Mike Fahey of Kotaku underwent surgery a year ago, and had to be put into an induced coma afterward due to complications. For three weeks, he was heavily sedated and was given paralysis drugs to keep him from pulling out his ventilator. But his mind was working through it all. Fahey remembers his dreams well.
So where was I, as my body lay prone in the intensive care unit at Kennestone Hospital? I was inside of my head. My subconscious wove layer after layer of fictitious narrative, keeping itself occupied as my body healed. I dreamt of superheroes and villains. Of being in exotic lands I’d never had a chance to visit. I gambled for my existence in dark, twisted places. I said goodbye to my life surrounded by my family in the far future. I attempted, through circuitous subconscious methods, to procure pizza and frozen beverages.
This motley collection of visions and medication-fueled delusions have been part of me since the incident. They linger on the edge of my consciousness, rising to the fore during quiet moments, triggered by a familiar sound, sight or scent.
Fahey's account of those dreams relates some of them to his past experiences, some to the medical procedures going on in the real world at the time, and others to his sense of mortality. Read his story at Kotaku.
(Image credit: Jim Cooke/GMG)