Anyone have any abdominal swelling on icu?

[Jayswife-24]

[patchworker]

I was hugely swollen all over when I was in ICU, so swollen that my skin sprang a leak! I had two areas, one on my hand and one on my ankle, that dripped liquid all the time. But it wasn't uncomfortable, it didn't bother me, and it all drained away later when I was on the ward. But it upset my visitors!

[Jayswife-24]

Thank-you for your reply my husband had a tracheostomy yesterday they mentioned it may be due to the drugs to put him under? .. I'm waiting for a call he may just have two many gases it's just a waiting game that's all I seem to do these days it's been 16 days now he went in with a sore throat said he couldn't breath then in a& e his air way closed they had to force in a breathing tube and resuscitated him he was down for 3-4 mins then took to icu then I was told he had epiglottis & as a result of that step A bactirial blood infection he was fighting that then he got chest infection again fighting that also infection from caffita " not sure how you spell that?" So finally well enough to give him a tracheotomy slowly bringing him round and now abdominal swelling... It's like a crazy nightmare I feel so guilty telling him to just take some carvonia and man up I just couldn't live with the guilt if anything happens ;(

[Helplesss in reply to Jayswife-24]

May I know please what happened to him? Is he healthy now? Because my father is in same condition now :/ Kindly if you reply:/

Thank you

[patchworker]

You really mustn't feel guilty, after all 999 times out of 1000 it's just man flu. The NHS would be overwelmed if we all thought every sneeze was something serious. He did get to A&E in time, that's what matters.

[Luckyone]

I must agree with patchworker you should never feel guilty, I remember my daughter-in-law famously saying I had man flu, I spent 3 months in ICU with double pneumonia, severe sepsis and multiple organ failure, my wife being told I had a very slim chance of survival, she felt so guilty about not getting help sooner but the doctor told she could have done anything to stop it as it happens so quickly.

I was the lucky one I can't remember most of my time in ICU as I was heavily sedated but fortunately my wife kept a diary of the missing seven and a half weeks, something I found a great help trying to piece everything together, it tells of the time that I looked like the Michelin man as my whole body had swollen so much due to the drugs and fluid retained in the body, that missing time was a real roller coaster ride for my wife and family.

Everyone in this community knows how difficult you must be finding things at the moment and we are here to support you with any advice we can give, my advice would be make sure you look after yourself and just be there for your husband as I'm sure it will give him great comfort just knowing you are there.

Best wishes..

[Jayswife-24]

Thank you very much every reply makes me feel a little better, so glad I found this site ,it gives me hope and strength and I feel prepared for whatever comes next,all your story's are just so scary you really are very lucky be alive!! Bless you all...I pray we will also be posting & helping someone else in there darkest hour with comforting words of our happy ending xxx

[johnboy12]

regards abdominal swelling, yes, very much so. I was described as bloated all over, esp my stomache and a picture taken whilst i was in ICU does show it. I'm not sure what caused it but my family were told it was in part due to the fact that whilst in ICU, I was being fed calories through a tube that went into my neck, consequently the stomache just stopped working.

On a lighter note, I have to say, when I went on wards and began to get hospital food, I'm surprised that my stomache came back to life, if anything was going to stop my stomache working, the hospital food would have been a good bet!

I hope your loved one is improving

[Jayswife-24]

Haha thankyou johnboy that's what they told me tonight when I went it That it was down to a lazy gut due to sedation they managed to get some gas out tonight,had a horrible thought his liver was failing or something awful!!! Google really isn't my friend! He has been off sedation today and looks very uncomfortable and irritated but they told me to just ride with it as if they keep sedating him it will hinder his recovery.... Feeling sad today I hate everyone moaning about silly things like money & work I feel like shouting "HELLO.. U wanna step into my life right now!" But I'm hopeful and will wait forever as long as he's recovering I don't care xx