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• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Sleep, dreams and hallucinations >> Sleep, dreams and hallucinations

Sleep, Dreams and Hallucinations

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• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 26 >> He felt bored and frustrated and had to learn how to walk again.

Was admitted to intensive care in 2005 because of severe pneumonia. Spent 30 days in intensive care and 8 days in a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 05 >> She was hallucinating when she came round and felt terrified of the nurses (she had pneumonia and sepsis).

Had pneumonia and severe sepsis. Was in intensive care for 22 days, the High Dependency Unit for 10 days and just over a week on a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 28 >> He couldn't move or communicate his fears of a nurse trying to shoot him.

Was admitted to intensive care in 2004 because of septicaemia. Spent about 7 weeks in intensive care and 4 weeks in a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 30 >> She stayed awake for four nights because she hallucinated whenever she tried to sleep, and felt isolated.

Was admitted to intensive care in 2005 because of epiglottitis and severe sepsis. Spent about 6 days in intensive care and 5 days in a High Dependency Unit.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 29 >> She was hallucinating that one of the doctors hated her and planned to kill her.

Had a planned hysterectomy in 2004. Complications led to a second operation. Was admitted to intensive care because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 1 day in High Dependence Unit and 1 week in a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 01 >> She sometimes feared she'd been kidnapped and needed to escape because she drifted between clarity and hallucinations.

Was admitted to intensive care in 1998 because of a complication during pregnancy, leading to septic shock. Was in ICU for 11 days and in general ward for 2 weeks. Recovered well and has had no further problems related to that illness.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 33 >> He felt stronger after having heart surgery but was tired and hallucinating when he first came round.

Had planned triple heart bypass surgery in 2004. After surgery, spent 1 day in intensive care, 2 days in a High Dependency Unit, and 2 days in a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 26 >> He recommended discussing dreams with family rather than nurses, and appreciated family members who were willing to listen.

Was admitted to intensive care in 2005 because of severe pneumonia. Spent 30 days in intensive care and 8 days in a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 05 >> She was hallucinating and pulled out one of the tubes because she thought it was something on her face.

Had pneumonia and severe sepsis. Was in intensive care for 22 days, the High Dependency Unit for 10 days and just over a week on a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 51-60 >> Interview 32 >> She would rather have a bit of pain than hallucinations caused by morphine.

Was admitted to intensive care in 2004 because of a perforated duodenal ulcer and septicaemia. Spent 29 days in intensive care, about 6 weeks in a general ward, and 6 weeks in a rehabilitation hospital.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 29 >> She recalled how the nurses went out of their way to help her feel cared for and positive.

Had a planned hysterectomy in 2004. Complications led to a second operation. Was admitted to intensive care because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 1 day in High Dependence Unit and 1 week in a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 31-40 >> Interview 05 >> Her hallucinations started wearing off in HDU but she felt bored because she was unable to do anything.

Had pneumonia and severe sepsis. Was in intensive care for 22 days, the High Dependency Unit for 10 days and just over a week on a general ward.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 61-70 >> Interview 27 >> For him, moving on and recovering included talking with relatives about what had happened and seeing the funny side of the hallucinations.

Was admitted to intensive care in 2005 because of pancreatitis and septicaemia. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 2 weeks in a High Dependency Unit; 6 weeks in a general ward, and 2 weeks in a rehabilitation hospital.

• Intensive care >> Intensive care: Patients' experiences >> Aged 41-50 >> Interview 29 >> She was glad she visited ICU because this time she saw it as it really is and not as the 'scary' place she'd felt it was when she was seriously ill.

Had a planned hysterectomy in 2004. Complications led to a second operation. Was admitted to intensive care because of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Spent 2 weeks in intensive care, 1 day in High Dependence Unit and 1 week in a general ward.