Season 3 Episode 7: Patient Experience in Hospital: Connection Matters

There’s something I didn’t expect from this experience. 

Not just how sick I was, but how much the way I was treated affected everything. 

In this episode, I share my experience in ICU and on the ward, and what it showed me about communication, connection, and the role frontline staff play in recovery. 

Because when you’re in a hospital bed, you notice everything. You notice who listens and who doesn’t. You notice who treats you like a person and who doesn’t. 

In this episode, I talk about: 

• The difference communication makes during a health crisis 
• What helped me feel calm and supported in ICU 
•  What changed when that level of connection wasn’t there 
• The impact of being treated as a person, not just a patient 
• Why recovery is influenced by more than just treatment 
• The emotional load carried by frontline staff 
• The importance of supporting those who support others 

This episode is relevant whether you’re living with a health condition or working in a frontline role. 

🎙️ Referenced in this series:
Episode 1 – What happened (ICU + health crisis)
Episode 2 – What led to it (stress + boundaries)
Episode 3 – Inner work and resilience
Episode 4 – Processing what happens after crisis
Episode 5 – Support systems and what actually helps
Episode 6 – Feeling left behind after a health crisis

💼 For Frontline Professionals 
If you’re working in a frontline role and this resonates, this is exactly the focus of my professional development workshops. 

I support teams to strengthen connection, improve communication, and better navigate the emotional load of this work. 

Find out more here:
https://hurdle2hope.com 

💻 FREE Guide 
If you’re currently dealing with a health challenge and feeling overwhelmed, this is a simple place to start. 

When Health Challenges Feel Overwhelming
Download it here:
https://teisharose.com/overwhelmed 

💛 Course + Coaching 
If you’re ready to move beyond just getting through this stage and want support applying this in your own life, you can explore my course and coaching here: 

https://teisharose.com/thriving 

📲 Connect 
Instagram: @hurdle2hope 
Facebook: Hurdle2Hope 

If this episode resonated, follow The Hurdle2Hope® Show and share it with someone who needs to hear it. 

 If you’re feeling overwhelmed by a health challenge, download the free guide here:

 https://teisharose.com/overwhelmed/

If you’re ready for more support, explore the Thriving Through Chronic Illness course and one-on-one coaching here:

 https://teisharose.com/thriving

WHERE TO GO NEXT

If you’re navigating a health challenge, you can find support and resources at
TeishaRose.com

If you’re a professional or organisation looking to strengthen connection and resilience in your work, visit
Hurdle2Hope.com

I’d love to connect with you,
Teisha

Also, are you following @hurdle2hope on social media? I’d love to see you there.

Instagram
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LinkedIn

Transcript

Teisha Rose: [00:00:00] If, you've spent time in hospital and a long time in hospital. I'm sure you notice this, that the way you're treated by staff, that has an enormous impact on your experience.

Because when you're in a hospital bed, you notice everything. You notice who listens and who doesn't. You notice who treats you like a person and who doesn't, and during this hospital stay, I experienced both.

 For those of you new to this podcast. Hey there my name is Teisha Rose. I'm the host of The Hurdle2Hope® Show for those of you who have been following this series along thank you. I really appreciate the support and hope you're getting lots out of it.

In this series of shared in real time, what has happened through a massive health crisis I've experience this year. First of all, what happened? You know, the feeling of your body shut being shut down, what led up to that? What got me through that? Then I've [00:01:00] talked about the support systems that really necessary.

And last episode I talked about the feeling of being left behind. Like the world around you is going on without you, and you are stuck either in hospital or you're stuck, recovering wherever that may be.

. But today's a little bit different. I really wanna share my experience during this hospital stay and my observations and thoughts on how patients and practitioners interact so hopefully you enjoy this episode That's a little bit different.

Teisha Rose: If you've gone through your own health experience, if you spent time in hospital, you understand that when you're feeling really dependent on others and a little vulnerable, I must say, as well, you are lying in hospital bed. You are [00:02:00] relying on others and spending a lot of time watching what's happening around you because there's not much else to do and you really start seeing things differently.

You can see the absolute passion in so many nurses about, you know, this is more than a job. The care that they show and being in ICU being in intensive care was a, a new experience and I was taken back by the incredible level of care, which. I find extraordinary, given the pressure they're under.

And this is the nurses, this is the doctors as well. And what really stood out was communication. The level of communication was unbelievable. I felt so listened to. I felt involved in what was going on.

I felt like my experience was being treated really seriously and [00:03:00] that was so important during this time because I was in crisis. I'd never been in such a, an environment a. I was worried about what was going on. I knew I wasn't responding to treatment. So to have that level of calm and knowing, three times a day, at least the doctors were being explaining what was going on.

The nurses were incredible. Um, that provided such calm in a time, which could have been so chaotic.

 And it is funny because then when you experience that level of care and communication and understanding and all, when you don't, you realize how different that can feel .

 Just really quick example. I had this doctor, not part of the ICU team that came in on a Saturday. Never seen him before, didn't really introduce himself, didn't know who he was.

Anyway. He ordered a test,

A test that in chatting to the [00:04:00] ICU doctors, they said it had already been tested. It wasn't necessary. But he ordered that. He then said and put on a chart that everyone in contact with me had to gown up, put gloves on, because I was now to be treated like I was in isolation and would get the results of the test back in a few days.

I felt really uncomfortable during this process 'cause it wasn't explaining what was going on. He wasn't listening to me at all. After my eight days in ICU it meant I was put into isolation. But then no one knew anything about this test. No one could find the results. Then finally, after about five days, an infections nurse, found out verbally that all was clear, then it took 10 days of them finally realizing the report being lost.

I didn't have whatever condition or infection they thought I might have. . Finally, I was out of [00:05:00] protocol for being in isolation and it just, the frustration that caused and the lack of communication, the fact that I spoke to an infectious nurse. I spoke to a doctor, and then never to be seen again.

No one knew where this report was. When I was dealing with enough already. Being in this room for 10 days, not being able to get out when people come to visit me, having to put gloves on and gown on, it just added a level of stress I didn't need during that time.

And it really highlighted to me when there's a lack of connection with a doctor or with a nurse that doesn't help your healing.

Fortunately, the nurses overall were incredible, but when there's a case when they're not, that again, highlights the importance of communication and connection, not just seeing you as a symptom or just seeing you in [00:06:00] terms of what the chart says. 

I remember the first night in the ward, I thought, oh no, this is gonna be a nightmare. 

The nurse on didn't listen to anything I was saying, so I just didn't bother. And then he said, do you know you've had really low blood pressure? And I said, well, yeah, I know I was in ICU because I had really low blood pressure.

I said, I was very aware of that.

And then he said, do you realize that you were really sick? And I said, yeah, realized I was really sick. That's why I was in ICU for eight days. And he was just so patronizing and all, and I found out later on he wasn't part of the group of nurses, which were on the ward I was on, and the nurses had issues with him as well.

And what this experience showed me very clearly, and I think it's good sometimes gaining insights from patients is what a difference communication and good [00:07:00] communication means. Because when I felt listened to, when I felt included, when I felt like a person.

Everything felt so much more manageable. My mind was calmer. My body was calmer, and I could focus on what I needed to focus on to get through,

because when connection's not there, when communication's not there, , it distracts you. Your mind is, you know, not much is going on. So if something doesn't go well, then you just think about it over and over and it doesn't make you feel right either. And you know, your body needs to be at its optimum level to heal, and that detracts from the healing.

 And when I think back to those eight nights in ICU, the scariest experience of my life and. I've had scary experiences. I mean, diagnosed with stage [00:08:00] four breast cancer, scary. Um, some of those relapses with MS being trapped or feeling trapped in my body, not being able to move. Absolutely scary. But this was a bit more life and death, which I guess stage four breast cancer is.

But you know, in the moment, and even though I was connected to all these machines. I was having blood pressure machine going off every half an hour around my, arm, cannulas in both my arms. You know, nurses come in and go in. I still slept, I still felt calm, and that's all because of the way I was treated.

 And when you are in a crisis, you don't. Wanna be in panic mode, you know, that just doesn't help you getting through. 'cause you wanna be clear of mind, you wanna be able rest. You don't wanna be filled with anxiety and worried about what's coming next.

And when I reflect on the experience, I think, yeah, I did. I [00:09:00] felt so safe. And that's because I felt so well informed. I felt included. I felt supported, I felt listened to, and I had absolute trust in every single person around me except for that doctor that came in.

But the ICU doctors, I completely trusted, all of them.

 if you're a practitioner listening to this, know that communication keeping us calm. Treating us like a person is so important even when you are busy, and I think no one's much busier than the head ICU doctor, but for him to still create space and have conversations with me, that's incredible.

The impact of those moments here and there, I know that's helped me recover.

 And I think that's really powerful as well, whether you are, you know, an allied health [00:10:00] professional, a nurse, working in the disability sector,

Technical exp expertise is very important, but also is the ability to build this connection with your patient or client.

Teisha Rose: Also, I make lots of observations because as I've shared, I'm sure previously I'm also a social worker and I understand the pressure frontline staff are under. And I kept thinking. The pressure, the physical toll as well, it must be exhausting physically, emotionally. It must be exhausting.

And as I've shared, you know, earlier, I certainly have a spiritual layer in terms of trying to find reason for why all of this happens to me and. As I shared in the previous episode, you know, I pivoted with my business and I started recording my podcast and continuing [00:11:00] on with my coaching of those, living with chronic illness during my stay at hospital, not in ICU, but in the general ward.

When I was in that isolation room, it ended up being a good soundproof podcast studio. Um, but then I kept thinking about the workshops that I've started to run for frontline staff and thinking, gosh, it's needed, you know, who's supporting those who support us? And. I shared a couple of bad experiences I had, but overall the experience was incredible.

Overall, frontline staff are exhausted, but they're still showing up. They're still caring, they're still engaging. They're doing so much right. But it is such a concern that they're expected to do more and more.

And with my social worker hat on, you know, I was chatting to nurses as well [00:12:00] about how much they feel supported, how tired they get, and the burnout they're experiencing,

so I really do think that I'm also having this experience, so I can also help others with lived experience of chronic illness, but also so I can help those in the front line.

That's why I've developed workshops in relation to that and professional development in relation to that as well. And I think the first key stepping stone is really building the foundation of connection and that not only has an impact on the person you are working with, but also on the practitioner as well, because that relationship flows easier and doesn't add to as much stress and anxiety.

Anyway, I could talk about that lots, but as I finish [00:13:00] up, this experience has been life changing for me and part of the process of healing is reflecting on some of my experiences and hopefully helping others in doing that as well. So if you have been in hospital, if you're in hospital at the moment, it is such a unique experience to be in lying in the hospital bed dependent on others for our care and I'm sure I speak for those living with chronic illness that we are so grateful for the care that's available to us that sometimes it's a difference between life and death, and I certainly experience that this time I am forever grateful for the team in intensive care, for the level of care, and for really highlighting just how important it is to connect and communicate.

[00:14:00] Again in the show notes, if you are a practitioner, um, please have a look. I've got a link there for website, Hurdle2Hope.com. That's where I do everything in relation to working with organizations and practitioners and professional development. Hurdle2Hope with number 2. Also, if you are living with a chronic illness, don't feel left out you can visit TeishaRose.com Apart from that, have a great week and. Next week, it is the final episode of Series 3 of The Hurdle2Hope® Show.

​[00:15:00]