Why do I feel so weak?

Why do I feel so tired and weak?

Patients can lose up to 2% of their muscle for each day that they spend in Intensive Care, which can take some time to recover. It may also be that your appetite is not quite back to normal, that you are having problems sleeping or are feeling a little low. All of these things can add to your sense of feeling weak.

Even though some people feel that they want to leave behind their time in Intensive Care it is important to remember that you are at the start of your recovery from a serious illness, accident or operation.

How long will it take to get my strength back?

Everyone is different. Some people seem to recover very quickly while for others, it can take quite some time. How long it takes can depend on many things, such as your health and fitness before you ended up in Intensive Care, how long you were in Intensive Care, the type and intensity of physiotherapy or rehabilitation you receive and how well you are able to manage your own recovery eg pacing yourself and balancing rest with increasing activity.