Interview 31

Age at interview: 71

Brief Outline: Went into hospital for a knee replacement operation in 2003. Was admitted to intensive care because of organ failure (lungs). Spent 2 weeks in intensive care and 3 weeks in a general ward.

Background: Occupation: retired non-commissioned officer. Marital status: married. Number of children: 4. Ethnic background: White British.

He had no clear memories of being ill in intensive care but enjoyed his stay.

And then we had a phone call from ICU saying that as you've been in for more than two days, we would like to do an interview with her and anyhow then they eventually come here and we had a chinwag and she asked, this was young [nurse's name], and her sidekick. I can't think of her name, then. And [laughs] they asked me questions, 'Do you remember this, do you remember that?'. I don't remember anything. I completely and utterly don't remember a thing.  

Then they asked me if I wanted to or was I going to sue the hospital. What was I going to sue the hospital for? I was absolutely chuffed with the way I was looked after, the way they treated me. A matter of fact, other than just being in a little bit of pain, it was good. I really, really enjoyed myself there, you know. So I've got no complaints. The only complaint I've got is I ain't a got a clue of what happened. And I still don't know now, except what the good lady's [wife] told me. 

He vaguely recalled being on the ward before having surgery and then coming round in intensive care.

We went for the pre-assessment and we asked different questions. The wife asked questions about the anaesthetist and all this. And I asked, "What is the stay in the hospital?" And they said, "Anything from five to ten days." And he said, "But, now and again, we do have people that stay in a lot longer because of different, things go wrong. And I turned around to her and I said, "And that'll be me", just joking. So I left.

We went home, got the call, went in the ward on the Sunday night. Got up Monday morning, just pottered about. Went down, I think about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and, as I said, I don't remember anything until I woke up in ICU, the following day, what time of day, I do not know. 

And they said that you are going back to the ward, which they did. And I remember, well I don't remember but I arrived at the ward. Now whether it was a Tuesday or the Wednesday, I'm still not sure. But anyhow, I got back to the ward about midday, and in the afternoon I wanted to go to the toilet, which I went because they took me in a wheelchair. I was in there for a rather long time. I don't remember pulling the cord, but I know then that two or three of them come in and asked if I was all right. And by that time I was not. And I just do not know what happened after that.