People that have been in a coma, what's it like waking up afterwards?

1. I was in a month long coma. Feels like a long nap. You dont realise youre missing shit (mine was medically induced so idk if that affects things). I remember these wierd dreams like I was on a spaceship and was tied down for alien experiements, but apparently they would take off the whatever that was putting me under and I would freak out. After it was over I had to relearn walking talking eating and speaking. I still have a slight impediment. But the actual coma is just like a nap. Felt like I was asleep for a day but then boom -- one month later.
   — ThickAsPigShit


2. At 31 I was placed in a medically induced coma for five weeks. “Waking up” took several weeks while the anesthesia and paralytics wore off. It was very surreal and scary. My body was wasted from atrophy and I lost about 60lbs altogether. I had to do a lot of work to regain my ability to walk, use my hands, bathroom, etc. As for during the coma itself, I’m not sure if it was while I was out or coming to, but it was basically like the longest stress dream ever from which there was no escape. I’ve worked very hard and almost fully recovered In the years since. It was a traumatic experience.
   — DM1877


3. Coma when i was 16. Woke up confused with both parents beside me. The whole thing was surreal a lot of hallucinations for three or four days . A lot of paranoia and thought it was real as i had never experienced any drugs before that point
   — Please_be_nice






4. I was in a coma when I was 10 for two days. I'm 29 now. My family and I were on vacation at a relative's house. I was running around their house playing some kind of game with my cousins when suddenly I just blacked out. That was the last thing I remember from that day. I didn't even know I was in a coma or have any recollection of the coma or waking up from it. Two days later the first thing that I remember from being in the hospital was the doctors doing an L.P. on my back (lumbar puncture). My parents didn't speak English very well so we never figured out the the underlying cause since I was 10 and didn't know what the hell was going on but the best translation was that I suffered from meningitis (some inflammation around the tissue of my brain). This was around the time there was the west nile virus outbreak and the doctors thought I had it but it came back negative I believe. I suffered 3 seizures in the year after I left the hospital but all tests came back fine on me. I haven't been in a hospital in the 18 years since.
   — Kingslugger


5. My first coma patient was last month; an older lady with a systemic infection that became acute encephalitis. Despite all the treatment we could provide, she got confused, then tired, slept more and more, and finally became GCS 3 (lowest level of consciousness, comatose/unresponsive). No response to even the most painful procedures. Her husband was by her bed almost constantly, looking sad, and the team did their best to keep him informed and comfortable. Neurology and ITU came for consultations, scans were done; it looked as though there might be enough damage that she’d never wake up. A week went by. The senior physician wrote DNR orders and End of Life care was prepared. Then I was taking her blood the morning of her discharge to hospice, wiped her arm as I finished, and was talking her through it as I do with any patient. When I pulled the curtain open to leave, her eyes opened and she looked straight at me. Dropped my tray on the bed in surprise, but she just said, “Could I have a cup of tea and some toast please, [My Name]?” Two days after that she was walking out of the ward with her husband to go home. Didn’t seem fazed at all. Edit: This is not a normal outcome for a coma patient. Those who wake up at all usually do so very slowly, over days, and with multiple neurological problems to slowly overcome. One of the neuro registrars wrote that it’s possible this was not a true coma, but i’m not a doctor until February so I couldn’t tell you.
   — Staterae


6. I was in a coma 18 years ago at the age of 14. I suffered a brain injury, and was in a coma for a bit more than two days. Awakening was confusing. I had lost much of my memories from the days an weeks leading up to the accident, and my family had to fill me in multiple times on what had happened. Additionally, i was unable to create new memories for the first couple days (the first week is hazy). I had a copy of my favorite movie, Happy Gilmore, in the hospital with me. I must have watched it a hundred times. Once i had literally just finished watching Happy Gilmore. My sister called me to chat. Her: hows the hospital treating you? Me: its so boring. Her: why dont you watch Happy Gilmore? Me: what??!! I have it here??? Proceed to watch it for the 101st time this week I had also lost most motor skills. I remember having to use a wheelchair, but because the left side of my body was so much weaker i would end up only pretending to use my left hand. I thought i was SO sneaky and no one could tell that i was just pushing myself in circles. [My parents when](http://gifimage.net/exasperated-gif-4/) My inhibitions were also thrown out the window. My brother would later tell me how i had, in front of my entire family, taken a nurse by the hand and tried to seduce her with graphic details of the things id like to do to her. Spoiler alert: i did not lose my virginity on that day. I would later require intense physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy, and for good measure some resocialization. I spent 12 days in the hospital, two months at a live in rehabilitation center for children, and another two months in outpatient care. If you have more questions ill be happy to answer them. Tl;dr: what was very serious and not at all funny at the time is mildly amusing years later. Edit: changed 16 years to 18 years. Math is hard.
   — MoralMiscreant






7. A few years ago I caught a parasite on a river, went into hypovolemic shock, and got to the hospital just in time to go into a coma for a week. I was in a clean, white space, full of love. I woke up confused, and my mom said I was saying all sorts of things that didn't make sense when I woke up. I don't remember any of that. Don't remember much of anything anymore, to be perfectly honest. My brain is damaged and my short term memory doesn't really convert to long term memory properly when I sleep. I kind of live in a real life Groundhog Day scenario except the world keeps moving while I wake up everyday thinking it is a few years ago. EDIT: Feel free to ask questions. I am lame and have no plans for the evening, so I'll answer them as best I can. Also, you should expand the comments under this section, as I have replied to many with additional details of how to live your life like a fucking champion!
   — 2fucktard2remember


8. Strange but true. My grandmother went into a coma for 2 days. When she came to, all that she would say was "I saw Jesus and the toilet paper in heaven is so soft." Shes passed away now but at least she passed under the impression that she was heading to some comforting bathroom breaks.
   — ismileicrazy


9. Much harder than the movies make it out to be. My sister was hit by a drunk driver while on vacation in Mexico. She was in a coma for several weeks. Upon awakening, she had to relearn everything...walking, eating, social interactions, going to the bathroom. Every single thing was a struggle for months and years to come. She spent her 16th birthday in a a coma. Now she has a beautiful 6 year old daughter, and is doing very well, but she still has some residual challenges, and I don’t think a week goes by that she doesn’t wonder how her life would have been different without that awful experience. She is the most emotionally strong person I’ve ever known.
   — DocBeetus






10. This is my dad's experience. He was in a coma a week after drinking himself to varices and had emergency surgery because his stomach hemorrhaged. He said it was like jet lag, he couldn't understand that a whole week had gone by when to him it was like having a nap. He said he could hear us sometimes when we would talk to him but couldn't remember what we was talking about. When he woke up he had no voice. He was literally mute. He said it was so tiring just trying to bring a spoon to his mouth. He was in a coma a week and he had to learn how to walk and to talk again! Think about how hard it must be for those in comas months! He said everything takes so much energy until your muscles build up again. He would constantly be confused about the date because it really did mess him up. It's stupid but after two years he still can't comprehend that he missed a whole week of his life. Coming home everything was different. He had a walker, after a month of physio therapy he was still struggling to bring mugs of tea to his face because of the weight in the cup. His appetite depleted and barely ate any portion that was bigger than his hand. It took him a solid year to get to the point where he could go out without his wheelchair because of the muscle wastage he suffered. He can now walk around fine on his own and doesn't require any aids after two years but everything is still very tiring for him. It took him the better half of a year to be able to manage steps. His voice is still weak and if he talks too much it disappears as he's talking. Comas are nothing like the movies. 1 week in a coma over 1 year to recover. You don't just stand up and walk out of the hospital.
    — Plantsrgr8