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Hi, it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM , where we instantly improve the lives of Families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care, so that you can have PEACE OF MIND, real power, real control and so that you can influence decision making fast, even if you’re not a doctor or a nurse in Intensive Care!
This is another episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” and in last week’s episode I answered another question from our readers and the question last week was
My husband is dying in Intensive Care, but we need more time…
You can check out the answer to last week’s question by clicking on the link here.
In this week’s episode of “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” I want to answer another question from one of our readers and the question this week is
SIX WEEKS IN INTENSIVE CARE AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY AND MY MOTHER ISN’T GETTING ANY BETTER…
Damien from Auckland, New Zealand
Hi Patrik,
my 73 year old mother has been in Intensive Care for more than 6 weeks now. Initially she was admitted for open heart surgery, which didn’t go as planned as she was bleeding heavily after surgery and she had to go back to theatre to get the bleeding stopped.
Furthermore, in the next few days after surgery she developed an infection on her chest and she therefore had difficulties getting off the ventilator.
She then failed a couple of attempts to have the breathing tube taken out, with the result that after the second failed attempt she ended up having a Tracheostomy.
Initially she has been getting better, but within the last few weeks she has been really struggling as she is still having difficulties getting off the ventilator, despite the Intensive Care team initially saying that a Tracheostomy would be a much easier way to wean her off the ventilator.
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Unfortunately my mother has been getting increasingly distressed and depressed in the last couple of weeks as she hasn’t been sleeping at night due to the poor Quality of Life in ICU. She also hasn’t managed to stay off the ventilator for long periods of time. Furthermore, she also suffers from the lack of privacy and the lack of dignity in the sterile hospital environment.
My question is, what can we (my siblings and I) do to help her getting better and how can we also make sure she is getting the best possible care?
Hi Damien,
Thanks for your question. You’re bringing up some very important questions in your email.
You see, with your mother being a long-term ventilated Patient with Tracheostomy in Intensive Care, there are several issues that come with it.
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As you have already correctly identified, she has no or little Quality of Life in a sterile clinical environment and she certainly has no or very little privacy and dignity. Furthermore, it sounds like she is really struggling to get off the ventilator and with the issues that you’ve pointed out such as being distressed and depressed, your mother might have a hard time to get off the ventilator and it might be a lengthy and burdensome process.
What I have seen over the years in Intensive Care is that when it comes to long-term ventilation with Tracheostomy, Patients more often than not enter into a vicious cycle and the long-term stay in Intensive Care triggers depression and the depression triggers the ventilator dependency, as I think that half of the battle your mother is fighting is a psychological dependency on the ventilator.
Because she already had two failed attempts to be taken off the ventilator, she has experienced the struggles and the hardship that come with the ventilator dependency already and she is probably afraid and worried that she won’t come off the ventilator and get out of Intensive Care.
Another issue that you may not be aware of is that the longer your mother stays in Intensive Care, the longer she may need to get off the ventilator(vicious cycle) and moreover, the risk of catching a hospital acquired infection is increasing as well as there are a lot of bugs floating around in Intensive Care, increasing the risk for your mother that she is catching an infection. The lack of natural daylight, the sleeplessness and the disturbed day and night rhythm are only contributing to make things worse for your mother.
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In order to give you some action steps what you can do to improve your mother’s situation I suggest
• Ask whether your mother can be transferred to a room with natural daylight
• Ask whether your mother can have regular and experienced nurses looking after her(often Intensive Care Units tend to have less experienced or junior nurses or even agency nurses looking after long-term Patients and the more experienced and the senior staff are looking after new admissions). Therefore consistency of care with regular and experienced nurses would be a bonus for your mother
• Ask whether your mother can have regular visits outside the ICU to get fresh air and natural daylight. This is something that can be done if the staff want to, so don’t be afraid to ask
• Make sure your mother is getting regular showers or baths, as this usually improves well being
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• Also, bring in your mother’s favourite music, favourite pictures, smells that remind her of home etc… basically anything that reminds her of her own home and familiar environment would be a bonus
• Furthermore, ask around in your community and find out whether there are any Intensive Home Care nursing services that are specialised to take long-term ventilated Patients out of Intensive Care back into their own home as a genuine alternative to a long-term stay in Intensive Care. I bet your mother will blossom if she can go home. Whilst this may not be an option in your area you can still check out such services that are available in countries like Australia or Germany
Find more information on http://intensivecareathome.com.au or http://intensiv-kollegen-gesucht.de/
How can you get PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence quickly, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care?
You get to that all important feeling of PEACE OF MIND, CONTROL, POWER AND INFLUENCE when you download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report NOW by entering your email below!
In Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” report you’ll learn quickly how to get PEACE OF MIND, real power and real control and how you can influence decision making fast, whilst your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care! Your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” Report gives you in-depth insight that you must know whilst your loved one is critically ill or is even dying in Intensive Care! Sign up and download your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT now by entering your email below!
In your FREE “INSTANT IMPACT” REPORT you’ll learn how to speak the “secret” Intensive Care language so that the doctors and the nurses know straight away that you are an insider and that you know and understand what’s really happening in Intensive Care!
In your FREE report you’ll also discover
- How to ask the doctors and the nurses the right questions
- Discover the many competing interests in Intensive Care and how your critically ill loved one’s treatment may depend on those competing interests
- How to eliminate fear, frustration, stress, struggle and vulnerability even if your loved one is dying
- 5 mind blowing tips& strategies helping you to get on the right path to PEACE OF MIND, control, power and influence in your situation
- You’ll get real world examples that you can easily adapt to your and your critically ill loved one’s situation
- How to stop being intimidated by the Intensive Care team and how you will be seen as equals
- You’ll get crucial ‘behind the scenes’ insight so that you know and understand what is really happening in Intensive Care
- How you need to manage doctors and nurses in Intensive Care(it’s not what you think)
Thank you for tuning into this week’s “BLOG” and I’ll see you again in another update next week!
Make sure you also check out our “YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED” section where I answer your questions or send me an email to [email protected] with your questions!
Or you can call us! Find phone numbers on our contact tab.
Also check out our Products section where you get more Ebooks, Videos and Audio recordings and where you can also get 1:1 consulting with me via Skype or over the phone by clicking on the products tab!
This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVECAREHOTLINE.COM and I’ll see you again next week with another update!
Your Friend
Patrik Hutzel
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