Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
In January 2020, Ms. Ristova took her 40-year-old husband to the emergency ward of the nearest hospital with severe headaches.The Macedonian family only speaks broken German and the incident took place on their last day of holiday. The attending doctor sent Mr. Ristova back home as he diagnosed only muscle tension. Mr. Ristova suffered from classic symptoms (severe headaches, nausea, high blood pressure) for a week until he lost consciousness. By that time, the bleeding was already so advanced that his life hung by a thread for several weeks. The ambulance service informed Ms. Ristova that her husband might not survive the flight to the central hospital. Mr. Ristova survived the subarachnoid haemorrhage, and spent several weeks in intensive care unit, where he was ventilated and completely monitored. He needed a tracheotomy until he could breathe independently again. Mr. Ristova learned to move all parts of his body again and has been living with his family since his stay at the rehabilitation clinic. Nevertheless, Mr. Ristova is unable to return to his old life. Due to the brain haemorrhage, he has pronounced neurological deficits that do not allow him to return to his usual working life. He very much wants to work in construction again. However, as he no longer able to carry out actions consistently and is unable to complete simple tasks, he is accompanied daily in a sheltered workshop. He himself does not recognise the deficits and feels unfairly treated, which has an increased potential for conflict. Ms. Ristova is overwhelmed by the situation. Together with her husband, she has two children aged eight and 16 (time of bleeding event). She describes her husband as a third child, who she is also caring for. Her husband used to have two jobs, helped with the housework and helped the children with their homework. At the time of the interview, Ms. Ristova was doing the housework alone, securing the family income and taking care of the children. She described how exhausted she was, how she needed psychological support and how she urgently needed to regain her strength. The interview took place in August 2021 with the wife in their shared flat.
AUDIO
Probably her husband suffered the brain haemorrhage due to the family disposition
The father of the affected person also had a brain haemorrhage. Now Ms. Ristova wonders if her children are also at risk.
Video Interview
TRANSCRIPT
Related experiences
Novak (Betroffene)
Mother and daughter suffered a ruptured (burst) aneurysm within five weeks of each other
When Ms. Novak was at the rehabilitation clinic, she found out that her mother had been taken to hospital with the same diagnosis. She wants her daughter to also be examined for an aneurysm.
Impact for loved-ones
Marti (Angehörige, Schwester)
Ms. Marti had herself examined for her disposition
Both her sister and her mother suffered from brain damage. The indication that she too might have an increased risk of a cerebral vascular condition caused her great concern. She decided to undergo a medical examination.
Impact for loved-ones
Other experiences by Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
In January 2020, Ms. Ristova took her 40-year-old husband to the emergency ward of the nearest hospital with severe headaches.The Macedonian family only speaks broken German and the incident took place on their last day of holiday. The attending doctor sent Mr. Ristova back home as he diagnosed only muscle tension. Mr. Ristova suffered from classic symptoms (severe headaches, nausea, high blood pressure) for a week until he lost consciousness. By that time, the bleeding was already so advanced that his life hung by a thread for several weeks. The ambulance service informed Ms. Ristova that her husband might not survive the flight to the central hospital. Mr. Ristova survived the subarachnoid haemorrhage, and spent several weeks in intensive care unit, where he was ventilated and completely monitored. He needed a tracheotomy until he could breathe independently again. Mr. Ristova learned to move all parts of his body again and has been living with his family since his stay at the rehabilitation clinic. Nevertheless, Mr. Ristova is unable to return to his old life. Due to the brain haemorrhage, he has pronounced neurological deficits that do not allow him to return to his usual working life. He very much wants to work in construction again. However, as he no longer able to carry out actions consistently and is unable to complete simple tasks, he is accompanied daily in a sheltered workshop. He himself does not recognise the deficits and feels unfairly treated, which has an increased potential for conflict. Ms. Ristova is overwhelmed by the situation. Together with her husband, she has two children aged eight and 16 (time of bleeding event). She describes her husband as a third child, who she is also caring for. Her husband used to have two jobs, helped with the housework and helped the children with their homework. At the time of the interview, Ms. Ristova was doing the housework alone, securing the family income and taking care of the children. She described how exhausted she was, how she needed psychological support and how she urgently needed to regain her strength. The interview took place in August 2021 with the wife in their shared flat.
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Her husband was not taken seriously in the emergency ward
Mr. Ristova presented to the emergency ward with severe headaches and was sent home with a diagnosis of "nerve tension". He suffered from severe headaches, high blood pressure and nausea for a week. After collapsing unconscious, he was flown by Rega to the nearest central hospital.
Experience of disease
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Mr. Ristova has lost many skills
Ms. Ristova has to support her husband in everyday life. This is shown, for example, by the fact that she has to prepare the food very carefully. The school-age son does not get any support from his father with his homework.
Challenges after brain damage
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Mr. Ristova is very sad that he is no longer allowed to work in construction
Mr. Ristova lives with severe cognitive impairments and is not allowed to lift weights to reduce the risk of bleeding. His wife is grateful that he found employment in the sheltered workshop, as he would become depressed at home.
Challenges after brain damage
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Ms. Ristova keeps blaming herself
When Mr. Ristova showed first symptoms, he reluctantly went to the emergency ward where he was sent away again. Only when the bleeding was so severe that he lost consciousness that he received proper treatment. Ms. Ristova still blames herself for not insisting on treatment earlier, even though everyone tells her how well she responded.
Impact for loved-ones
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
"Daddy has a headache"
It was difficult for the son to understand why his father's life was hanging by a thread, since he "only" had headaches. Even though he found mental support in his football club, he was getting worse and worse at school.
Impact for loved-ones
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
"I can't do everything on my own"
Ms. Ristova had two jobs, took care of the children and contributed to the household. Ms. Ristova is now responsible for everything on her own and describes how stressful her everyday life is.
Impact for loved-ones
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Probably her husband suffered the brain haemorrhage due to the family disposition
The father of the affected person also had a brain haemorrhage. Now Ms. Ristova wonders if her children are also at risk.
Impact for loved-ones
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Ms. Ristova needs more time for herself
Ms. Ristova is still looking for strategies to cope with her everyday life. She wishes she could reduce work in order to regain her strength.
Lessons and strategies
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Perception/insight of illness: Mr. Ristova feels healthier than he is perceived to be by those around him
Ms. Ristova reports that her husband is no longer working in his old job due to neurological deficits. This puts a lot of strain on him. He himself rates his state of health as good. The family doctor and the SUVA counselling see that Mr. Ristova needs to recover further before he is able to work again. At the time of the interview, he was working in a sheltered workshop in order to live in a regular daily rhythm.
Procedure after brain damage
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
"No, you are not allowed to remove the tubes"
Ms. Ristova's husband became severely delirious while in the intensive care unit. While trying to remove tubes and leave the hospital, he was given protective gloves by the nursing staff that restricted his movement.
Procedure after brain damage
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Mr. Ristova did not want to go to hospital
Mr. Ristova hesitated to contact the emergency services. In other interview passages, Ms. Ristova says that she was then able to take him to the nearest emergency ward after all, where he was sent home with a diagnosis of "tension". He was only hospitalised when he lost consciousness.
Decision-making
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Mr. Ristova was predicted to live with very many disabilities
During the acute phase, Mr. Ristova's life was acutely threatened. The doctors predicted a life with many physical limitations. Today, Mr. Ristova lives with his family again and can move everything. However, his mental abilities are limited.
Decision-making
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Mr. Ristova was confused
Mr. Ristova had been in a coma during the acute phase and needed a tracheotomy to support respiratory function. When he woke up again, he could not speak because of the tube in his throat. Days later, his wife noticed how confused he was. Medical staff call such a clinical picture a "delirium".
Decision-making
Brain damage
Ristova (Angehörige, Ehefrau)
Mr. Ristova needed protective gloves
Mr. Ristova was very confused in the first weeks after the coma and was looking for reasons to leave the hospital. It happens that patients try to remove vital cables or drains. For their own protection, they are given protective gloves or have their hands fixed to the bed. Fixation measures are in the area of tension between autonomy and care. On the one hand, they make therapy possible in the first place, on the other hand, they strengthen the urge to free oneself and break off the therapy. For relatives, it is often terrible to visit their loved ones in this area of tension.
Decision-making
Brain damage
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