My husband is doing really well with his recovery from covid. The ventilator was taken away and no additional oxygen was needed and today they have removed his tracheostomy. He still has mobility issues which I know will take time to recover but what I am concerned about is his memory. He called me twice today to tell me the same thing. He also asked me if I was ok with my nursing job, I have never been a nurse which I told him and he replied and said he’s had some very strange dreams. I imagine him thinking I am a nurse could possibly be from the video calls we did when he was still sedated and hearing my voice and then dreaming I was a nurse. Should I be concerned about any of this or is this perfectly normal for someone who has been in icu ? I have mentioned it to the nurse who said they will keep an eye on him as he’s just been moved from icu to a normal ward now.
Memory loss: My husband is doing really well with... - ICUsteps
Memory loss
Hi
You are asking 2 questions. I wasn’t a covid patient but I was in icu for quite sometime and I had a trachy.
Firstly about you being a nurse that is one of his hallucinations during his delirium. Your husband will have had and may still have them and that will be his reality. These may continue for some time and whilst frightening can be sorted.
The memory issue is slightly different but don’t worry about it. It could simply be about his delirium. In my case I have lost memory from about 3 months before going into ICU. Once I came round my short term memory was very poor and my wife really got annoyed with me because I kept asking the same question quite a few times during the day. She understands now. So 11 months later I’m better at not asking the same question too many times. But that’s what happened to me it doesn’t mean to say that your husband will be the same.
I had a course of CBT this gave me strategies to deal with MY issues. Whilst I haven’t regained the lost memory I am more accepting of it. I would say that it is for your husband to decide how he feels about it. I didn’t know until I was home that I had lost my memory and I asked my wife why I hadn’t had visitors in the weeks before ICu which I had. The CBT also helped me manage the hallucinations which I can now talk about and recall in detail.
I would say let him tell you about it in his own time but in the meantime you must look after yourself.
I am quite happy to answer any questions either here or through the chat facility.
Also the charity ICUStepsChester offers a drop in for relatives on a Tuesday evening (via zoom) where you can talk to people who have gone through the same as you. No patients go to that drop in
Hi @Username1981
The confusion over whether you were a nurse or not - Take a look at this pdf on icu delirium - you may find it quite illuminating
icusteps.org/assets/files/i...
As for his forgetfulness see cognitive dysfunction
If you search “cognitive dysfunction”, this is what it says :
“ About 50-70% of all ICU survivors suffer from long-term cognitive, psychological or functional impairment after their ICU hospitalization. About 30-80% of ICU patients develop cognitive deficits, making it a serious but under recognized problem.”
My memory is shot to pieces - I really struggle to remember people, places and names of things on occasion - it affects my capacity to remember appointments, anniversaries ( of any sort), my ability to concentrate - reading dense bureaucratic text is a nightmare, my ability to make a decision and , early after my discharge from hospital, all social filters had evaporated and/or my capacity to judge whether something was a good idea ( or sensible action to take). I found I was incredibly impulsive (even more than normal) and yes, it has improved overtime.
Do not assume you will be getting back the same person that entered ICU, we are all changed for ever. We all have to adapt to the new normal.
To truly rehabilitate, what was important was for me to remain mentally stimulated, challenge myself to do thing that took effort & concentration. Remain engaged with the world and step out of my comfort zone. I found HealthUnlocked soon after leaving hospital and found it immensely helpful - @Deb_77 especially, she made me laugh out loud when there wasn’t much to laugh about.
A few of us set up a support meeting, we would all agree that the process of setting up a group helped us rehabilitate - it wasn’t just the attendance of drop-in meetings that made us all feel ‘normal’ but having to figure out how to set up a meeting and all the other stuff that goes with it, tea & coffee, paying the rent / we were only 3 months out of hospital when we held our first meeting with 8 of us 🤣.
This community here could build a very supportative network - we have the power to help ourselves.
Best wishes to all of you struggling along - hear this - you are not alone.
It's so good to hear a recovery, how long was he on a ventilator for?
He was ventilated for 3 weeks and then they started the weaning so nearly 5 weeks by the time it was removed completely.
What a journey you've been on , my dad is also on a vent 8 days now and i had a call yesterday to say they was going to try and remove it today after being told 4 days ago he had a 50/50 chance and he had a infection it's come as a shock and I just hope it's not all too soon. Take care
