Once an ICU survivor.........

[Tedsdad]

I thought I would write to express my thanks for the folks who have set up this community. It is only as I recover that I realise just how helpful it has been for me to realise that although the full ICU experience makes you feel very alone that there are others who have experienced it.

I am sure that everyone’s experience is unique but it is something that no one who has not experienced it can really begin to really understand however helpful they try to be. In realising this I also wonder whether ICU experience is something that once you have had it you can never really lose it. It is there and although many are succesful in coming to terms with it, it is going to colour the rest of your life directly or otherwise.

And because of this I realised that this forum is not one that you should hope to use and then forget about. ICU survivors are thankfully not an enormous group but we really need to be able to support each other when we need it and those a fair way down the road from the initial experience still have an important role to play in being available for those to whom it still seems part of a ghastly yesterday.

[Rhyl1 Partner Moderator ICUsteps]

The whole idea behind the charity ICUsteps was to allow people to share their experiences with others who really understood because they had been through it themselves. So support groups and the healthunlocked forum started from that. It’s great to know it’s appreciated. Thank you.

[qmcsurvivor]

Hi, I totally agree with you forums such as these are so helpful and those involved should be applauded.

I can also relate to the entire content of your second paragraph it is like being a member of a club life after ICU but one that no one wants to join, I am 16 months post discharge after being ventilated with Covid and life has indeed changed, I think acceptance is a big part of dealing with the time we went through even though like riding a rollercoaster with highs and lows. Stay well, Phil.

[Isl_living]

I do agree with you. I was almost killed by a serious bout of pneumonia in Sept/Oct 2021 and was intubated/coma/ventilator for 15 days, followed by 5 weeks hospitalisation and then rehab. I’m in the midst of a not very successful recovery, and here in Australia we don’t have support options at hospitals. So I came out to the web looking for some and found this wonderful community. I just joined tonight, so I have some reading ahead. Thank you to the creators of this community. Cheers from Australia. 🇦🇺🦘