Mr Fabio F. brings up the noise and light of the machines, as well as the noise of the patients next door. He understands and accepts the situation.

Il sig. Fabio F. riferisce del rumore e della luce delle macchine, così come del rumore dei pazienti della porta accanto. Capisce e accetta la situazione.

C'era rumore da parte dei vicini. Ma questo non può essere cambiato. Naturalmente in terapia intensiva ci sono tutti i casi, ci sono persone in difficoltà quindi bisogna essere aperti e consapevoli di questo. E poi ci sono le luci, naturalmente. C'è luce quasi tutta la notte, c'è rumore di fondo, devi indossare tappi per le orecchie, devi metterti qualcosa sugli occhi. Ci sono sempre dei bip, ci sono sempre degli allarmi, a volte sono miei, a volte sono di qualcun altro, e poi bisogna abituarsi un po'. È come essere in un pronto soccorso: ci sono molte cose che accadono. Naturalmente, non ci sono casi urgenti in termini di chirurgia, emorragie o cose del genere. Erano già stati in sala operatoria, ma c'erano ancora delle emergenze. Persone con problemi di cuore. Non è tutto tranquillo.

Il signor Fabio F. sente e vede, ma accetta l'ambiente non familiare.

Monsieur Fabio F.mentionne les bruits et lumières des machines, le bruit des patients à côté, mais il les comprend et les accepte.

E: Il y avait du bruit des voisins. Mais ça on peut pas changer. Bien sûr aux soins intensifs il y a tous les cas, il y a des personnes en difficulté alors il faut être ouvert et conscient à ça. Et puis il y a les lumières bien sûr. Il y a de la lumière toute la nuit presque, il y a des bruits de fond, il faut porter des bouchons d’oreille, il faut mettre quelque chose sur les yeux. Il a toujours des bips, il y a toujours des alarmes, des fois ce sont les miennes, des fois c’est de quelqu’un d’autre et puis il faut s’habituer un peu. C’est , bien sûr on a l’impression d’être aux urgences:  il y a beaucoup de choses qui se passent. Bien sûr, il n’y a pas des cas urgents au niveau chirurgie, au niveau saignement, au niveau trucs comme ça. Ils étaient déjà passés au bloc opératoire, mais il y avait quand même des urgences. Des personnes avec des problèmes cardiaques. Ce n'est pas le calme total.

M. Fabio F. entend et voit, mais accepte l'environnement non familier.

Herr Fabio F. bringt den Lärm und das Licht der Maschinen, sowie den Lärm der Patienten nebenan zur Sprache. Er versteht und akzeptiert die Situation.

Es gab Lärm von den Nachbarn. Aber das kann nicht geändert werden. Natürlich gibt es auf der Intensivstation alle Fälle, es gibt Menschen in Schwierigkeiten, also muss man offen sein und sich dessen bewusst sein. Und dann sind da natürlich noch die Lichter. Es ist fast die ganze Nacht hell, es gibt Hintergrundgeräusche, man muss Ohrstöpsel tragen, man muss etwas über die Augen legen. Es gibt immer Pieptöne, es gibt immer Alarme, manchmal sind es meine, manchmal sind es die von jemand anderem, und dann muss man sich ein bisschen daran gewöhnen. Es ist wie in einer Notaufnahme: Es passieren viele Dinge. Natürlich gibt es keine dringenden Fälle im Sinne einer Operation, einer Blutung oder Ähnlichem. Sie waren bereits im Operationssaal gewesen, aber es gab noch Notfälle. Menschen mit Herzproblemen. Es ist nicht alles ruhig.

Herr Fabio F. hört und sieht, akzeptiert aber die ungewohnte Umgebung.

Corine

There was noise from the neighbors. But that can't be changed. Of course in the ICU there are all the cases, there are people in trouble so you have to be open and aware of that. And then there are the lights of course. There's light almost all night, there's background noise, you have to wear earplugs, you have to put something over your eyes. There are always beeps, there are always alarms, sometimes they're mine, sometimes they're someone else's, and then you have to get used to it a bit. It's like being in an emergency room: there are many things happening. Of course, there are no urgent cases in terms of surgery, bleeding, or things like that. They had already been to the operating room, but there were still emergencies. People with heart problems. It's not all quiet.

Mr. Fabio F. hears and sees, but accepts the unfamiliar environment.

The intensive care unit is bustling with activity. Clinical teams are busy with intensive patient care and emergencies. The environment is dominated by machines and modern technology that enable survival in critical illness.  In addition, there are team conversations and sounds from neighboring patients. This leads to noise, light, which can be disturbing for the patients.

Perception of the environment of the intensive care unit

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 Fabio F. is used to managing his  diabetes himself, which sometimes brings him into conflict with the clinic team.

E : So the first one was the first time I was // apart from at the beginning in England, but the first time I was hospitalised with hyperglycaemia, I recognised some of the symptoms of ketoacidosis: vomiting, stomach ache, headache, dryness, etc., and then the big difference when you have hyperglycaemia you reach a point where you have to be aggressive with the insulin, you really have to go for it to bring the blood sugar down. Because the whole body wasn't functioning properly, so they doubled all the dosages, they doubled up with pens, slow and then fast too. But the difference between the two, and I had to tell them a bit about this, there was a protocol, in intensive care there was no problem. With a hypo or with my state of health, because if I had a hypo, they would go and see the cardiologist, they were there, the nurse was there. But with the double dosage, they sent me to the hospital where there was no longer a protocol to closely monitor my blood sugar level.  And one day, it wasn't in intensive care, but in the hospital, I went to bed, (they) wanted to measure the blood level only before I had something to eat again, not before going to bed and I demanded to have one before going to bed. There were 4 of us with a 15 slowness in my arm, so I knew I was going into hypo(glycaemia). Obviously, I hadn't eaten and then I had to go and see the head nurse to explain the situation and finally, they gave me something to eat. And then they took care of me.
I : And that was between leaving intensive care the first time //
E : To go to the hospital, yes.
I : And the hospital. And so there was no communication, is that right?
E : There was / the protocol was wrong in my opinion.
I : The protocol was wrong, where? 
E : They should have had a protocol that would have left me in general hospitalisation, but that wasn't the case because I had an aggressive / aggressive insulin dosage. So the second time it was different, luckily they changed the protocol, they only gave me the fast-acting one.
I : Was that in intensive care? 
E : Yes, they only gave me the fast-acting one and so after two hours there was no more insulin. There was no more / so we saw the effect, we could adjust the dosage, but with the slow-acting one we can't. Once it's injected, we can't remove it. So I / luckily, they changed the protocol and it's much more flexible with the fast one, either intravenous or with infusion, and then I had much fewer fears.

Experience of conflict

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. Fabio F. learnt to appreciate the care provided in the intensive care unit.

I : Were there moments when you felt desperate, sad, or lonely?
E : Not in intensive care, but in the hospital, yes.

Appreciation of the ICU teams.

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.

Fabio F.

Mr. Fabio F. hears and sees, but accepts the unfamiliar environment.

Related experiences

Other experiences by Fabio F.

Fabio F.