When someone is no longer taking in any fluid, and if he or she is bedridden (and so needs little fluid) then this person may live
as little as a few days or as long as a couple of weeks
. In the normal dying process people lose their sense of hunger or thirst.
How long can you be in a coma without food?
How long can a person in a coma live without food? If you stop eating and drinking, death can occur as early as a few days, though for most people,
approximately ten days
is the norm. In rare instances, the process can take as long as several weeks.
Can you go into a coma from not eating?
Hypoglycemia
, or blood sugar that's too low, can also lead to a coma. This type of coma is usually reversible once the blood sugar is corrected. However, prolonged hypoglycemia can lead to permanent brain damage and persistent coma.
How does the body survive in a coma?
Someone who is in a coma is unconscious and will not respond to voices, other sounds, or any sort of activity going on nearby.
The person is still alive
, but the brain is functioning at its lowest stage of alertness. You can't shake and wake up someone who is in a coma like you can someone who has just fallen asleep.
Do coma patients poop?
Yes, coma patients have bowel movements
. Because people in a coma can't express themselves, doctors must rely on physical clues and information provided by families and friends. First, doctors ensure that the patient isn't in immediate danger of dying.
Can people in a coma hear?
When people are in comas,
they are unconscious and cannot communicate with their environment
. … However, the brain of a coma patient may continue to work. It might “hear” the sounds in the environment, like the footsteps of someone approaching or the voice of a person speaking.
Do you age when in a coma?
They will age. But
people in a coma will not age like people not in a coma
. Without regular use, their muscles will atrophy. The part of their brain that was damages initially (to trigger the coma) might deteriorate as a result of inflammation or “maintenance” responses to the area.
How does a coma feel?
Usually, comas are more like twilight states — hazy, dreamlike things where you don't have fully formed thoughts or experiences, but you still feel
pain and form memories that your brain invents to try
to make sense of what's happening to you.
Do coma patients need food?
Because patients who are in a coma
can't eat or drink on their own
, they receive nutrients and liquids through a vein or feeding tube so that they don't starve or dehydrate. Coma patients may also receive electrolytes — salt and other substances that help regulate body processes.
How do coma patients wake up?
Someone who is in a coma is unconscious and has minimal brain activity. It
is not possible
to wake a coma patient using physical or auditory stimulation. They're alive, but can't be woken up and show no signs of being aware. Someone in a coma will also have very reduced basic reflexes such as coughing and swallowing.
What are the stages of coma?
DOC includes
coma, the vegetative state (VS) and the minimally conscious state
What is the longest coma survived?
On Aug. 6, 1941, 6-year-old Elaine Esposito went to the hospital for a routine appendectomy. She went under general anesthetic and never came out. Dubbed the “sleeping beauty,” Esposito stayed in a coma for
37 years and 111 days
before succumbing in 1978 — the longest-ever coma, according to Guinness World Records.
Do you dream when in a coma?
Patients in a coma appear unconscious. They do not respond to touch, sound or pain, and cannot be awakened. Their brains often show no signs of the normal sleep-wakefulness cycle, which means they
are unlikely to be dreaming
.
Can you feel pain in a coma?
People in a coma are completely unresponsive. They do not move, do not react to light or sound and
cannot feel pain
.
Do coma patients remember anything?
Some people feel they can remember events that happened around them while they were in a coma
, while others don't. Some people have reported feeling enormous reassurance from the presence of a loved one when coming out of a coma.
Does being in a coma feel long?
Some patients compare it to being stuck in a really long dream. According to many coma survivors,
the unconscious experience feels almost like a dream
, at least in retrospect.
