We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy Policy

OK


Other people's stories

In this section, we've looked back at what other patients have asked us or told us about their time on the general wards. We've picked out the most common things and provided some examples. We hope that hearing that what you're going through is common or normal provides you with some reassurance.

 

You have 7 results.

Apply a filter below to refine your search results.

External Video: Bob describes his experience on the ward

In this video clip, Bob (a former Intensive Care patient) talks about his recovery on the general wards, after being transferred out of Intensive Care.

External Video: George's experience of ward care

In this video, George talks about his experiences of care on the wards after Intensive Care. He also talks about his experiences of discharge planning.

External Video: Louise and her recovery from Swine flu

Video length: 22:33 (Watch now or tap the button above to add this resource to your personal library to watch later) In this video clip, Louise talks about her experiences of being critically ill with Swine flu. Five years on, she talks about the processes of getting better and getting on with her life. You can read interviews,listen to voice recordings and watch clips of other patients' experiences of Intensive Care by using the link to Healthtalkonline.

Article: Mobility issues (walking)

Once you are transferred to the general ward and are beginning to become more active, you may be surprised to notice that you are perhaps not quite as able to do the things you thought you would. There are a number of reasons for this, not least that you are still in the very early stages of recovering from a serious illness, an operation or an accident. Tiredness and general weakness are extremely common, even if you only spent a short time in Intensive Care or were previously fit and...

Article: Not remembering what happened to you

Once patients are transferred to the wards, they often "come to" and have to begin to make sense of what's happened to them. Not remembering (amnesia) how you ended up in Intensive Care and what happened while you were there is extremely common. Patients sometimes "lose" the few days before ending up in Intensive Care, even though they were comparatively well at that time. Not remembering is likely to be a combination of how ill you were, the nature of your...

Article: Problems sleeping

It’s very common to have problems sleeping after being transferred to the general wards, even though you may feel very tired. You may be surprised at how tired you feel, even though you may not have done much during the day. Some patients may feel tired after doing simple things like taking a shower or having gentle physiotherapy. You might struggle to get to sleep, have broken sleep, sleep for much longer than usual or sleep at different times than you normally would...

Article: Weight loss

Article length: 6 minutes (Read now or tap the button above to add this resource to your personal library to read later) Patients can lose a lot of weight during their time in Intensive Care (sometimes up to 20% of their weight on admission) and often have issues with eating after transfer to the general wards. This can happen for many reasons; some are physical, some psychological and others are to do with hospital routine (eg being presented with food at very different times to when...