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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com with another quick tip for families in intensive care.

So, today’s tip is, again, another email that we had from a reader, and our reader says, “Hi, why are ICU departments negative all the time? Recovery takes time yet they seem to think that after three days, if someone doesn’t reply to commands, it’s a negative thing.” I couldn’t agree more with you that the ICU teams are very quick in painting a doom and gloom picture and creating the negative narrative around that not waking up after three days is a bad thing without actually explaining what’s really happening when your loved one comes out of an induced coma.

A lot of it depends on what medications has your loved one been on. How many sedatives  did your loved one have? How many opiates did your loved one have? Was your loved one potentially chemically restrained, i.e., was your loved one paralyzed with paralyzing agents or muscle relaxants? Because that also delays waking up. Was there potentially some form of neurological event, i.e., stroke, seizures, might have been some form of hypoxic brain injury even.

But even so, that should not lead the intensive care to creating a negative narrative, and painting a negative picture, and painting the doom and gloom scenario. Because again, even if someone does have a brain injury, a lot of it depends on what the person would want, what the family wants. What are their beliefs? What beliefs do they hold dear to their heart? What are their religious beliefs? What are their spiritual beliefs? What are their cultural beliefs? Is living for them something that’s important, even though their loved one may not be living the quality of life that they would have hoped for their loved one?

It’s a big argument always for intensive care teams saying that this particular patient will not have any “quality of life” if they are not, or if they are surviving the intensive care stay. Doesn’t really matter. Again, it depends on what patients and families want, not what intensive care teams want, which is often driven by what’s happening in the ICU in terms of how many beds do they need, and is this particular patient making them any money?

A lot of it comes down to the financial aspect as well, as well as the bed status. Do they have enough staff? Do they have enough doctors and nurses? A lot of it comes down to that as well. So, do not be swayed by having intensive care teams giving you the doom and gloom and being negative. Not waking up after three days is not a long time.

Some of it also comes down to, is there kidney failure? Is there liver failure? And quite frankly, if someone has been critically ill in an induced coma, they need time to wake up because they’re critically ill, they’re crooked and give them time. Everyone that’s been sick knows that you just need a few days to recover and why are intensive care teams so impatient? You have got to ask yourself that question.

It doesn’t sound to me like the intensive care team has shared with you why your loved one is potentially not waking up. They haven’t explained to you that depending on what sedatives your loved one has been on, depending on what opiates and the amount of it your loved one has been on that there could be simply a delay just from that.

Like I say, over and over again, intensive care teams always tell families not even half of the story. They’re not taking the time to sit down with them and explain things in detail to them, which is what we can do here at intensivecarehotline.com. We give you that second opinion, that crucial insights, and we decipher the secret intensive care language to you so that you can actually know what it really means and what things happen, and what they mean.

Now also, like I also say over and over again, the biggest challenge for families in intensive care is simply that they don’t know what they don’t know. They don’t know what to look for. They don’t know what questions to ask. They don’t know their rights, and they don’t know how to manage doctors and nurses in intensive care.

And again, at least, you are reaching out with an email that is very important. It’s important for families in intensive care to hear that, asking the right questions, knowing where to get professional help, and knowing where to get a second opinion is very important and it’s crucial for your family member.

So, that’s my quick tip for today.

If you have a loved one in intensive care, go to intensivecarehotline.com. Call us on one of the numbers on the top of our website or simply send us an email to [email protected].

Also, have a look at our membership for families in intensive care at intensivecaresupport.org. There, you have access to me and my team, 24 hours a day, in the membership area and via email, and we answer all questions intensive care related.

Also, we provide medical record reviews for patients in intensive care in real time, so we can give you a second opinion in real time. We also talk with doctors and nurses directly in intensive care, and we can ask questions on your behalf because we will be asking questions that you haven’t even considered asking. We also provide medical record reviews after intensive care if you’re suspecting medical negligence, if you have unanswered questions, or if you simply need closure.

Now, subscribe to my YouTube channel for regular updates for families in intensive care, click the like button, click the notification bell, share the video with your friends and families, and comment below what questions and insights you have from this video or what you want see next.

Thanks for watching.

This is Patrik Hutzel from intensivecarehotline.com and I’ll talk to you in a few days.

Take care.