In the last blog I talked about

How to stay positive when your critically ill loved one is on the ventilator with tracheostomy for many weeks!

You can check out the last blog by clicking on the link here.

In this week’s blog I want to publish a nice email from one of our clients who gave some feedback.

Thank you for your service of compassion!

This is an email from Adellia that I received this week after I have spoken to her and her husband on the phone. Adellia’s mother in-law has been in ICU since June this year and she’s still there after many months of battling a critical illness. She’s on a ventilator and as a tracheostomy in place.

Adellia reached out this week because her and her husband are extremely worried that the Intensive Care team is wanting to withdraw treatment on her 80 year old mother-in-law and they needed to have some perspective around the issue and they simply wanted to know what they need doing to master this challenge, make informed decisions, get peace of mind, control, power and influence!

Adellia therefore purchased

• “THE 5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW IF THE MEDICAL TEAM IN INTENSIVE CARE WANTS TO “LIMIT TREATMENT”, WANTS TO “WITHDRAW TREATMENT” OR “WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT” OR WANTS TO ISSUE A “DNR” (DO NOT RESUSCITATE) OR AN “NFR” (NOT FOR RESUSCITATION) ORDER FOR YOUR CRITICALLY ILL LOVED ONE!OU NEED TO KNOW IF THE MEDICAL TEAM IN ICU WANTS TO "LIMIT TREATMENT" OR WANTS TO "WITHDRAW TREATMENT"

And we also had a chat on the phone.

Adellia then sent me this email here

Hi Patrik,

you honestly can't imagine what hearing your voice and the words you spoke as to confirmation did for our family last night.

They actually laughed at me,  first time in months any of us have laughed.

They laughed because they said you could have knocked me over with a feather when you actually answered personally.

I don't talk on the phone unless it's absolutely necessary these days, and to get a REAL person that cares is almost unheard of.

I assume you live in Europe? Maybe, not certain.

I just know here in the States the majority of our health care is horrible. I have acquaintances in Sweden and in other areas that show me how well theirs can be.

It's almost incomprehensible what this country has come to.

Part is the Government, but it's a lot of the people to.  It's almost as if selfishness has become totally acceptable and considered normal.

Many years ago, I never had a single patient, but what my heart didn't see love and compassion for.  That's the honest truth.

I was third generation nurse in our family, and loved my job.

I was single put myself through school and had a 4 and 2 year old that I hope I instilled the same ethics into. I wonder about now as adults sometimes.  Haha. It's just different times.

These ICU nurses here have two patients. We had a day we went in and the horrible smell would have knocked you out. Who knows how long because it was three hours past shift change so plenty time for assessment and care of two patients.

It was moms drain of course had came open.  Nurse was like "oops" sorry, both trash cans over flowing.

We are a very small immediate family so it's been difficult. I have primary immune deficiency, so with her having VRE(=Vancomycin resistant enterococcus) every one is iffy about me being there.

I didn't mean to go on. Just wanted you to know what a truly AMAZING need you have seen to.

It's a service of compassion and from our Family we can't express enough gratitude for what your assistance means.

Sincerely,

The Smiths family

Hi Adellia,

thank you for your email and for your kind words.

I truly appreciate you taking the time to give me your feedback.

Of course I care, that's my role and my purpose.

I live in Melbourne, Australia however I was born in Europe and I did my nurse training in Europe and in the UK, however I have been doing some ICU nursing for nearly 20 years in Europe, the UK and Australia.

I have been counselling and consulting families of critically ill Patients in Intensive Care for a few years now and I counsel and consult families from all over the world, mainly in the USA, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. From all over the world really!

My knowledge and experience is universally applicable as Intensive Care Units, the Psychology, the dynamics, the politics, the hierarchy and the issues are the same worldwide, therefore I can very quickly cut through all the BS and get to the bottom of things very quickly and tell people what they need to do to get the outcomes that they want.

The state of health care is average here too for a first world country anyway and if you are a recipient of health care you are diminished to a number and not a person.

The same often applies to the families of the health care recipients in Intensive Care, they are a number and not people with real families and real lives to run.

It's a very sad state of affairs really.

Of course I'm accessible to my clients and I hear it over and over again, that my clients can't believe that I answer the phone personally. Of course I do, because that's what I do. It would be very easy to hide behind a website and videos and not being accessible.

I do my best work when I talk to clients 1:1 and I know I can help them very quickly.

• ONE on ONE phone counselling with Patrik!

It's quite simple really. You tell me about the problems and challenges you and your family are having when your loved one is critically ill in Intensive Care and I will help you making informed decisions, get peace of mind, control, power and influence really quickly!

And if you need anything else in the meantime please let me know!

Wishing you and your family all the best!

Kind Regards

Patrik

Your friend

Patrik Hutzel

PS: I only have one slot left for counselling/consulting left for this week, as I'm fully booked otherwise. Let me know if you want the one slot left by hitting reply to this email or by calling me on one of the numbers below!