbled. They were going to tie me to the bed, which is the worst thing to do for a delirious person because they are scared to begin with, but they had a nurse with me 24 hrs round the clock.
A lot of funny things happened in my mind and what I did, but when I came to, it was the most God Awful thing that has ever happened to me.
Now I might have to have more back surgery and I don't know what to do. I am learning everything I can about this, and at the hospital, they think it was the DiLaudid they gave me for pain, and the older you get ( I am 70) the less you can metabolize the medication. But I think it was the anesthesia also. I have all my records and will inform the Doctors involved, and the hospital, what meds I took, and what kind of anesthesia I had, so this doesn't get repeated, but you cannot stop it from happening again, all you can do is inform and learn and keep yourself healthy. I was also anemic at the time, and maybe dehydrated.
I'm so glad you wrote to me, keep writing if you feel like it, and maybe we can help each other. Thanks for reaching out.
Marie
By the way, how did you find me ? I been writing to all the sites to find someone who has had this. Thanks so much. God Bless.

Dear Content and Well: You are my answer to my prayer. Since April I have been trying to find someone who went through the delirium. All I heard from were people who were caretakers, and my family, to tell me what people do when in delirium.
You don't know what a Godsend you are because this is something that one has to go through for anyone to believe it. I GOT mad at my husband for not coming to visit me in the hospital, but he was there everyday, I just didn't see him when I was in this state, or remember it, but he said I talked to him and answered all his questions and I was very upbeat and happy (hyper-delirium) and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and walk. And I wouldn't believe them when they said I had a knee replacement, I told them I had back surgery. (I was in denial that I need knee surgery, and I had 5 back surgeries, one of which was 4 months before the knee replacement). I don't remember this either.
I do remember falling. My feet got tangled up in the sheets when I climbed out of bed when a nurse yelled at me, and I fell on my knees to the floor. They took xrays and I was ok. This woke me up from the delirium but mind was all jumbled. They were going to tie me to the bed, which is the worst thing to do for a delirious person because they are scared to begin with, but they had a nurse with me 24 hrs round the clock.
A lot of funny things happened in my mind and what I did, but when I came to, it was the most God Awful thing that has ever happened to me.
Now I might have to have more back surgery and I don't know what to do. I am learning everything I can about this, and at the hospital, they think it was the DiLaudid they gave me for pain, and the older you get ( I am 70) the less you can metabolize the medication. But I think it was the anesthesia also. I have all my records and will inform the Doctors involved, and the hospital, what meds I took, and what kind of anesthesia I had, so this doesn't get repeated, but you cannot stop it from happening again, all you can do is inform and learn and keep yourself healthy. I was also anemic at the time, and maybe dehydrated.
I'm so glad you wrote to me, keep writing if you feel like it, and maybe we can help each other. Thanks for reaching out.
Marie
By the way, how did you find me ? I been writing to all the sites to find someone who has had this. Thanks so much. God Bless.

Dear Content and Well: You are my answer to my prayer. Since April I have been trying to find someone who went through the delirium. All I heard from were people who were caretakers, and my family, to tell me what people do when in delirium.
You don't know what a Godsend you are because this is something that one has to go through for anyone to believe it. I GOT mad at my husband for not coming to visit me in the hospital, but he was there everyday, I just didn't see him when I was in this state, or remember it, but he said I talked to him and answered all his questions and I was very upbeat and happy (hyper-delirium) and all I wanted to do was get out of bed and walk. And I wouldn't believe them when they said I had a knee replacement, I told them I had back surgery. (I was in denial that I need knee surgery, and I had 5 back surgeries, one of which was 4 months before the knee replacement). I don't remember this either.
I do remember falling. My feet got tangled up in the sheets when I climbed out of bed when a nurse yelled at me, and I fell on my knees to the floor. They took xrays and I was ok. This woke me up from the delirium but mind was all jumbled. They were going to tie me to the bed, which is the worst thing to do for a delirious person because they are scared to begin with, but they had a nurse with me 24 hrs round the clock.
A lot of funny things happened in my mind and what I did, but when I came to, it was the most God Awful thing that has ever happened to me.
Now I might have to have more back surgery and I don't know what to do. I am learning everything I can about this, and at the hospital, they think it was the DiLaudid they gave me for pain, and the older you get ( I am 70) the less you can metabolize the medication. But I think it was the anesthesia also. I have all my records and will inform the Doctors involved, and the hospital, what meds I took, and what kind of anesthesia I had, so this doesn't get repeated, but you cannot stop it from happening again, all you can do is inform and learn and keep yourself healthy. I was also anemic at the time, and maybe dehydrated.
I'm so glad you wrote to me, keep writing if you feel like it, and maybe we can help each other. Thanks for reaching out.
Marie
By the way, how did you find me ? I been writing to all the sites to find someone who has had this. Thanks so much. God Bless.