Lynne Shepherd spent weeks inside the Belconnen Markets on top of a private aquatic centre. There was a fire brigade in the roof watching her, and a nurse took arsenic and died. Doctors were out to get her.
None of this happened, of course.
They were just medicine-induced hallucinations Ms Shepherd had while in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Canberra Hospital.
A blood clot developed after Ms Shepherd had surgery on her leg, leading to two cardiac arrests and being put in an induced coma.
She was left so physically weak she could not even write, and being dependent on others while in hospital left her feeling helpless after she got out.
"I just experienced a lot of uncertainty [and] lack of confidence," Ms Shepherd said.
"You [think], 'OK I'm out of hospital, I should be able to do everything I wanted and I used to do' and you've got to fight yourself a little bit."
Research suggests one-third of intensive care unit patients struggle physically and mentally after leaving hospital.
Canberra Hospital is part of a new pilot program, which will survey patients and families after they leave the unit to try and improve ICU services.
The hospital, which cares for about 2400 people in the ICU each year, held an information day for former patients in July.
It allowed doctors, patients and families to tell their stories and ask questions.
Hearing from patients even shocked Dr Tina Xu, deputy director of the Canberra ICU, who has worked in intensive care units for more than a decade.
"I have always been aware of [the] post-traumatic experience," Dr Xu said.
"However, I was still very fascinated to see how severe it was on the [ICU] Patient Day. So I'm aware, but I thought we could do much more to understand more, and help them more."
Being in an intensive care unit can be particularly traumatic because it means you are much sicker than most hospital patients, Canberra ICU doctor and researcher Dr Sumeet Rai said.
Some people are sedated which creates gaps in memory, others are given medication that makes them hallucinate, and many are at risk of dying.
Most patients are admitted because of an emergency.
"So it's quite an unplanned event, and it happens quite suddenly," Dr Sumeet said.
"It creates quite a significant traumatic event for everyone involved, the patients and the family members ... because if their loved ones are so sick that they are in intensive care, they could potentially die."
Both survivors and their loved ones can develop Post-Intensive Care Syndrome.
Some evidence suggests it is more than the illness or emergency that leaves a mark, Dr Sumeet said.
"What little research we do have suggests that it is not always the actual pre-existing illness which is causing the traumatic experience, but it's the journey through the intensive care unit," he said.
Canberra's ICU has introduced more initiatives to help patients in the past few years.
Each bed has an information board for families to introduce them to medical staff, there is music and animal therapy, and a diary for family and patients to write down how they are feeling.
The unit also has a clinical psychologist for staff to refer patients they think will need ongoing mental health support.
Dr Sumeet hopes the research will help the hospital identify other areas to improve, and he encourages anyone who ends up in the unit to complete it.
ICU survivors and family members will be asked to complete the voluntarily surveys from November to April 2024.
A questionnaire will ask family members and patients about various aspects of their time in hospital.
For example, how a doctor explained a procedure, listened to concerns, or answered questions in a way the patient, family member or carers could understand.
It will also ask about the physical environment, such as the cleanliness of rooms or the comfort of the waiting room.
Patients will also be asked about their physical and mental health three months after being discharged.
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