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Getting home

Getting home is a huge step on the road to recovery. While it is often an enormous relief to be back home, some may find the first few weeks a bit of an emotional rollercoaster in terms of readjusting to everyday life. In this section, we've provided some general information and advice on the common physical and psychological issues you might face,what you can do to help the recovery process along, and the types of help that might be available to you and your family after you get home.We've also included a few short pieces on other people's experience, which we hope you will find helpful.

 

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Web Link: INSPIRE: a rehabilitation programme in Scotland

This link will take you to Greater Glasgow & Clyde's webpage, with information on INSPIRE-a rehabilitation study that is taking place in several Scottish Health Boards: Fife, Ayrshire & Arran, Lanarkshire, NHS Glasgow, and the Golden Jubilee Hospital. Click on the link to find out more!

Article: Irritability and mood swings

It is common to feel that your emotions are "all over the place" after having spent time in Intensive Care.Patients often tell us that it is only after they got home or are more physically able, that the emotional side of what has happened comes to the fore. There are many reasons why you might feel like this, all of which are perfectly understandable. Not knowing or not remembering how you ended up in Intensive Care, or what happened while you were there, for example,...

Article: Joint stiffness and pain

Patients sometimes suffer from stiff and painful joints after Intensive Care, particularly in the ankles, knees, elbows and shoulders.This can make it difficult to do simple things like getting out of bed, walking around the ward or washing and showering. Why do I have joint stiffness or pain? Patients who have spent longer in Intensive Care seem to be at greater risk of developing joint stiffness and pain. Joint stiffness and pain can be due to several things but is most...

External Video: Louise describes her critical illness and the process of getting better

In this video clip, Louise a former Intensive Care patient talks about her experiences of critical illness five years on and the process of getting better and getting on with her life. You can read interviews,listen to voice recordings and watch clips of other patients' experiences of Intensive Care by using the link to a free website called Healthtalkonline: http://healthtalkonline.org/search/all/intensive%20care

Web Link: Managing appointments

Some people find that they have multiple healthcare appointments after getting home, for example, with GPs, out-patient apoointments or physiotherapy. Although this leaflet is from a pain-related website, there are some useful tips on how to get the best out of your appointments.

External Video: Managing your physical symptoms using pacing

This short clip will explain what 'pacing' is and how it can be used to manage some of your physical symptoms including breathlessness, fatigue and pain.

Web Link: Medical information: Patient.co.uk

This link will take you to the Patient.co.uk website. There is a huge amount of easily understandable and trustworthy general information and advice on health issues and general wellbeing. There are also blogs and forums where you can hear more about other peoples' experiences.

Web Link: Medication passport: free app

This link will take you to the Apple itunes store, where you can download a medication "passport" to your phone or tablet. The app was developed by the NHS and is free. It is designed to help you keep track of, and understand your medications, including any changes made by your doctor.

Web Link: Medications explained

Finding a website that explains what provides easily understandable information about your medications is harder than it looks.This link will take you to the Boots MD website, which provides fairly easily understandable information about many common medicines; what they're for and what to look out for in terms of side-effects.

Web Link: Mental Health and Well-being: Health in Mind

This link will take you to the website of Health in Mind, an Edinburgh-based charity promoting postive mental help and well-being across Scotland. They offer a wide rane of support, including information about local services, guided self-help, counselling and trauma support, courses in well-being self-management, etc, etc.