Ms Anna A. was very tired during her stay in the intensive care unit. She was particularly disturbed by the noise and the light, but she also received a lot of care from the nursing staff.

Madame Anna A. a été très fatiguée pendant son séjour aux soins intensifs, gênée par  le bruit et les lumières,  mais elle reconnait aussi une grande attention dans les soins.

Alors je me souviens du temps qui passait d’abord très lentement,  d’une immense fatigue, l’impression de ne pas comprendre ce qui m’arrivait et puis  le bruit, la lumière ça c’était très fort;  et au début aussi  comme j’étais sous morphine,  enfin, ça c’était pour moi désagréable parce que je commençais à avoir des hallucinations et je le supportais mal. Et puis le fait d’être tout le temps couchée et puis de me sentir ( presque incapable de bouger, c’était, oui, difficile.  

I: Est-ce que vous avez comme ça un exemple un peu plus précis, pratique où vous avez ressenti ça? 

E: Oui, déjà le fait qu’on doive me laver par exemple, entièrement, ou, ça voilà, je ne pouvais pas me lever. Donc j’étais alitée et puis les aides infirmières étaient obligées de me laver. Ça c’était un peu difficile, quoi; enfin, elles le font très bien, c’était admirable et elles faisaient vraiment tout pour pas me faire sentir redevable ou que sais-je ;  enfin, très bien, mais pour moi c’était difficile;  et l’autre chose aussi qui était difficile, c’était la chaleur et la soif. Alors je pouvais pas boire, j’avais soif, ça c’était difficile. Et la chaleur, j’avais tout le temps chaud.

Madame Anna A. se rappelle du bruit ,des lumières, la fatigue et son impuissance.

La signora Anna A. era molto stanca durante la sua permanenza nel reparto di terapia intensiva. Era particolarmente infastidita dal rumore e dalla luce, ma ha anche sperimentato un'ottima assistenza da parte del personale infermieristico.

Ricordo il tempo che passava molto lentamente all'inizio, una stanchezza immensa, l'impressione di non capire cosa mi stava succedendo e poi il rumore, la luce, che era molto forte; e all'inizio anche come ero sotto morfina, beh, questo era spiacevole per me perché ho iniziato ad avere allucinazioni e non potevo sopportarlo. E poi il fatto di stare a letto tutto il tempo e poi sentirsi (quasi) incapace di muoversi, è stato, sì, difficile.  

I: Hai un esempio più preciso e pratico in cui ti sei sentito così? 

E:Sì, già il fatto che dovevo essere lavato, per esempio, completamente, o, ecco, non potevo alzarmi. Quindi ero a letto e le infermiere hanno dovuto lavarmi. È stato un po' difficile; beh, l'hanno fatto molto bene, è stato ammirevole, e hanno fatto davvero tutto il possibile per non farmi sentire in debito o altro; bene, molto bene, ma è stato difficile per me; e l'altra cosa difficile è stato il caldo e la sete. Quindi non potevo bere, avevo sete, era difficile. E il caldo, avevo sempre caldo.

La signora Anna A. ricorda il rumore, le luci, la fatica e la sua impotenza.

Frau Anna A. war während ihres Aufenthalts auf der Intensivstation sehr müde. Besonders störte sie der Lärm und das Licht, aber sie hat auch  eine große Fürsorge durch die Pflege erfahren.

So erinnere ich mich an die Zeit, die zunächst sehr langsam verging,an eine immense Müdigkeit, den Eindruck, nicht zu verstehen, was mit mir geschah. Und dann war der Lärm, das Licht sehr stark. Und am Anfang auch, als ich unter Morphium stand, na ja, das war mir unangenehm, weil ich anfing, Halluzinationen zu haben, und das konnte ich nicht ertragen. Und dann die Tatsache, die ganze Zeit im Bett zu liegen und sich dann (fast) nicht bewegen zu können, das war schwierig.  

I: Haben Sie ein konkreteres, praktisches Beispiel, wo Sie das so empfunden haben? 

E: Ja, schon die Tatsache, dass ich zum Beispiel komplett gewaschen werden musste, oder, das war's, ich konnte nicht aufstehen. Ich lag also im Bett und die Krankenschwestern mussten mich waschen. Das war ein bisschen schwierig. Na ja, sie haben es sehr gut gemacht, es war bewundernswert, und sie haben wirklich alles getan, damit ich mich nicht schuldig fühle oder was auch immer - na ja, sehr gut. Aber es war schwierig für mich. Und das andere, was schwierig war, war die Hitze und der Durst. Ich konnte also nicht trinken, ich war durstig, das war schwierig. Und die Hitze, mir war immer heiß.

Frau Anna A. erinnert sich an den Lärm, die Lichter, die Müdigkeit und ihre Hilflosigkeit.

So I remember the time that passed at first very slowly, an immense tiredness, the impression of not understanding what was happening to me. And then the noise, the light that was very strong. And at the beginning, too, when I was under morphine, well, that was unpleasant for me because I started having hallucinations and I couldn't stand that.And then the fact of lying in bed all the time and then (almost) not being able to move, that was difficult.  

I: Do you have a more specific, practical example where you felt that way? 

E:Yes, already the fact that I had to be washed, for example, completely, or, that's it, I couldn't get up. So I was in bed and the nurses had to wash me. That was a bit difficult; well, they did it very well, it was admirable and they really did everything to not make me feel indebted or whatever; well, very well, but for me it was difficult. And the other thing that was also difficult was the heat and the thirst. So I couldn't drink, I was thirsty, that was difficult. And the heat, I was always hot.

Mrs. Anna A. remembers the noise, the lights, the fatigue and her helplessness.

Patients generally have a good impression of the clinical team, which they consider professional and very active. They are often confused about what is going on, and tired because of the severity of their illness. Noise and lights may bother them, but they usually feel safe in this intensive care unit.

Patient’s typical perceptions

With the technical and medical possibilities on intensive care a patient can be able to survive life-threatening illnesses. These experiences of critical illness and intensive care medicine are challenging for patients and families. Often experiences made on intensive care unit (ICU) can be life changing.
In small video- or audio-sequences we would like to illustrate the experiences made by patients on ICU and how they handled their stay in this critical situation.
Many patients share their experiences on intensive care unit and show how these experiences influenced their life.

Grazie alle possibilità mediche e tecniche offerte dalla terapia intensiva, oggi un paziente può sopravvivere a malattie gravi e precedentemente 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 scoprire come altre persone hanno vissuto il loro tempo in un’unità di terapia intensiva. In brevi video o estratti di testo, i pazienti raccontano la loro permanenza in terapia intensiva, il modo in cui hanno gestito questo periodo delle loro vite, ed il modo in cui 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

Ms. Anna A. learns that she has been intubated when the physician tells her in an explanatory conversation 6 months after her discharge from the intensive care unit.

E: Luckily I have a great memory of the ICU stay although / even I wish I hadn't had to go. Considering everything that happened afterwards, yes a very good memory. And then I would say, I was received by the professor in charge of the intensive care six months later for a small assessment and there I went with my brother who was very close to me // well who is still very close to me // and there she explained to us what had happened. And there I discovered things that I didn't remember or maybe I wasn't aware of at the time. I was surprised to learn that.
I: For example?
E: Do you remember that you were intubated? And no, I didn't remember that I was intubated at all. Now I don't remember. I still don't remember. Well, now I can say it because they tell me, but I didn't remember that. That's it.

Ms. Anna A. later learns from her doctor that she has been intubated.

Our interviewees often have to deal with memory gaps. Their descriptions are a mixture of what they experienced themselves,what is added afterwards by relatives or team members, or feelings/emotions to which they give words afterwards. Regardless of these limitations, it is important to note that these memories represent real experiences for the patient.

Forgetting: remembering with the help of other people.

Mrs. Anna A was aware that she was hallucinating and was trying to maintain a sense of reality.

Hallucinations, I saw myself in a dark cave, yes, images like that.  Sometimes yes, caves with branches, earth, dark and suddenly a yellow or bright red fluorescent light.  And then I had to close my eyes and open them again to tell myself no, there's nothing like that, you're just in the hospital in intensive care, you're getting your ceiling back. That's it...

Mrs. Anna A talks about her hallucinations.

Many patients report experiences that can be associated with hallucinations and confusion. These  memories are often present for months after hospitalization.

Anna A.

Mrs. Anna A. remembers the noise, the lights, the fatigue and her helplessness.

Video Interview

Related experiences

Other experiences by Anna A.

Anna A.