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This is my true coma survivor story, surviving ARDS and now living with POTS.
Back in February of 2016 I was put into a medically induced coma in order to save my life. I had developed double lung pneumonia and my oxygen was dropping way below 80!
But it got worse. They put me in a medically induced coma so they could transport me to another hospital with an ICU (our local small town hospital only had an ER but no ICU). The coma was meant to last just a few days for the transfer … but I got worse … I almost died.
I developed ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome = lungs gave up on me) and I ended up staying the coma for 3 weeks before I finally woke up from the coma.
During the coma, while my family were beside themselves, wondering if I would even survive I was having the worst nightmares of my life!
I had about a 20-40% survival chance – as my COPD rehab doctor later told me, they don’t have rehab for ARDS patients because most never leave the hospital! That’s why they put me in an COPD lung clinic instead. (Ironic, that I have never smoked a day in my life, and can’t be around smoke or my lungs will give up on me, but because of smokers I was able to use their rehab to get a bit stronger!)
After months of slow recovery, I realized that I had developed POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) which will probably last the rest of my life. This affects my day-to-day living for myself and my entire family. I am a person with disabilities now. Learning how to live life much slower than what I am used to has certainly had it’s challenges but I’m still here, so they are worth it!
As I mentioned in my video, to help keep my lungs mucus-free, I use my Himalayan Pink Salt Inhaler which you can find on Amazon.
I know how blessed I am, and I want to “live a life I am proud of” by honouring Claire Wineland who inspired me to share my coma nightmares and ARDS / POTS survivor stories so I can inspire and help more families coping with horrible life experiences like mine, or like Claire’s, who was a cystic fibrosis patient until her death in Sept. 2018. Rest in peace Claire.
๐ This video is to honour Claire Wineland, founder of Claire’s Place Foundation for Cystic Fibrosis through sharing my own coma dreams and nightmares that is also known as ICU Psychosis nightmares or dreams.
Claire was in a 2 week medically induced coma when she was just 13 years old and when she woke up she was inspired to start a foundation for families coping with the same horrible disease that she had dealt with from birth. Most Cystic Fibrosis foundations or charities focus on finding a cure and very little offer financial support for families actually living with the disease, which are tremendously overwhelming.
Watch Claire Wineland’s YouTube Originals Documentary, “Claire” below … Prepare to fall in love with this incredible angel.
Show your support for Claire, by considering to donate to her Claire’s Place Foundation. Thank-you.
Cheers … Amanda van der Gulik … Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
P.S. Thank-you for reading my blog post today. It means so much to me. I would love to read your own coma stories, or lung stories. Have you ever been in a coma? Has anyone close to you ever been through a coma? Are you a lung patient? Share your story in the comments below. I read each comment and reply personally to each one.
P.P.S. Subscribe to my YouTube channel so you’ll know when my next video comes out and you won’t miss a thing.
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