Surviving the ICU-The Patient Experience: What Patients Need Their Doctors to Know

Paul Wischmeyer, M.D., E.D.I.C., Department of Anesthesiology and Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, shares his personal experience as an ICU patient and what patients wish their providers, doctors, and nurses knew. Asks the question- "are we creating survivors...or are we creating victims" in the ICU and Dr. Wischmeyer's personal experience on how to optimally recover from the ICU and prepare for surgery. Includes details on optimizing nutrition and exercise to recover from injury and illness.

[@cliffg4437]

Excellent talk, Dr Wischmeyer. I've now fetched a number of your papers which are the first I've found on long term rehab after ICU Acquired Weakness. I've been diagnosed 4+ years after an aortic dissection and 6 weeks in ICU, with CIP, and am desperate to get back my strength. Quite a few pointers. Thank you.

[@skan6326]

great story..I will ask all my residents to watch

[@intubation8]

Thought provoking.

[@lindac2412]

Suffering can make you caring and thoughtful. Case in point. While I don't wish unnecessary or undeserved suffering on anyone, as someone who has been on the receiving end of much callousness and insensitivity by medical professionals - I kinda wish all of them had to experience some kind of mandatory grave illness - before they go into practice.

[@natalieconforti4726]

Extending lives at what cost? It's a great question for humanity to ask itself. Medical practitioners should be focusing on this question as the aging population continues to grow.

[@annerasmussen5266]

THANK YOU. amazing and so important

[@Lo-tu4tc]

I am an anesthesia resident currently recovering from my 2 weeks in the icu. My illness resulted in me getting encephalopathy. Would love to speak with you as I suffered severe delirium. I feel like I’m at baseline, but seeing the stats of how poorly ICU patients do after discharge keeps me worried that I will not be able to ever practice medicine.

[@catiapb1]

Can mitochondrial dysfunction happen in obese patients (non ICU)?

[@torriepenney936]

You got so sick. It is hard to hear how Trained hospital staff seemed to have No understanding of You feeling pain. The IV needle, the Hip vein and abcess in groin. I attended Nursing for 2 years. and compassion was taught. But it seems doctors etc..are on One side of the relationship..totally not thinking How to make a process be Least painful. Isnt this the 21st century? We can just Do patients treatments..Its to a living feeling person. They have Got to hear Pain tolerances which are Individual and Develop less painful innovations so People arent More traumatized. Education has to be more than learn how to fix a broken part ( as though we are machines). Goodness sakes! When you were 15, and had so many surgeries, starving, I cant help but think What were they thinking? Put major stress on your fairly healthy body. My sister had ulcerative colitis, and got treated badly after her large bowel was removed, and she had a stoma. Major shock to the mind, learning how to Do this new body function when totally dealing with change. Yes, she knew procedure was happening, but, she did not heal quickly. I was living far away, the family said She was annoying, needing so much help. My strong sister was totally weakened. Had to readjust all food to mushy overcooked to avoid blockages in her remaining small intestine. Her husband had little caring abilities, my Mother, a nurse, was there during this Life threatening surgery and healing process. She is much better, but has to slow down, hard for a very high achiever all her life. I think it took 2 years before she could return to work. Got a resection, no more stoma. She has to drink lots o liquids bc No large intestine. Your story, led you to Stress, thanks to you Pushing to Educate this Post ICU syndrome...more suffering can be lessened thanks to you. Great inspiration you Know to listen to people undergoing these surgeries. Human compassion has to be more than a one week class. Should be always part of medical care, so they go on to Better lives, treated as persons with meaning that does matter. Yes, learn what matters to them before surgery, and doctors remember to include those Life meanings are Why the person wants to be well.

[@hahna77]

If you just would have fasted without the "food line" and then slowly introduced a bone broth and health food diet, you could have skipped all the awful stuff and had a natural healing process.