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Tag: coma

  • I was in a coma—this is everything I could see, hear and feel

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    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.

    Toyosi Adeneye posing beside a car, and pictured while in a medically induced coma in July.

    @dorothytuash / TikTok

    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.

    Toyosi Adeneye and husband
    Toyosi Adeneye, 30, pictured in a coma and beside her husband after waking up.

    @dorothytuash / TikTok

    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.

    Is there a health issue that’s worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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  • Mother put into coma minutes after giving birth speaks on recovery

    Mother put into coma minutes after giving birth speaks on recovery

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    An Ohio woman gave birth and then, within the hour, was in a coma. Ashley Zinn was given just a 30% chance to live after being diagnosed with an amniotic fluid embolism. Most new moms will tell you the first few weeks of motherhood are a blur. For Ashley, it’s not even a memory.“I remember telling the staff I’m dying,” Ashley said.Just 15 minutes after delivering her son, Parker, Ashley began experiencing chest pain.“The last thing I remember after that was being hauled away to CT,” Ashley said.She was placed into a medically induced coma and diagnosed with amniotic fluid embolism, which is a rare delivery complication.“Someone finally came back and told us that her vitals were continuously dropping on the ventilator and basically told us we need to put her on life-support or she’s not going to make it tonight,” Ashley’s husband, Alex, said.Doctors gave Ashley just a 30% chance to live.“She was within minutes to hours of dying,” said Dr. Debbie Rohner, medical director of the cardiovascular ICU at Bethesda North Hospital. “Her lungs failed, her heart failed, her kidney failed, her liver failed, and her blood system failed.”Alex was pulled between looking after their new son and staying bedside next to his wife in the ICU.“It was definitely a really hard balance between being there for him and being there for Ashley,” Alex said. “I knew that time that she needed me more.”Slowly, Ashley began to make progress. Her newborn was also by her side. She is expected to make a full recovery. Doctors say it’s a miracle.“I thank God every day for giving us another day together,” Alex said. “You don’t really realize how short life is in a blink of an eye.”Ashley remembers those first moments she awoke and was reunited with baby, Parker.“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I just went through all this, and he looks just like my husband,’” Ashley said.While the first month as a new family of three hasn’t looked as expected, Ashley says it’s even sweeter.“I would go through it all over again for him,” Ashley said. “I wanted to be a mother ever since I was a little girl.”A GoFundMe has been started to support Ashley’s recovery. To donate, click here.

    An Ohio woman gave birth and then, within the hour, was in a coma. Ashley Zinn was given just a 30% chance to live after being diagnosed with an amniotic fluid embolism.

    Most new moms will tell you the first few weeks of motherhood are a blur. For Ashley, it’s not even a memory.

    “I remember telling the staff I’m dying,” Ashley said.

    Just 15 minutes after delivering her son, Parker, Ashley began experiencing chest pain.

    “The last thing I remember after that was being hauled away to CT,” Ashley said.

    She was placed into a medically induced coma and diagnosed with amniotic fluid embolism, which is a rare delivery complication.

    “Someone finally came back and told us that her vitals were continuously dropping on the ventilator and basically told us we need to put her on life-support or she’s not going to make it tonight,” Ashley’s husband, Alex, said.

    Doctors gave Ashley just a 30% chance to live.

    “She was within minutes to hours of dying,” said Dr. Debbie Rohner, medical director of the cardiovascular ICU at Bethesda North Hospital. “Her lungs failed, her heart failed, her kidney failed, her liver failed, and her blood system failed.”

    Alex was pulled between looking after their new son and staying bedside next to his wife in the ICU.

    “It was definitely a really hard balance between being there for him and being there for Ashley,” Alex said. “I knew that time that she needed me more.”

    Slowly, Ashley began to make progress. Her newborn was also by her side. She is expected to make a full recovery. Doctors say it’s a miracle.

    “I thank God every day for giving us another day together,” Alex said. “You don’t really realize how short life is in a blink of an eye.”

    Ashley remembers those first moments she awoke and was reunited with baby, Parker.

    “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I just went through all this, and he looks just like my husband,’” Ashley said.

    While the first month as a new family of three hasn’t looked as expected, Ashley says it’s even sweeter.

    “I would go through it all over again for him,” Ashley said. “I wanted to be a mother ever since I was a little girl.”

    A GoFundMe has been started to support Ashley’s recovery. To donate, click here.

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  • Indian truckers say Hindenburg report a godsend in Adani dispute

    Indian truckers say Hindenburg report a godsend in Adani dispute

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    • India’s Adani reopens two cement plants after freight dispute
    • Truckers believe Hindenburg report was answer to their prayers
    • Adani says amicable resolution reached after negotiations

    DARLAGHAT, India Feb 23 (Reuters) – For truckers transporting cement from Adani’s factories in a hilly north Indian state, a U.S. short-seller’s critical research report on the giant conglomerate was a godsend they say helped them save their livelihoods.

    For weeks, around 7,000 truck owners and drivers in India’s Himachal Pradesh resorted to protest rallies against Adani’s Dec. 15 decision to shut two cement plants over a dispute on freight rates. Adani argued the plants were “unviable” at the trucking rates it wanted to slash by around half.

    On Monday, the Gautam Adani-led group said it had “amicably resolved” the issue with a 10-12% reduction in rates. Truckers rejoiced, with a union leader in a street address labelling it as a victory after late-night talks with Adani.

    The settlement comes four weeks after U.S.-based Hindenburg Research accused Adani of stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens, allegations the group called baseless.

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    The Jan. 24 report triggered a $140 billion rout in group’s stocks, sparked regulatory investigations and saw the billionaire Adani slip to 26 on the Forbes global rich list, from third.

    While the truckers’ settlement will have only a small impact on the overall Adani empire, it was a big win for the drivers and owners in a state were most people live on around $7 a day.

    The report “played a crucial role in our battle against India’s biggest business group, helped mobilize truckers and gain political support,” said Ram Krishan Sharma, one of the lead negotiators for protesting truckers.

    Adani negotiators had refused to budge for weeks. So Hindenburg’s report, some truckers believe, was godsent.

    Just a day before it was published, many truckers visited a small, revered Hindu temple in Darlaghat which overlooks one of Adani’s cement plants, and offered a traditional semolina sweet offering to a deity as they sought to resolve the dispute.

    Bantu Shukla, a protest leader, showed Reuters a photo and video of truckers that day offering prayers inside the temple. Some stood with folded hands, while a person rang a temple bell in a typical Hindu worship ritual.

    ‘AMICABLE RESOLUTION’

    Adani Group did not answer Reuters questions on whether the Hindenburg report’s fallout contributed to its decision in Himachal.

    Adani Cements in a statement said it was “grateful” to all stakeholders including the unions, the local state chief minister and other departments, adding the “amicable resolution” was in interest of everyone including the state.

    A source familiar with Adani’s negotiation said the group had been under pressure following what it thinks was a “negative campaign” by Adani’s opponents after the Hindenburg report, and the settlement to reopen plants is a relief.

    Himachal is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s staunch rival, the Congress party. After the Hindenburg report, Congress has renewed its claims that Modi for years has unduly favoured Adani. Both Adani and India’s government deny that.

    The source added the move will also help Adani signal it can resolve commercial matters in states ruled by Modi’s rivals.

    Without citing Hindenburg, the Himachal chief minister’s office on Monday said “we have been successful in resolving the issues” to end the 67-day dispute.

    WHATSAPP CHATS, PRAYERS AT TEMPLE

    Adani became India’s second largest cement manufacturer when it acquired ACC (ACC.NS) and Ambuja Cements (ABUJ.NS) in a $10.5 billion deal with Swiss giant Holcim (HOLN.S) last year.

    In December, it shut plants in the villages of Gagal and Darlaghat in Himachal, saying truckers were charging too much.

    The Adani group wanted freight rates to be lowered to around 6 rupees ($0.0725) per tonne per km, from around 11 rupees. Many truckers told Reuters they struggled to make their loan repayments as their incomes shrank after the shutdowns.

    As a stalemate worsened, truckers formed WhatsApp groups to coordinate efforts, vent frustration and later share Hindenburg’s impact on Adani companies and stock prices to further drum up support.

    One such WhatsApp group chat of around 1,000 truckers, reviewed by Reuters, showed sharing of a local reporter’s video discussing the sharp fall in Adani’s shares and his alleged close ties to Modi.

    Although they accepted a small cut in freight rates when Adani agreed to pay 9.3-10.58 rupees per km per tonne, truckers felt they saved their jobs, and prayers at the Hindu temple were organised again this week.

    “We felt our deity had accepted our prayers when we saw the fall in the share prices of Adani companies,” protest leader Shukla said. “The Hindenburg report was a gift that saved our businesses.”

    (This story has been refiled to remove extraneous word in paragraph 20)

    Reporting by Manoj Kumar, Aditya Kalra and Anushree Fadnavis; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

    Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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  • Heart Failure: What I Wish I’d Known

    Heart Failure: What I Wish I’d Known

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    By Kim Lewis, as told to Stephanie Watson

    As a single mom, I did a lot of juggling. I had an active son and a job at a health and sports facility. I was busy. Making time for doctor appointments and taking care of myself weren’t high on my list. I learned the hard way how important it is to be proactive about my own health.

    Just over 20 years ago, when I was 32, I got a cough that wouldn’t go away. I was having so much trouble breathing that I had to sleep upright in a recliner to get enough air into my lungs.

    I kept going back to my doctor and telling him the cough wasn’t improving and I couldn’t breathe. He diagnosed me with all kinds of things — pneumonia, walking pneumonia, bronchitis. Finally, after the third or fourth visit, I told my doctor, “I think I need to see a lung specialist.”

    The lung specialist immediately sent me to a hospital, where I fell into a coma. When I came out of it 3 days later, my doctors told me that I had inflammation of my heart muscle called myocarditis, which was caused by a virus. I was in heart failure.

    A Scary Prognosis

    The doctors told me I had 5 years to live. My son was 12 years old at the time. That meant I wouldn’t get to see him graduate from high school. It was horrifying to think about. He’s my whole world.

    My son was my baby boy, but he had to grow up quickly. I was so sick that I needed him to take care of me. By the time he was 15, he had to drive me to the hospital if I got sick in the middle of the night. If my port came out, he would call the doctor and say, “Tell me what to do.” My heart failure put a lot of pressure on him.

    Turning My Health Around

    I knew I had to make drastic changes if I was going to get more time with my son. I started eating healthy. There was no more going to fast food windows for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I was sitting down to heart-healthy meals. Instead of keeping snack cakes and candy bars on my countertop, I have bananas, apples, and oranges. I stock my fridge with bottles of water, not soda.

    Exercise also became a priority. Rather than watching TV in the evening, I go for a walk. I teach a water fitness class 3 days a week and I play with my grandchildren to stay active. I make sure that I exercise and see my doctors. And I take a guideline-recommended heart failure treatment to help my heart pump blood more effectively.

    I have these really amazing doctors who monitor me closely and take good care of me. They say I’m nothing short of a miracle. They don’t have an explanation for how much I’m able to do, but they think it’s a combination of healthy living, good medication, and weight loss.

    What I Would Have Done Differently

    If I could talk to my former self, I would tell her that she needs to take better care of her body. I can look back now and say I probably should have gone to the doctor more often. I should have been more physically active. And I should have had a salad with my slice of pizza instead of eating three slices of pizza.

    I also should have asked for a second opinion when my doctor wrote off my symptoms. Had the doctors caught my heart failure sooner, I might not have had permanent damage. There’s a fine line between trusting your doctor and trusting your gut. If you’re not comfortable with what your doctor tells you, it’s OK to get a second opinion.

    If I had it do over again, I definitely would have prioritized my health. I’ve met a lot of other heart failure survivors who also put their health on the back burner while they took care of everything else. I should have put my health on the front burner and taken care of me.

    A New Outlook on Life

    Coming so close to death made me appreciate life more. I appreciate the holidays, dinner with friends, sunrises and sunsets, and the sound of rain. I appreciate family gatherings. I have a very large family here in Tennessee. We get together about four times a year. I’m tickled every time I get to see them.

    I feel like life is more precious now. I know that I was given a second chance. After being told that I had 5 years to live, I’ve made it more than 20 years. Every day is a gift.

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