It can take several months or even over a year to fully recover from a stay in intensive care. During this time, you may feel very weak, fatigued by the slightest effort, and have difficulty performing routine tasks such as dressing, getting around and feeding yourself. This sense of loss of independence is confusing and can be difficult to accept. Your stay in intensive care is a difficult and intense experience that leaves its mark, despite the precautions taken by the care teams to accompany you as best they can. Find out more about what it's like to be an intensive care patient.
The physical, psychological and/or cognitive disorders that may appear after discharge are called post- intensive care syndrome or PICS (Post Intensive Care Syndrome) .
Their progression is variable and unpredictable: they may lessen, persist, or change over time. If you think you may be experiencing these symptoms, don't hesitate to consult healthcare professionals to minimize their impact on your quality of life and promote the fastest possible recovery.
Sometimes, conversely, one can feel invincible and all-powerful for having survived, or oscillate from one extreme to the other of these feelings.
Hallucinations, nightmares and flashbacks : Some patients continue to have dreams related to their stay in intensive care or perhaps with the delusions they experienced during periods of coma and wakefulness. These dreams are sometimes very difficult and seem very real. These dreams are probably linked to the feeling of helplessness during their stay in intensive care , any restraints (ties) used to prevent patients from pulling out catheters and probes necessary for their survival, or related to painful procedures sometimes performed, etc.
Sometimes these recollections of real moments or "ICU dreams" can also occur in broad daylight, while you are doing something else, interrupting your day, pulling you out of reality and plunging you back into those past moments. These are called flashbacks.
These symptoms may be due to what is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD ). This is a reaction of your mind to the extremely significant stress you experienced in intensive care If you are experiencing these kinds of symptoms, consider consulting your doctor and a psychologist, or even a psychiatrist. Treatments exist, both medication-based and through mental health therapies, that can help you overcome this.
Talking to relatives who have visited you, or if you have benefited from an ICU diary, you may find elements that will help you to better understand and make sense of your intensive care dreams. It can be very helpful to understand how your mind has constructed these not always pleasant dreams.
Katia's testimony After leaving, there's still a way to go.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that occurs after an intense psychological shock. It is relatively common after... intensive care and only testifies to the intensity of what you experienced.
Anyone can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a life-threatening event. It's a disorder that can be treated in various ways, but it's essential to seek help.
Note: Among the symptoms of post-traumatic stress are avoidance behaviors, particularly avoiding places associated with the trauma. If this is the case for you and you are unable to return to the hospital where you were treated, speak to your doctor or psychologist to adjust your care plan and avoid jeopardizing your recovery. In post- intensive care , physical and psychological care, along with your medical follow-up, remain essential!
You can find many useful resources for understanding Post Traumatic Stress on the website of the National Resource and Resilience Centre .
You may experience anxiety after the intensive care Fear of getting sick again, fear of becoming incapable, loss of self-confidence, fear of seeing loved ones become ill. These symptoms are common; they are linked to the very intense life experience of hospitalization. intensive care You are not responsible for this. You can consult your doctor, a psychologist, or a psychiatrist to discuss your fears and, if the symptoms become too debilitating, receive anti-anxiety medication. They will lessen over time.
It is common to experience depressive symptoms after the intensive care Again, you are not responsible for these psychological consequences: you have gone through a major, extremely destabilizing event, and you are facing a rehabilitation that can be long, tiring, discouraging.
You have the right to feel bad, to be sad, to be exhausted, to have no desire for anything. You have been through an ordeal that few people know or can imagine. Surviving is not a guarantee of immediate happiness, and sometimes it takes time. It requires having finished recovering, having taken the time to take care of yourself, and having found meaning in your experience.
You also have every right to seek help from your loved ones, as well as from healthcare and mental health professionals. Depression is a mental disorder that responds well to treatment when addressed early. Remember to talk about it and share your perspective.
Sometimes, for loved ones, it's hard to understand why "things aren't going well" when, for them, the worst is over. It's true: the most dangerous period, when your life was in danger and they were terrified, is over, and they probably want to "move on." But for you, this is the crucial moment , the moment you realize what you've been through, the impact you've had, and the time still needed to rebuild your life, along with the more or less permanent adjustments you'll need to make to live normally. Talking to someone outside your immediate circle can be invaluable in this regard, helping you feel less alone and understood.
Testimony of Dominique After intensive care, a phase of depression
Katia's testimony The right to feel unwell after the recovery
After a stay in intensive care , cognitive impairments, which can affect memory, concentration, and expression, are not uncommon. Their intensity and duration vary considerably from person to person.
Everyday memory can be particularly affected: it becomes easier to forget simple actions or important information, which can be unsettling, especially when dealing with new difficulties and sometimes associated with other cognitive problems. Many patients also describe a decline in their ability to retain information or learn, sometimes described as a "brain fog." Concentration can be fragile, with attention quickly dispersing and a feeling that even simple tasks require significant effort, often exacerbated by persistent fatigue.
Difficulties in expression, both oral and written , may also appear. These manifest themselves as moments when words seem impossible to find, a loss of the thread of the conversation, reduced fluency in speech, articulation problems, spelling or grammar mistakes in writing, and sometimes a more frequent use of aids for calculation.
These difficulties, which did not exist before the illness, can affect many aspects of daily life: reading, writing, communication, but also activities such as driving. They can also impact family and social life, encouraging social withdrawal and sometimes causing concern or misunderstanding from those around them.
If you experience difficulties after your stay in intensive care , it is important not to ignore them. Speak to your doctor or any healthcare professional involved in your recovery as soon as possible, and don't hesitate to consult a psychologist or speech therapist if needed. A neuropsychological assessment may be recommended to better understand your difficulties and develop appropriate strategies, including cognitive rehabilitation.
It is also helpful to regularly stimulate your memory, concentration, learning, and expression skills. This can be achieved through simple exercises, reading, or more engaging activities such as music, drawing, gardening, learning a language, or any activity that attracts you and holds your attention.
In daily life, establishing routines and reference points can facilitate task management: noting reminders, verbalizing the steps of an action, or organizing your days helps you stay focused and structured. Tools and support are available to assist with these efforts, as cognitive difficulties are often interconnected and must be addressed holistically.
The key is to accept your difficulties, respect your pace, and give yourself patience and kindness to help you gradually regain your abilities.
Your family and close friends have experienced the weeks you spent in intensive care as an intensely anxious time. When you leave, they may be particularly protective, even overprotective, which can be pleasant, but also irritating if you're usually a very independent person. Good communication of your needs (for help, but also for solitude and calm) will help you find a new balance. Talk to them about how you're feeling, and ask them how they're feeling and how they've experienced the period of your hospitalization.
Asking them to tell you about your hospitalization will also allow them to release accumulated anxiety and will allow you to better understand the time needed for your recovery.
Testimony of LaurieThe waking experience of loved ones
Rest and regular sleep are essential to your recovery, but your sleep may be very fragmented in the early stages. Your nycthemeral rhythm (day/night rhythm) has been severely disrupted during intensive care , due to the constant care and surveillance you have been under. It may take several weeks for you to get back to normal sleep. Avoid coffee and tea at the end of the day, and prefer quiet activities (reading, radio) before going to bed. Once again, your GP can help you if necessary.
The experience of intensive care is a very personal one. It can vary from patient to patient. Some will be anxious about the next stage of their treatment, while others will try to forget the ordeal. For still others, having been so ill is a traumatic experience, which will take a great deal of time and self-examination to come to terms with. Some people feel the need to make changes in their lives or start new projects. However you react at this time, your feelings are legitimate.
Testimony of Jean-Yves In search of words
After your discharge, you may have questions about your stay in intensive care. Some hospitals will offer you post-hospitalization clinical follow-up, which may include a visit to the ICU where you were treated to see the people who cared for you and to understand what happened to you.
The idea of returning to intensive care may frighten you. Wait until you're ready to do so, but it will help you understand what happened and what you went through.
Reading and re-reading the ICU diary written by your loved ones during your stay will also help you to resemble your memories, to recover and give meaning to what you experienced during your stay in intensive care. You may want to read it on your own, or you may feel more comfortable being accompanied by someone close to you, whether simply present or reading at your request. Arrange to be accompanied if you feel the need.
The ICU diary
Sometimes it's useful to be able to share what you've been through with others who have had a similar experience. The Second Life social network has been designed to enable former intensive care patients to share their experiences with others. This secure network brings together three audiences: former intensive care patients, patient relatives and caregivers, and enables exchanges to take place in open "chains" between the three populations, or closed to just one of them.
The Second Life social network
If you've come across any other psychological consequences of intensive care that we haven't thought of, please let us know! LifeMapp is a webapp that is enriched by the experiences of its users!