Most of us have no clue what people experience while in a coma, whether it’s a natural or medically induced one. We hear some describing it as a dream-like state, and hit TV shows convincing us that it’s just a few days of quality sleep that leaves people refreshed and ready to conquer the world. However, it’s much more complicated than that.
If you’ve ever wondered what this condition really feels like, the Ask Reddit community has got you covered. Three users, whatchalookingatboy, yummygumdrop, and _bread-boi, decided to learn more about this perplexing unconsciousness. They asked people to describe how they slipped into this state and what they remember (or not!) about it. A deluge of responses from coma survivors flooded the threads, and each is more interesting than the previous one.
From having vivid dreams, to mixing up fiction and reality, to understanding everything around them, it looks like every person reacts differently. We at Bored Panda have combed through the answers and handpicked some of the wildest stories that are equally horrific as they are fascinating. Continue scrolling and let us know what you think in the comments! And after reading this piece, make sure to find even more coma recollections right here.
#1
A friend of mine was in a 6 month coma after an accident. Afterwards he made sure to tell everyone around him to talk to people in a coma because they can hear you. BUT he noted that they should always tell the person in a coma what happened, where they are and what’s happening to them because he said that his moments of lucidity were mixed with some truly horrifying dreams and he had trouble distinguishing between what was real and what were dreams. He said he just wanted to be told what was real and what was happening.
Image credits: Blameking27
#2
I spent eight days in a coma last year after a particularly traumatic surgery, my waking thoughts were wondering if I had died or made it. I couldn’t open my eyes, and I was on a medical air mattress, so I felt like I was floating; this lead me to think that I had died, and I remember thinking it wasn’t so bad and wondering if my dad would come find me. Once I realized that I was still alive, I thought I had been injured fighting in a war and worried that my wife might not know I was still alive. Trying to communicate with the nurses while intubated and drugged was very difficult.
What I learned later from my wife is that she was there the whole time and while I was fighting against the doctors and nurses, I would immediately calm down and cooperate when she held my hand and sang to me. It still brings tears to my eyes to think of the love and devotion she has shown to me during this time.
Image credits: Tinman556
#3
A friend of ours fell into a coma at age 25 (around 1992) and woke up at age 36 (around 2002). She was a Rhodes Scholar nominee (I think, second-hand information) and quite brilliant. She was still 25 mentally — as if everything was just on pause. Her body was really well-preserved; she’s really fun and cool and sort of the ultimate cougar. Plus, she totally woke up to the internet.
Image credits: horsman
#4
I was in a coma for four days. When I woke up, everyone was talking about the baby boy I had. I had lost my long-term memory and didn’t even remember being pregnant. My son was at the children’s hospital in the NICU. I delivered him via C-section at 29 wks. All this was due to me having Crohn’s disease (which I found out after I woke up); my colon had ruptured during my pregnancy. My husband said I was talking like a child when I first woke up.
When I woke up, I felt super tired, but then the next few days, kinda restless. I remembered one conversation my mom had with a nurse while I was under. After a couple of days, I got my long-term memory back and remembered everything up until my second surgery then nothing until I woke up. My son was my third surgery. So, my son was what surprised me.
Image credits: PennyCundiff
#5
EDIT: Thanks for my first gold!!
I was in a coma for about 2 days when I was 22. I have Crohn’s and had been in a severe flare for a few weeks prior. Lots of blood loss, unable to eat dehydrated etc. I fell asleep on my parents’ couch. The next thing I remember is walking up in the ICU and thinking about how I needed to use the restroom. Since I had no idea what had happened or where I was I just got up (or tried to anyway) and all the machines went off and a nurse came running into the room and told me to sit down. I don’t remember anything that happened during the coma, no dreams, no sense of time moving. Just like a dreamless sleep. Apparently though I was able to do basic commands in the coma. Like a doctor told me to open my eyes so they could take my contacts out. I’d squeeze a hand if told to, but otherwise I didn’t move or respond to anything. I don’t recall any of it though. Doctors think I went into this coma as a way to preserve energy to keep me alive. I had to get 5 pints of blood and had IV drips in both arms while I was out. It’s weird to think about how it happened I was there and yet I have no memories of it.
Image credits: betsaronie
#6
I was in a medically induced coma (with induced, full-body paralysis) for six weeks. There were a handful of times that I distinctly remember where I ‘woke up’ in my head. What was the experience like? It sucked.
When I would wake up in my head, I had no idea as to what had happened. So, I’m fully conscious, I know that I’m me, but I can’t open my eyes, I can’t move a muscle and I can’t speak. The first time it happened was terrifying. I started to panic and for a minute there, I thought I might be dead. Then I realized that I was thinking, so that didn’t seem right. I tried to move and couldn’t. I tried to speak and couldn’t. I tried to scream and couldn’t.
The next time it happened was when my best friend came to see me. Again, I can’t move, I can’t see, and I can’t talk. But when I ‘woke up’ in my head, I could feel her holding my hand and asking me to squeeze if I could hear her talking. I tried as hard as I could to squeeze my hand, and I could feel it doing absolutely nothing. When she let go to walk away, I was completely devastated. I tried to scream for her to stay, but obviously, nothing happened. However, I was so glad that people I knew were there wherever I was and that I was getting help (even though I felt completely helpless). That kind of helped. I had to calm myself down again so that I could drift off again.
When I was finally brought out of the coma, my parents were there and that didn’t make any sense because my parents lived two states away at the time. I eventually learned that they had been there the entire time. They dropped everything in their lives and came to be with me and stayed there throughout the entire ordeal. After a couple of days (I think), some doctors came in and asked me a bunch of questions. The first question was what year it was — that I knew because I remembered getting sick on New Year’s Eve, so I knew it was 2000. Next was who the president was. I answered Clinton, so I got that right. Then they asked if I knew where I was. I assuredly said, ‘Honolulu’ because in my dreams, I had been in Honolulu. When all of their faces had that confused Scooby Doo look is when I realized that wasn’t quite right, so I figured that I must have been back in Salt Lake City (somehow). They appeared quite relieved when I came up with that.
Image credits: TheOpus
#7
I was out for 45 days, no white light, no tunnel, nothing. Woke up and couldn’t remember who I was. For six months, never really fully recovered so I just started life again. Turns out I’m a completely different person than I was and that is a really good thing. I get memories now and then, they aren’t pleasant. A woman came and sat by my bed for six weeks, turns out she was my ex lover. I couldn’t remember her. Didn’t recognize my mother.
*** Afterward** This is the second time in my life I have related this much about my life publicly and it has been good and at the same time really painful. Thanks to everyone for being kind. I wrote this story seven months ago and published it in the lounge and I really hurt my self doing it. This time I wanted to share about the life afterwards and I hope it has been of some benefit to others that struggle with mental issues. This place saves lives, gives hope and guidance to millions of people and i feel lucky to be part of the community.
Image credits: Chris_Thrush
#8
I’m a burn survivor — I was in an explosion in my backyard when I was seven years old. Whilst I was in the hospital, I was in a medically induced coma to make my chances of surviving higher. I do remember a few things that happened while I was in said coma; I remember my father reading the seventh book of the Magic Tree House series to me, and I remember hearing the screams of new patients that would come in, but I couldn’t move my body at all, nor could I give any signs that I could hear my family or medical staff.
I spent two weeks in the coma and another 48 days. Today, I’m a happy, healthy 17-year-old. If I can say anything about what happened that day, it’s that it changed my life for the better.
Image credits: XxBURNB0YxX
#9
Back in the ’90s, my great grandfather had a stroke. He was in a coma for three weeks, and when he woke up, he could not speak English — all he could speak was the Choctaw language. He had learned it when he was a kid, because his family lived right near a Choctaw reserve, and he played with a lot of those kids. He spoke it fluently at that time, but forgot it over his life to where he couldn’t remember any of it by this time. This went on for around 10 days, and then he woke up from a night’s sleep and could suddenly speak only English again, not remembering a word of Choctaw.
He was also able to repeat verbatim every conversation that had been held in the room that he was in.
Image credits: GoldH2O
#10
You and the people around you change. A lot. I had a narcissistic sister and mom & dad used to fight on the most trivial stuff lots of raised voices. I bet that’s why my sister behaved the way she did. She was sarcastic, too. It never ended. Going home felt like a room to take a bath in and hit the sack at, with a touch of sarcasm and constant entitledness(if that’s even a word).
I had a brain surgery. I was under for 5 months. The lobby lady told me, she was there every day. Never missed a day, there was no need to come visit me. But she would stay there after school till night fell. So like 5 hours.
I never felt so loved ever. It swept the ground (what I thought of her) from under my feet. I was blank.
When I did wake up. She was the first thing I saw. There she was, my sister. Who always hated my guts. I don’t know what made her change, I never asked but I was glad. I knew it was genuine. She wasn’t even surprised, she just looks at me and says “Took you long enough.” We cried and hugged it out.
And she was a complete different person after that. I don’t know what it does to/in people that changes them. But I’m glad that it does.
Then I realised why people just didn’t get up from a bedridden state and need help. Because the back is stiff. XD lolz
Image credits: War-Whorese
#11
I was in a medically induced coma following a self-inflicted gunshot wound. I don’t remember much but my family described moments of me appearing to be awake. Most notable, an apparent attempt at humor. Apparently they put these mits on my hands to prevent me from ripping my ventilation tubes out over and over but I pretended they were my lobster claws. I have no recollection but it’s a real me move.
Edit: Gold was really too generous. Thank you so much. It’s also my first gold, so big hugs to you, Stranger.
Edit 2: I’ve never known so much kindness. Truly. My heart is very full right now.
Image credits: anon
#12
Dunno. I was in a coma for 11 days, severe brain injury. I don’t remember being in a coma or waking up from a coma. I lost several years of memories prior to the coma, and my brain didn’t really start to “retain” information again until ~6 weeks after I came out of the coma.
I’m told that my personality changed afterwards. I had to rebuild most areas of my life. It sucked, but it was probably a good thing.
Although I’d be lying if I said I never wondered what my life would be like if I’d never had the coma.
Image credits: heyrainyday
#13
My mom was in an induced coma for three months. When she woke up, she thought the hospital was trying to kill her. She tried to get out of bed, and she fell on the floor because she couldn’t walk. She was mostly freaked about how her feet had lost their form. They were humped over from not being used. Every muscle, she had to learn again. She couldn’t talk well or write at all. She has different handwriting after re-learning. She said she hated how perfect her hands looked. Her nails and cuticles were perfect and clean from not being used. I remember trying to brush her hair after she woke up, and almost all of it fell out. And she almost died pretty much every day she was in her coma.
She had sepsis from a diverticulitis surgery gone wrong. A lot of her hair has grown back, and she can walk but has brain damage that makes her seem very drunk. She is always dizzy. But it’s been five years now, and her recovery has been miraculous.
Image credits: CherrySlusheez
#14
After being in a really bad accident that left one of my good friends (the driver) brain dead, they put me into a chemically induced coma for under a week to prevent brain damage due to swelling.
When I first woke up, my memory was much better than it was as it gradually faded in the days to come. I have a journal my mother recorded things in, and I recalled many things I shouldn’t have been able to immediately after waking up. Today, I have very little memory of it all, but I can definitely say that having positive people around you definitely helps when you’re in a situation like that.
If you have a friend in this situation, don’t disregard them. Even though your life has moved on, they may wake up one day, and in their mind, not a day has passed since the last conversation they had with you.
Image credits: croatianscentsation
#15
3 month coma here. I did know I was in a coma, but had no sense of time. I had some minor awareness of what was going on around me, sort of the inverse of a dream. Speaking of dreaming, I learned lucid dreaming. I remember using Legos to build walls against the pain. I remember alternating between feeling like I was freezing and on fire and used my newfound lucid dreaming powers to try to mitigate those feelings. I remember writing a book in my mind, and visualising it like a movie as I wrote it. I remember feeling the tears of my wife and hearing her cry, and talking about how she was running out of strength. I remember wanting to comfort her, I remember wanting to tell her about the book I was working on.
When I came out of it the next 6 months were hell. I had no appetite but somehow gained 40 pounds pretty quickly. I felt like my whole nervous system was off by a millimeter and had to relearn touch typing. I’ve never recovered the energy I had before. I lost the ability to lucid dream. It’ll happen sometimes, but very rarely. I held onto to the details of the book in my mind for about two days, which wasn’t nearly long enough to write it all down, especially since I had to relearn touch typing. There were times in that first six months I wished I was back in the coma.
That was three years ago but I only have about $30k of debt left. I’ll never be able to buy a house. Due to the debt I lost my security clearance, which cut off my entire career track. I still feel bad for my family having to go through that but I think it made us closer. I’m happier with what I have, and grateful for the small things in life, which is fortunate because beforehand I was very driven and ambitious. Now I’m more cautious and reserved. Me of three years ago wouldn’t like me now. He’d think I gave up and should work harder for more tangible success. Current me is happy with the love and loyalty of my family.
Sometimes though I miss the ability to create fully fleshed out worlds in my mind.
Image credits: Hammand
#16
I was in a coma for three days after a car accident where I hit my head. Pretty much, I was driving then I saw the color purple, and then I woke up three days later. There really was nothing. It’s not even like sleeping because when you wake up from sleeping, you know you were asleep. It is like blinking; one second you are doing something, then the next something totally different. I do have a vague memory of being on a table with a cute guy wiping my nose and it hurting really bad. I remember saying, ‘You are super cute,’ but that’s all.
I believe that was before I went into the coma after the accident. I had a brain bruise or something like that, and it caused speech problems for about six months after.
Image credits: sharms2010
#17
I was in a coma for about two weeks following a cardiac arrest as a teen. I was technically dead for over an hour, in fact. People often ask me if I could hear my family talking to me or if I was dreaming. The answer is “No.”
There is a huge hole in my memory beginning about two weeks before the coma through a week after “waking up.” And waking up is in quotes because I would wake up, ask a bunch of semi-incoherent questions, fall back under, then wake up again and ask the *exact* same questions, in the exact same order. Repeat six or seven times.
The coma was not even blackness. It just does not exist. I remember having the hardest time believing it was actually mid-October when the last day I remembered was late-September.
Image credits: iwillcorrectyou
#18
When I was considered medically “dead” I couldn’t hear anyone, I was in a huge white room with no walls, just a floor. The floor would occasionally sparkle far off. I could not move, I could just look around, it was completely empty. I could still feel emotions, I had a heavy feeling of being nervous/worried. It felt like I was sneaking into a place where I did not belong, like a part of the house that was off limits to me as a kid. Time went by so slowly, I felt every second of it. It was only for 4ish minutes but it definitely felt that long. I could not think, I just felt. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. I felt helpless, everything was out of my control, I felt trapped. I dont remember but when I was revived I screamed for minutes, I just screamed and cried.
Image credits: WhiteWilliam
#19
I was in a medically induced coma for several months after a car accident. I don’t remember much. But i do recall coming out of the coma briefly a few times. The first time i started flailing around and had to be tired back down to the bed till i was put back to sleep. A second time i woke to see some of my organs out on trays sitting on my body (still attached, but just being held out of the way) i also had a dream about being “locked” to a couch in cuba and could only watch tv in Spanish (i think it was). I say “locked” because i was able to get up and move, but only to a certain distance. Like after 10ft id hit an imaginary wall. Like when in a video game and you reach the end of the map.
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Image credits: dark000monkey
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