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This study aimed to explore the challenges that patients faced when severely ill with COVID-19 and during their rehabilitation journeys following the first wave in Sweden. Eight patients that were treated in an intensive care unit were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Three themes were generated through thematic analysis: "transition into illness" (with subthemes: underestimated severity, uncertainty and worry); "to be cared for in a hospital setting" (with subthemes: loss of responsibility, loss of memory and time, contradictory feelings of being hospitalized, physical impact as frustrating); and "after care: managing on your own" (with subthemes: appreciation for care, care gaps and insufficient care, compromised ability, mental health, and self-efficacy for self-managed rehabilitation and post-traumatic growth). The findings indicated that the Swedish open strategy may be beneficial in other countries as it facilitated post-traumatic growth and that there should be a structured rehabilitation strategy in place in case of future pandemics.