I was put in an induced coma back in 2013. Thought I had the flu and just tried to get better at home over a weekend. Kept getting told that I need to see a doctor but I was stubborn and said I'll be better in a couple days. Well by the time I went to the hospital on Tuesday (on my wife's orders), when the nurses at registration spoke to me, they hit the alarm and I was rushed to ICU. I don't remember this, but my wife told me that as soon as the doctor saw me he told me "You are dying right now, we need to put you in a coma to slow this down and try to figure out what is wrong".
I had no idea I had a collapsed lung and that my organs were shutting down. Was in a coma for 10 days. Lost 40lbs. My liver/kidneys shutdown. They had to cover me in ice due to the fever. Turned out I had Legionnaires' disease, and once they figured out the bacteria, I made a pretty fast recovery.
I can relate to the weird "dreams", one that I remember is I was in a building/maze made of ice. I was in a wheelchair due to a car accident. I had to make it through this maze, and I was there by myself. In order to get from room to room, it would fill with water so that another door could open and I couldn't breathe. (no idea what it was about, but made sense to me at the time). There was overhead speakers, and I could hear my wife talking to me, telling me you have to "keep fighting, keep breathing, don't give up etc." (man gets me tearing up thinking about it now).
Anyways, when I woke up, I had no idea where I was. No sense of time, it was August and I thought I missed Christmas. Couldn't move my legs and thought I was disabled. I was hallucinating a lot the first day. Was scared to go to sleep, thinking I wouldn't wake up again. But once I woke up, I made a pretty quick recovery.
Took me a day to be able to stand up. Then the next day I could take a few steps with a walker. The third day, I managed to walk with the walker around the ICU unit, and they moved me out of ICU to the lung unit. I spent three more days there, and when I was able to walk up a flight of stairs (very slowly) I was allowed to go home.
I felt like a 90 year old man. My only exercise was to walk a few hundred meters. Felt like it was a marathon. But everyday it improved. I think after about 10 days at home, I was still fairly week, but could walk around fairly well and managed to drive a car. After two weeks at home, I went back to work (office job).
As far as the diet, I don't remember much, the only thing I remember is how thirsty I was when they finally took out tubes. The only thing I really remember is that I was craving a lot of juices the first week I was at home. I never drink them, but that week I was all about apple juice for some reason. I guess my body sensed that I need vitamins/nutrients.
I didn't eat anything special, just started eating again. Slowly everyday I would have more stamina, and felt stronger. And slowly I gained the weight back. I went back to the gym 6 or so weeks after the hospital. I don't remember the exact date, but I'm pretty sure with in 2 or 3 months, I was back to where I was before all this.
So not sure if this, is of any actual help, but don't stress out or at least try not to. You will recover, it will take a bit of time, but not as long as you think.