A woman who was placed in a medically induced coma has revealed what it was like to feel “trapped” in her own body—still able to hear, feel and see her surroundings.
Earlier this year, Toyosi Adeneye learned that she was pregnant, expecting a baby this November. However, she was soon diagnosed with a short cervix, which increases the risk of preterm birth or miscarriage.
By the time she reached 23 weeks, Adeneye—who goes by the pseudonym Dorothy Tuash online—was already 4 centimeters dilated, and her waters broke. She told Newsweek that she was in pre-term labor, and surgeons had to perform “an emergency dilation and evacuation” on her in July.
The 30-year-old was subsequently diagnosed with chorioamnionitis, a serious condition that occurs when the membranes that surround the fetus and amniotic fluid are infected by bacteria. According to the Cleveland Clinic, chorioamnionitis can lead to severe infection as well as brain or lung problems.
Things only got worse for Adeneye—who hails from from Alberta, Canada—when she developed sepsis and went into septic shock.
“They had to put me into a coma in order to administer treatment and save my life,” she explained.
Adeneye was in a coma for three and a half days, throughout which she had moments of consciousness when she could hear, see, and even feel pain. Her last memory was being sedated prior to the operation, but when she realized that she had awareness and yet couldn’t move or do anything, she knew she was in a coma.
Adeneye said: “I tried really hard to move my limbs and eyes, but it felt impossible. I heard the machine breathing for me and could feel my chest heaving; that’s how I knew I was in a coma.
“I had moments where I was conscious and could hear clearly—I could even hear my nurses talking about me. My eyes were closed, but whenever they would open them to administer eye drops, I could see,” she continued.
‘State of Panic’
It was a terrifying experience for Adeneye, who felt “a state of panic” every time she came back around and remember she was in a coma. She didn’t know why, how long she had been there for, or whether she was making any progress. She also had no idea of how much longer she would be stuck there for, which made it all the more frightening.
Being in a coma means a deep unconscious state where a person cannot show any signs of awareness or reaction. There are varying depths of coma, however, and some people may still have some reflex responses.
As in Adeneye’s case, it is possible for people to hear or remember things that happened during their coma. The Cleveland Clinic notes that this varies greatly and can be hard to predict.
Adeneye lived in a temporary cycle of coming to, feeling anxious and then blacking out.
“I kept looking for my husband and I was upset I couldn’t communicate with him. I was scared because I wasn’t sure if they were going to turn off my life support,” Adeneye said.
What added to her discomfort is that Adeneye could also feel pain while she was in the coma. At one point, a complication with one of her intravenous lines meant a nurse had to squeeze Adeneye’s arm to flush it out—and all she could do was “scream inside” from the pain.
She could also feel the lines going into her arm any time she was turned over and there was mild discomfort when a nurse adjusted her neck.
Waking Up From the Coma
When she finally came out of the coma, there was instant relief. She’d felt “trapped in [her] own body” for so many days, and she was finally free.
“I had blacked out and suddenly I came to again, but this time I could move my body slightly,” she said. “I was so excited to see my husband. He fed me ice chips, but my gums hurt really bad from being intubated. I was also happy to be able to breathe by myself again.”
When she told her husband, friends, family and hospital staff that she’d been conscious the whole time, they were all incredibly shocked.
Adeneye remained in the hospital for an additional four days after waking up from the coma, during which time she had to learn how to breathe, talk and walk again. It was painful and she also experienced nightmares after, but she says that’s all in the past now, thankfully.
Victorious and Grateful
When she looks back at that time now, she can’t help but feel “victorious and grateful to God” that she made it through.
Adeneye told Newsweek: “I’m doing way better than I was, but grief still shows its face from time to time. However, I thought it would take me longer to improve mentally, but I am in such a good place now, focused on continuing to build myself and my career.”
Adeneye, who is part of a content creator duo called The OT Love Train, has started documenting her experiences on TikTok (@dorothytuash), with videos detailing her pregnancy loss and the coma. The video about being aware during a coma has gone viral with over 1.4 million views and 155,100 likes at the time of writing.
The online response has been overwhelmingly positive, as many people even shared their own similar experiences too. Whether it’s connecting with others or educating them, Adeneye is glad that she could spark this conversation.
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