Mr Quentin Q. remembers that everything had to happen very quickly. His perception remains confused about the staff and the other patients.

Il signor Quentin Q. ricorda che tutto si è svolto rapidamente e la percezione del personale e degli altri pazienti rimane confusa.

Infatti tutto è andato molto veloce, penso che non ho avuto nemmeno il tempo di salutare mia moglie, lei aveva tenuto la mia (-) borsa e poi uh ricordo solo che mi ho ricevuto una maschera e mi sono addormentato. Credo che sia stato proprio quella sera e sono rimasto addormentato per una settimana (-) in un coma artificiale. E sembra che per tre giorni i medici abbiano cercato di controllare il mio ossigeno che sarebbe dovuto salire e invece è sceso e poi ci sono stati tre giorni di intubazione. Così per 72 ore sono stato intubato. Ricordo il reparto di terapia intensiva dove ero in un cubicolo, c'erano 7 o 8 uh (-) le infermiere si sono prese cura di me, l'equipe medica, un medico accompagnato da assistenti veniva a controllarmi. Ricordo cose del genere. Ma è stato abbastanza confuso quando mi sono svegliato e poi i pochi giorni che sono seguiti.

Per il signor Quentin Q. tutto è stato rapido e confuso.

Monsieur Quentin Q. se souvient que tout est allé vite et la perception du personnel et des autres patients, du personnel, reste confuse.

En fait tout est allé très vite, je crois j'ai même pas eu le temps de dire au revoir à mon épouse, elle avait gardé mes (-) mon sac et puis euh je me souviens tout juste que j'ai reçu un masque et je me suis endormi. Je crois que c'était ce soir même et je suis resté endormi une semaine (-) dans un coma artificiel. Et il semble que pendant trois jours les médecins ont essayé d'observer mon oxygène qui aurait dû augmenter et puis il a plutôt baissé et puis après il y a eu trois jours d'intubation. Donc pendant 72 heures j'étais intubé. J'ai le souvenir des soins intensifs où j'étais dans un box, il y en avait 7 ou 8 euh (-) les infirmières ont bien pris soin de moi, l'équipe médicale, un médecin accompagné d'assistants est venu prendre des nouvelles. Je me souviens de choses comme ça. Mais c'était assez confus quand même le réveil et puis les quelques jours qui suivaient.

Pour M. Quentin Q., tout a été rapide et confus.

Herr Quentin Q. erinnert sich, dass alles sehr schnell gehen musste. Seine Wahrnehmung bleibt verwirrt, was das Personals und die anderen Patienten betrifft.

Tatsächlich ging alles sehr schnell, ich glaube, ich hatte nicht einmal Zeit, mich von meiner Frau zu verabschieden, sie hatte meine (-) Tasche aufbewahrt und dann, äh, ich erinnere mich nur, dass ich eine Maske bekam und einschlief. Ich glaube, es war genau an diesem Abend und ich schlief eine Woche lang (-) in einem künstlichen Koma. Und es scheint, dass die Ärzte drei Tage lang versucht haben, meinen Sauerstoff zu beobachten, der eigentlich hätte steigen sollen, und dann ist er stattdessen gesunken, und danach gab es drei Tage der Intubation. Also war ich 72 Stunden lang intubiert. Ich erinnere mich an die Intensivstation, wo ich in einer Kabine lag, es gab 7 oder 8. (-) Die Krankenschwestern kümmerten sich gut um mich, das medizinische Team, ein Arzt in Begleitung von Assistenten kam, um nach mir zu sehen. Ich erinnere mich an solche Dinge. Aber es war ziemlich verwirrend, als ich aufgewacht bin und in den paar Tage, die folgten.

Für Herrn Quentin Q. kam alles sehr schnell und verwirrend.

Corine

In fact everything went very fast, I think I didn't even have time to say goodbye to my wife, she had kept my (-) my bag and then uh I just remember that I got a mask and I fell asleep. I think it was that very night and I stayed asleep for a week (-) in an artificial coma. And it seems that for three days the doctors tried to watch my oxygen which should have gone up and then it went down instead and then after that there were three days of intubation. So for 72 hours I was intubated. I remember the intensive care unit where I was in a cubicle, there were 7 or 8 uh (-) the nurses took good care of me, the medical team, a doctor accompanied by assistants came to check on me. I remember things like that. But it was quite confusing when I woke up and then the few days that followed.

For Mr. Quentin Q. everything was quick and confuse.

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

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. Quentin Q. explains that he accepted the decision to be intubated despite the discomfort.

I : Would you have preferred not to be intubated? Or did you think, or do you think, that you could have avoided it?
E : No, I think the decision was made because it was really necessary, and I can't blame the doctors for that. I think it was what I needed, or maybe even what saved me. I really think it was necessary in this case. I was a little uncomfortable for a few days after, but it's no big deal, I mean, compared to the situation.

Accepting a difficult decision

Patients want to be involved in decisions, but they do not always have the capacity to understand and contribute. To gain confidence in the decision, patients want information about what is happening in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Share decision making process

Mr. Quentin Q. needed  debriefing and psychological help.

I : Would you have needed or do you still need psychological support?
E : Maybe some kind of debriefing would have been useful.
I : And who could have done that?
E : Maybe a psychologist from the hospital who gets back in touch with people who have left to find out how they are doing.
I : Isn't there something planned systematically? After six months or something?
E : Not that I know of, no.

Need for psychological support

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.

Learning from the experience of the intensive care unit (ICU)

Mr. Quentin Q. continues to get fitter and fitter as he continues to work out daily.

And the doctors, everyone recommended that I keep walking, do the exercises I had been taught, and increase the pace or distance of my walks. Yes, I needed to recover. I had lost 6 kilos. So far, I've gained back 2 kilos since April 11, but I'm walking regularly, and now my walks are much longer and include hills. I live on the fourth floor and try not to use the elevator. So right at the beginning, on April 11, I had to stop on every floor to catch my breath for a minute. But now I can climb the four floors more or less easily. I'm a little out of breath when I get there, but it's much better. I also contacted a physical therapist, whom I've seen three times. He gave me some exercises to do at home, which I try to do, alternating with my exercise bike to test my breathlessness a little. I feel like I'm starting to forget about my stay almost, things are getting better. It's not quite the same as before, in terms of my breathing and certainly in terms of muscle strength. But I've been surprised at how quickly you recover.

Daily workout.

Leaving intensive care is not the end of the story. Patients talk about the importance of exercise, walking and rehabilitation to return to a (near) normal life.

Quentin Q.

For Mr. Quentin Q. everything was quick and confuse.

Video Interview

Related experiences

Other experiences by Quentin Q.

Quentin Q.