My wife kept some notes, and wrote out a rough timeline of events after I was released (two years ago I spent a month in the ICU with ARDS and pneumonia, intubated, then trach, etc). That helped, but I can also attest to the importance of a diary, whether kept by family or even a treatment list kept by the ICU staff. What I had only filled in a few gaps, but it helped. Talking through the experience with my wife helped as well. We have no ICU support group that I can find locally, so I've relied on an online group in the UK, and now finally came across this site.

For those earlier in recovery, it takes time. Be patient. Don't expect to return to normal in a couple of months, and to some lesser extent maybe not in a couple of years. It isn't just the physical, but emotional and mental scare that take time to heal, and changes that take time to adjust to.