One morning changed my life. A date I will never forget: 13th June 2019. That week, I had been doing my normal activities, going to work, seeing friends and enjoying life as a 21-year-old. However, on that Thursday morning, I woke up and I could not breathe.
I spent 25 days on ECMO following a severe asthma attack, followed by a further 10 days just on the ventilator. The recovery was both mentally and physically draining. I had severe muscle wastage and had completely lost my independence what felt like overnight. Slowly but surely, with intense physiotherapy in ICU and on a ward, I recovered. I went home on 16th August 2019. I returned to medical school in 2020 and in 2025 I qualified as a doctor.
The full details of the experience I only discovered after reading my medical records. I felt compelled to fill in the gaps of what happened in those 5 weeks. I look at life differently now, and still have some lasting effects of the experience: a diagnosis of severe eosinophilic asthma and adrenal insufficiency from the steroids. These are manageable, and I feel very lucky to have had a smooth recovery, with limited ‘bumps in the road’.
The real issue with ARDS, is that it is usually not only ‘I’ or ‘me’. I am blessed to have such a supportive family and group of friends. The experience of ARDS was traumatic for me, but the real emotional pain came from hearing my family and friends’ experiences and reading the notes of discussions they had with the healthcare professionals.
Communication with relatives and friends is something I endeavor to get right in my practice, and I believe it is imperative that this is something which is done right for everyone impacted by ARDS. I hope for a future in which ARDS is described as something of the past. Until then, we should support and care for those who have experienced ARDS: directly or indirectly. Read Dr Alec’s full ARDS Story here