Positive stories of recovery

[AKAICUsurvivor]

Morning everyone - is anyone upto rewriting their tale of recovery Dabofoppo Leab2017 Pandora8 cowen2019 Catdancer01 Twacked Deb_77 Lacemaker LesAnne sheila21 Tessauk Copse77 Videodragons Stayloose VickyC1982 - folk need to know that recovery and life continues after critical care - 😊

[AKAICUsurvivor]

stevet11753 jojokarak Phil112 angelrock muncii Mrs_Cooper Luckyone ICUsteps-Peter - if I’ve missed out anyone who’s helped me along the way - let me apologise in advance - Mia culpa

[Dabofoppo]

This seems like a good idea a lot of people wont know what the future holds.

My story is from Feb 2019 I ended up in icu because I broke a wisdom tooth and it became infected and I ended up with sepsis and breathing issues.

ICU:

I spent 5 days in a coma 2 weeks in icu and a further week in a ward. I lost 3 stone in weight ( I could have been doing with losing weight to be fair). The first week awake was brutal I was delirious I fought with nurses and doctors and had no idea what was going on. To give an idea of how out of it I was I was training as a nurse before it happened and I couldn't recognise that I was in a hospital that I had done placements in. Once the delirium finished I was on my way to recovery. Delirium finished really suddenly for me although I still dont trust my memories from around this time. Once my mental state was more stable the nurses and physios helped me to stand up even though I'd only been out for 5 days and delirious for maybe 4 I could not stand nevermind walk without falling I wasnt allowed to get up by myself ( I tried it twice and fell twice giving the poor nurses a terrible fright) after a few days I was more steady but still nothing like what I was. Throughout this I was being fed through an NG tube and wasnt allowed to drink although I was ridiculously thirsty so after walking and stuff was sorted I pushed for being allowed to drink. Once I passed the swallow assessment ( straight diluting BlackBerry juice on a teaspoon and I was to have a teaspoon full I coughed apparently that was a pass) i was allowed thickened fluid for 2 days before being assessed for normal fluids I cant tell you how good that first sip of water was.

WARD:

At this point I was taken to a ward coincidentally this ward was one I had previously done a placement on.

I was ecstatic I could finally get a bit of peace compared with ICU my family were not they were terrified as was my fiance they were terrified that I wasnt going to get the care I needed but I reminded them that the doctors and nurses in ICU would not be letting me get moved unless I was ready. The first night on the ward I removed my NG tube I would not advise doing this to anyone they'll probably give you another one mine was oversized due to a previous leak so it was falling out anyway. Over the next few days I was given exercises to do by speech and language and physios within a few days they determined I was doing well i was allowed to eat a special diet of pureed food and ice cream once I showed I was fine with this I was allowed normal food but it was uncomfortable to eat at first. During the ward stay I had bloods done every day I.V antibiotics at 0630 ,1000 1300, 1600 , 1930 and 2230. After a week I was allowed to leave the hospital.

HOME:

The first night home I had the best sleep I'd had since going into hospital although my fiance woke me up at 0700 for more antibiotics I would be on them for the next 6 weeks. Getting home was the best thing for my recovery my family still wanted me in hospital they were worried about how I'd cope at home but I wouldn't entertain staying with them which now seems a bit selfish I just wanted peace. My fiance stayed home with me the first week I still couldn't speak well enough to be understood and she was worried about how i would get help if i needed it but eventually she had to go back to work. The first time I tried to go for a shower myself I was anxious and had to take a rest after it in fact after going up the stairs I had to rest I was out of breath after getting dressed etc. This passed with time and within 4 weeks I had returned to the gym I agreed to only go in with one of my friends at first and the physical toll became obvious my left shoulder was very painful and difficult to use ( apparently a very common icu complaint) this got better over about 6 months my speech returned by june (I got out on the 11th of march my mothers birthday) although I would still have the occasional voice crack and it still hurt after a while. I had appointments every week to get my antibiotics and so my gp could check on me the consultant wanted to speak to me every 4 weeks and finally discharged me in August.

I marked the year anniversary of me going into hospital by taking a day off work and visiting icu with some cakes

I'm now in probably the best shape since I was about 25 I turned 30 this year and ICU is just a distant memory I still dont know everything that happened to me but iv made peace with that and have moved on as much as I can my mental and physical health have improved so much being in ICU helped bring how important my life is to me into perspective I dont work half as much as I used to and I'm happier for it. It made me realise how lifes too short since then we booked our wedding iv climbed the 3 highest peaks of madeira and I got a new job. being at my lowest at deaths door has driven me to enjoy my life more and motivated me to do all the things I was putting off for stupid reasons.

I hope this gives people hope that there can be light at the end of the tunnel

[AKAICUsurvivor in reply to Dabofoppo]

Brilliant 😄

[Twacked]

I’m still going thru recovery I’m better but still not what I was

[Sepsur in reply to Twacked]

Sometimes a tale of survival is more inspiring than skipping through the tulips - 4yrs on I’m still on chemo & immunotherapy - definitely not out of the woods 😃

[VickyC1982]

I’ve only just seen this but will put my post together x

[AKAICUsurvivor in reply to VickyC1982]

No worries

[AKAICUsurvivor]

😎😜

[Luckyone]

It's seems like so long ago (9 years) but I can remember it as if it was yesterday, what started as a chest infection in mid December 2010 and a visit to my GP who prescribed some antibiotics, leaving me thinking in a few days I would start to feel better unfortunately I couldn't have been more wrong as on 18th December 2010 thing really took a turn for the worse and the only thing in my favour was it snowed the night before meaning my wife was unable to go to work which probably saved my life as she would have came home to find me dead, I remember feeling unwell that day so stayed in bed and by early evening in my wife's words was talking complete rubbish and became very concerned first trying to call a doctor to no avail and then my daughter screaming at her to call an ambulance, the call handler was brilliant asking her are his lips blue? yes! is his breathing rapid? yes! "just keep him talking don't let him sleep" he stayed on the phone until the quick response paramedic arrived followed by the ambulance my blood oxygen was 76% and I was suffering hypoxia and had developed sepsis, I remember the short 10 minute journey to the hospital getting through 4 bottles of oxygen on the way, arriving at the hospital and the paramedic joking could I pay for the oxygen to help pay for their Christmas party.

That was the last thing I remember until 6th Feburary 2011 waking to find I couldn't speak as I had had a tracheostomy, I had been in a frightening virtual world full of nightmares and hallucinations but the reality for my wife and family had been far worse, as on arrival at hospital I had been taken straight to ITU, my wife told I would be put to sleep and intubated for a few days to let my body rest, she left the hospital that evening not knowing the traumatic events to come as 3 day later she was taken into a small room and told I was unexpected to make the night and placed a DNR on me which was removed the next day, the consultant telling her a miricle had happened in the night and I was stable enough to have the first of many CT scans confirming double pneumonia and severe sepsis which caused multiple organ failure with 6 weeks on dialysis and 9 units of blood transfused, developed severe ARDS which almost destroyed my lungs, I spent 3 months in ICU losing almost 4st and 2 weeks on a respiratory ward learning to walk again finally leaving hospital on 30th March 2011.

Recovery for me was very difficult as I left hospital with 54% lung capacity and post ARDS pulmonary fibrosis feeling bitter as non smoker at 52 years old my life was over being told I would probably never work again, I had run my own carpentry and joinery business for over 20 years and having to sell everything to survive was heartbreaking and took me to a really dark place wishing I hadn't survived and I'm ashamed to say I made my wife's and my families life pretty unpleasant during that time, it was a nurse at my follow up clinic that asked me to speak to an ICU patient having a difficult time that made me realise just how lucky I was to survive as unfortunately he later died after we had planned to meet up and compare notes, it gave me the idea to help others and with the help of my wife and my niece who was an ICU nurse in the hospital I was in, worked on a plan to start a local support group which we did in early 2012, we later that year became an ICUsteps support group and in 2013 I became a trustee of ICUsteps and spoke of my experience at their first ever conference, I then took over the role of secretary in 2014 until recently when I had to with a heavy heart give up my role due to family commitments.

My lung capacity has improved to about 87% but the lung scarring and post sepsis syndrome has changed my life but it's compensated by my 3 wonderful grandchildren my grandson who will be 7 years old on Sunday and my 2.5 year old identical twin granddaughters that I thought I may never live to see, I'm so pleased I've had this second chance of life at times it's difficult but it's far better than the alternitive.

[AKAICUsurvivor]

StaceyM34