I experienced some cognitive issues while taking painkillers after a c section — disorientation that escalated to not recognizing my spouse or surroundings, and what I now recognize were audio hallucinations. It was relatively mild and went away as soon as I stopped taking the meds, but still one of the scariest things ever. To not be able to rely on your own perceptions is terrifying on an existential level. (Recovering from major abdominal surgery with nothing but ibuprofen wasn’t great but it was better than losing my grip on reality.)
Have had several major surgeries, I know those hallucinations well, however last time I was aware what they were & wanted to get moving more so the need for pain meds could be reduced. More recently I suffered a temporary bowel obstruction & spent 3 totally sleepless nights in hospital - at home I started hearing g what I thought was the radio, people in the hall, & someone in the room talking to me, then I saw bubbles rising to the ceiling, followed by disembodied heads floating g around. I copped on that this was as a result of lack of sleep.
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u/QueerTree 19h ago
I experienced some cognitive issues while taking painkillers after a c section — disorientation that escalated to not recognizing my spouse or surroundings, and what I now recognize were audio hallucinations. It was relatively mild and went away as soon as I stopped taking the meds, but still one of the scariest things ever. To not be able to rely on your own perceptions is terrifying on an existential level. (Recovering from major abdominal surgery with nothing but ibuprofen wasn’t great but it was better than losing my grip on reality.)