Interview 20
In 2004 his wife and her mother spent six months in hospital and was admitted to ICU three times because of sepsis and heart problems.
In 2004 his wife and her mother spent six months in hospital and was admitted to ICU three times because of sepsis and heart problems. Because of the severe sepsis, she had to have both legs amputated above the knee. She is now at home and her husband cares for her full-time.
He visited his wife in hospital every day while she was there, apart from when he had the flu. His daughter, who lived some distance away, had five weeks off work and visited her mother daily. After that, she visited almost every weekend until her mother was discharged from hospital. They were also in the middle of moving house at the time.
Her daughter felt that during her mother’s time in ICU it was important for her to have a sense of normality. As well as going to the ICU daily she and her father watched DVDs and ate out in order to maintain a balance between being at the hospital all day and normal life. She found her mother’s transition from ICU to a general ward difficult because there were fewer nurses per patient. Once her mother was back home, she had to re-adjust to normal life, having had a routine for six months of travelling and visiting the hospital. She received support from her father and some of her friends during this time, and praised the professionalism of ICU staff.
He gave up work so he could look after his wife full-time. He received a lot of helpful practical advice from friends who’d had a similar experience. He also had a lot of support from his faith and friends from his church.