Ventilator and Fatigue

Posted by abrooky @abrooky, Sep 20, 2021

Hello everyone! I am 2 weeks lost hospitalization. I was diagnosed with parainfluenza 3, Pneumonia, and ARDS. I was put on a ventilator for about 5 days. I don’t remember any of it, which I’m okay with. I developed a DVT in my right jugular. I’m on a blood thinner for the next 3 months. Mentally, I feel fine! Physically, I am quite lucky. My breathing is fine and I don’t get winded as much as I would expect. My only concern is how exhausted I am. I get a full 9 hours, but usually around noon I am exhausted. Could this be from being so sick or the blood thinners?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Intensive Care (ICU) Support Group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 20, 2021

Hi @abrooky and welcome. Good news that you are physically and mentally doing well after such an intense ICU experience. Allow me to bring @plexiclone @jready @donna562 @giffordtheresarev into this discussion. You can read more about their experiences with ICU and ARDS in this discussion.
- ARDS Support: my story and looking to help other survivors https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/ards-support-my-story-and-looking-to-help-other-survivors/

ABrooky, did I understand your message correctly that you were discharged only 2 weeks ago? If that is correct, I'm not surprised that you are still dealing with fatigue. Are you recovering at home now?

abrooky | @abrooky | Sep 20, 2021

In reply to @colleenyoung "Hi @abrooky and welcome. Good news that you are physically and mentally doing well after such..." + (show)

Yes I was discharged 2 weeks ago. I’m doing at home recovery. I’m just tired all the time.

Jennifer | @jready | Sep 20, 2021

Hi @abrooky. I was hospitalized in January but only spent 2 days on a vent. I would guess a lot of your fatigue is your body trying to recover. I was 2 days on a vent, 4 days total in ICU and 7 days total in the hospital. I was diagnosed with ARDS and pneumonia. I think I was only awake a total of 6 hours a day for the first week I was home. I took 2 weeks off from work after I got home just to try and get some energy back. Even when I went back to work I needed to nap over my lunch hour for another 3 months (good thing I work from home!). Nine months later I still have bouts of fatigue.

All I can say is give yourself time. You say you are doing well mentally but I suspect at least subconsciously there is still some anxiety over your illness. I know it was at least a few weeks before I stopped waking up in the middle of the night disoriented and thinking I was still in the hospital or worse having extremely bizarre dreams. That added to my fatigue from lack of solid sleep and the anxiety.

I still fight off some anxiety every time I get slightly sick. My illness came on suddenly without warning. So now when I start to have a bout of tachycardia the anxiety goes up and makes things worse.

You are doing great. Give yourself time.

Jennifer