Mr. Zaccharia Z. does not forget experience of constraints and frustration.

Il signor Zaccharia Z. non dimentica l'esperienza delle frustrazioni che ha vissuto.

E : Beh, ripeto, ero legato, quindi non potevo muovermi affatto. Quindi, ogni volta che volevo qualcosa, l'unica cosa che potevo chiedere era un po' d'acqua, ma era davvero doloroso.

Frustrazione.

Mme. Zaccharia Z. n'oublie pas l'expérience de contraintes et frustration.

E : Eh bien, encore une fois, j'étais attaché, donc je ne pouvais littéralement pas bouger du tout. Et donc, chaque fois que je voulais quelque chose, la seule chose que je pouvais demander, c'était un peu d'eau dans la bouche, ce qui était vraiment douloureux.

Frustration.

Herr Zaccharia Z. vergisst nicht die Erfahrung der Einschränkungen und der Frustration, die er erlebt hat.

E : Nun, ich meine, ich war festgeschnallt, also konnte ich mich buchstäblich überhaupt nicht bewegen. Und jedes Mal, wenn ich etwas wollte, konnte ich nur um einen Spritzer Wasser in meinen Mund bitten, was wirklich schmerzhaft war.

Corine

E : Well I mean again, I was strapped down, so I literally couldn't move at all. And so, every time I wanted something, like, the only thing I could ask for was a squirt of water in my mouth, which was really painful.

Memories of physical constraints and frustration linger on.

They  don't forget

Today's medical and technological advances allow patients to survive serious and life-threatening illnesses. Experiencing such a serious illness that requires intensive care treatment can have a profound impact on one's life.

In this section, you can learn how other people experienced their time in an intensive care unit. In short video or text excerpts, patients and their families share their experiences with a serious, often life-threatening illness and treatment in an intensive care unit. You can also learn about the changes those affected deal with after their time in the intensive care unit.

Grazie alle possibilità mediche e tecniche offerte dalla terapia intensiva, oggi un paziente può sopravvivere a malattie gravi che in passato erano mortali. L’esperienza di queste gravi condizioni di salute e l’esperienza della terapia intensiva possono cambiare la vita in modo radicale, sia ai pazienti che ai loro cari.

In questa sezione potete capire come altri pazienti hanno vissuto il loro periodo in un reparto di terapia intensiva. In brevi video o estratti di testo, i pazienti raccontano la loro permanenza in questo reparto, il modo in cui hanno gestito questo periodo della loro vita, e come questa esperienza li ha cambiati.

Esperienze in terapia intensiva

Les possibilités médicales et techniques permettent de plus en plus souvent aux patients de survivre à des maladies graves et autrefois mortelles. L’expérience par les patients de ces maladies graves et de leur prise en charge médicale en soins intensifs peuvent changer la vie d’une manière très mémorable.

Dans cette section, vous découvrirez comment d’autres personnes ont vécu leur séjour dans une unité de soins intensifs. Dans de courts extraits vidéo ou textuels, les patients rendent compte de leur séjour à l’unité de soins intensifs. Ils témoignent également des changements qui peuvent se produire dans la vie d’une personne après les soins intensifs.

Expérience en médecine de soins intensifs

Die heutigen medizinischen und technischen Möglichkeiten lassen Patient*innen schwere und lebensbedrohliche Erkrankungen überstehen. Die Erfahrung einer so schweren Erkrankung, die eine intensivmedizinischen Behandlung benötigt, kann das Leben sehr einprägsam verändern.

Wie andere Menschen die Zeit auf einer Intensivstation erlebt haben, können Sie in dieser Sektion erfahren. In kurzen Video- oder Textausschnitten berichten Patient*innen und Angehörige,  über die Erfahrungen einer schweren oft lebensbedrohlichen Erkrankung und einer Behandlung auf einer Intensivstation. Ebenso können Sie erfahren, mit welchen Veränderungen die Betroffenen sich nach der Zeit auf der Intensivstation auseinandersetzen.

Erfahrungen Intensivmedizin

Experiences in Intensive Care

Susanne

Mr. Zacharia Z is between reality and delir,. He even  believes he was kidnapped.

And some guy came in and said you need to be intubated right now, and that's the last thing I remember, until I woke up like about two weeks later in the ICU, with the hoses in me everywhere and strapped down. And so, and to be honest, when I woke up, I mean, I spent two weeks dreaming all kinds of really, really weird things, you know, I guess due to the fact that they used barbiturate to slow down your brain and  I dreamt the weirdest things, just incredible. And when I finally came out of it, of course I was between all the nutty that I dreamed and the fact that they would put drops in my eyes and a little bit of cream occasionally, I couldn't see very well. I had. and I really , other than the fact that I couldn't see, I was strapped into a bed, it was difficult to see where I was, because it didn't look like the same room that I got into at the beginning. Anyway, I ended up thinking that I'd been kidnapped, somewhere you know those dreams that I was sure I read articles about , and you have to be careful because they take you into a hospital, you were sick, and then they go somewhere and they try to get your company to pay for you to come back using their kidnap law, which in fact, was a thing in my contract, right?  It was , it was probably what triggered it, I don't know.

Mr Zacharia Z thinks he was kidnapped.

There is no typical way to wake up in an ICU after coma or sedation. In fact, patients are usually confused, have lost track of time and do not immediately know where they are.  Their unfamiliar surroundings take them by surprise and are sometimes unpleasant: In some cases, patients cannot speak, are thirsty and feel helpless.

Waking up in the ICU.

Mr. Zaccharia Z explains how he experienced the clinical team's lack of communication as arrogance.

E : The only answer I have is because that's the way things work in Switzerland. And of ALL the times, you know we’ve, my wife's been, I told you, was in the hospital for cancer and I've had my own share of problems over the years (-) in Switzerland they just don't tell you anything.  Well that's my impression, okay? My / anytime my wife's been in the hospital, they don't tell her anything, they don't tell me anything and when (I've got in) they don't tell you anything.

Perception of arrogance

Readiness to communicate from the team: Patients have the feeling of being ignored, isolated,  considered as not being to able understand.Sometimes the patients had the feeling that the team was arrogant and felt threatened.

Readiness to communicate from the team

Mr. Zaccharias Z. explains how he was suspicious of the team because of the tubes and straps that held him in bed.

E : Anyway, it took two to three days to get past that. They found me um somewhere online, I mean they brought in a phone to let me talk to my wife. Because she called the hospital, and the first thing I said to her was listen I've been kidnapped (-) trace the call! Trace the call, because these guys have kidnapped me. It was pretty crazy, the nurse was very good about it in fact, I was very impressed. But I eventually got past that, you know once the barbiturate fog cleared up and I could start to see a little better and better understanding and then / then they're bringing me my phone. Because I had it with me in the hospital and I get a look at the map and see oh yeah I okay the GPS says I'm in the hospital, so everything is good you know. But // yeah they were really good about that (-) considering what a jerk I was the first couple of days. I mean, I was, you know, they strapped me down, right? Because you got tubes and stuff sticking everywhere and / and the tube in my throat was REALLY annoying, you know it didn't hurt so much, but it was just THERE you know it was really annoying and then one day when they finally loosened the straps on one of my arms I reached up and I yanked the tube up, like immediately because it was driving me crazy. And they all came: what did you do? what did you do? And I said well the stupid tube was irritating me and I (didn't want it anymore). Well and they said well // they were looking at some machines behind me that where showing my stats and it seemed to be okay, so they said well, it seemed to be okay, so we'll let it go for a while, see what happens.

Distrust

Patients sometimes find it difficult to organise their information because their situation in the ICU is not properly explained. The result is a feeling of uncertainty and sometimes panic.

Possible misunderstandings

Mr. Zaccharias Z. points to the lack of information from the team at all stages of his hospital stay.

E : Well as I explained before that the nurses were really good about taking care of me, as far as you know, doing the needs that need to be done, helping me when I needed help. And being there when I called for them and all that. But, you know, I got almost zero information about you know why there are 15 tubes stuck into my neck and my arm and everywhere else. Why / what had happened to me during the two weeks that I've been dreaming. Why / why was that happening? Why did they have to do that uh zero! I had to stir / I had to go once I got my phone back and I was strong enough to text I had / I had to research all that stuff myself. And then, when my wife was able to coerce the doctor of the hospital to giving her the list of medication and treatment, I was able to match that up against you know what I read online to see where I was as far of standard ways to do tings or  and so / I mean it is not the same for everybody, but I REALLY would have appreciated WAY more information.

Lack of information

So just your experience during the intensive care unit. Do you remember situations in which you felt helpless?                                                                                                      Yeah every minute I was there

Feeling helpless

.Patients are aware of their inability to be and act autonomously. They suffer from the fact that the team often does not understand what they are feeling. This feeling of discomfort is accompanied by forced patience, often by fear or anxiety, and sometimes by aggression. On the other hand, they appreciate the clinical team's expertise in this area.

Understanding the feeling of helplessness

Compared to the Canadian healthcare system, Mr. Zaccharia regrets the lack of information provided.

E : You know? And I mean,  I don't know why, but you know in Canada they tend to give you a lot more explanation about what is happening to you, what is going to happen to you, what the, how things work and why they do things, so that you're understanding what is happening to you. And here in Switzerland they just, they don't do that, they just do what the doctor says and go home and be happy with your life and so that is really the only critique I have.

Information must be improved

Patients want to interact with the team. They want to be respected. If patients can't respond, it doesn't mean they don't understand or don't want to be explained. The care relationship benefits from words, explanations of what the nurse is doing, and multi-sensory listening, even when the patient does not seem to be aware or able to process detailed information.

The team can improve the care relationship with patients

Mr. Zaccharia Z. describes his perception of good care: the team takes care of you.

And the only, and to be honest,  I mean they, the nurses that were treating me in ICU were really, really good to me. I mean when I came out of my coma, like I said I was a little paranoid and you know I was ripping my tubes / the tube out of my throat and they / considering the situation that dealing with all the other patients that they had in there, I / I could've been a little better <<laughs>> patient, you know? But they were really, really good to me. There was one nurse particular (name 1) who was from (place 2) in fact and she (caught) up with me and she was really good to me, so I was quite happy about that. So, on a grand scale of things, what I've been through and how I came out of it (-) I'm pretty happy, like (could've really hurt) you know? I mean it's / I mean for me it was just literally be in the coma and then recover, so not really (-) hard to do, because you sit there and you know you have doctors and nurses pretty much take care of you and watch what you're doing.

Good care

Most patients praise the clinical team. It was a difficult time and they are grateful to have survived.

Gratitude and recognition for the clinical team’s help and support

Mr. Zaccharia Z. was surprised that he still needed help at home.

So when it was time for me to go I asked if there was someone who could at least carry my bags, because I had my wife had sent some stuff along and I wasn't going to be able to walk and carry the bags at the same time. I mean I needed a walker, you know, to move. And so, some guy came along and he saw how much I was struggling and he said okay listen you know you ….let me get you a chair. And I went home, bit granted it was difficult, but I think being home and wanting to not be too much of a burden on my wife, because she was also looking after our two kids and working, it helped a lot to motivate me to get up and try you know, get myself, get my balance back and my strength back and all that. And it took I don't know, two months maybe four, I mean it was just a few days before I could get around by myself without too much trouble. Another about a week, it took me a week to be able to get up and down the stairs from our main floor to our bedroom. I spent the first week sleeping on the couch. But you know the more I motivated myself to help out to run the house and to try and do the things, I've always done the better. I got we left for walks eventually and now I'm pretty much back..

Still in need of help at home

So in order to move on with your life, you need to process and categorise what you have experienced. This is a long process and being discharged from intensive care can be a very stressful time for patients.

Zaccharia Z.

Frustration.

Video Interview

Related experiences

Other experiences by Zaccharia Z.

Zaccharia Z.