What can I expect if I am in a coma?
Being in a coma generally means you’re not conscious, so you don’t know you’re in a coma. You don’t show any signs of awareness of the world around you, and you can’t intentionally react to your circ*mstances, environment or your body’s needs. Depending on the depth of your coma, you may still have some reflex responses, but these vary from case to case.
Can I hear or remember things that happened around me when I was in a coma?
This is sometimes possible, but it depends on the type of coma and how deep your coma is. There’s evidence that people in a coma can hear what’s happening around them. Some people who were in a coma can remember what they heard happening nearby. However, this can vary widely and it’s difficult to predict how and when a person might experience this.
It’s also important to remember that comas can be difficult to diagnose. Healthcare providers make this diagnosis using their training, experience and judgment, but no two cases are the same. That means it’s possible to misdiagnose a coma or misjudge its depth because of another factor. People may also be in a coma at first but recover enough to regain some awareness before a healthcare provider can recognize the change in awareness.
Because there are so many factors, there’s no easy way to answer this question. A healthcare provider is the best person to help you explore whether you or a loved one were aware or can remember what happened during a coma. While they may not be able to answer this question fully, they can at least help you understand what effect — if any — that knowledge can play in recovery and what comes next.
How long does a coma last?
A coma can be very brief and last only a few minutes, or it can last as long as one to two weeks. Unfortunately, death is a possible complication of being in a coma. This is more likely to happen when a coma happens because of a very severe injury or illness, or when a person doesn’t get medical care quickly enough after they enter a coma.
Comas rarely last longer than a couple of weeks because people tend to emerge from the coma and wake up or shift into another state of decreased or minimal consciousness. These include:
- Vegetative state. A person in this state is awake but unaware of the world around them and doesn’t show any intentional behaviors. They may open their eyes or do things that look like reactions to the world around them, but they aren’t actually aware or acting intentionally. When a vegetative state lasts long enough, it’s known as a persistent vegetative state (experts define a vegetative state as “persistent” when it lasts at least three months when not related to trauma and at least 12 months when related to trauma).
- Minimally conscious state. This is when a person shows some awareness of the world around them and some intentional behaviors. They can follow simple commands and say short phrases, but they can’t do these things consistently. When they can’t do these things, they appear similar to people with persistent vegetative states.
A vegetative state is similar to a coma but isn’t the same. People in a vegetative state have recovered enough that they aren’t in a coma, but their brain’s abilities and activity are still very limited.
The potential for recovery from a vegetative state varies widely. Some people recover consciousness fully or partially, but most don’t. People can remain in vegetative states for weeks, months or even years. However, they need constant medical care because they can’t care for themselves. Unfortunately, their risks of complications are high, and most people in a vegetative state have a limited life expectancy.
What’s the outlook for this condition?
The outlook for a coma can vary widely, and many factors play a role. The best person to tell you the outlook for a specific situation is a healthcare provider who knows the situation. In most cases, this is the provider caring for your loved one.
How to ensure your wishes are followed when you can’t choose yourself
If you’re in a coma, you can’t make decisions about your medical care or tell anyone what you want. In many cases, that means it falls to family or loved ones to make those choices.
Regardless of whether you have a condition that could cause a coma, it’s a good idea to have conversations with your loved one about what you want in case you can’t make decisions about your own medical care. These conversations may feel unpleasant or difficult, but having them sooner rather than later can ensure your loved ones know what you want if you can’t tell them or choose for yourself.
It’s also a good idea to put your wishes and decisions in writing. That typically involves preparing documents related to legal issues and what happens if you can’t take care of yourself or making decisions for your own care or well-being. You can consult an attorney for help preparing these documents, but many of them you can prepare on your own (you may need a notary or other official to endorse them, depending on the laws in your area).
A note from Cleveland Clinic
For those who have a loved one in a coma, it can be a frightening experience. You may have many unanswered questions when your loved one is in a coma. You may wonder whether they can recover, how long it will take and if a full recovery is possible. While living with questions and uncertainty isn’t easy, ongoing research is helping experts better understand how comas work and how to treat them. That will open the door for possible recovery from comas both now and in the future.
