Oh people. As I am starting this post, I am thinking about all of the stories that I could tell you. It seems like every day I witness an event that changed someone's life. It's tricky because there are stories where I feel like I experienced a victory while other people might experience loss. Something that I might find hilarious is actually sort of tragic. As the person writing this blog, I feel like I have a lot of power over the next five minutes of your life. Should I make you sad? Grateful? Amused? Depressed? Thoughtful? Maybe all of the above. Here we go.
-(A little background information to help paint a picture in your mind. SCDs are a device that prevents patients from getting blood clots when they're bedbound. They resemble a large blood pressure cuff that velcros around your lower legs and are attached to a machine that inflates them and helps blood circulation.) I am sitting at a computer before my shift starts and looking up my patient information. I had a patient from the day before who came from a nursing home, was bed bound, and very weak. I hear a little commotion, look up and see this patient RUNNING down the hall- SCDs flying behind him. He didn't make it very far and ending up getting scratched up. As they were getting him back in bed, he was flailing and kicking until they gave him some medication to calm down. I don't know where he thought he was going, but apparently he had plotted his escape for a while and had used absolutely all of his energy because when I took care of him for the next 8 hours, he hardly woke up at all. (Spoiler alert- he was fine and left safely)
-I took care of a patient for four days in a row who had terminal cancer. Each day, he and his wife changed his mind about going home with hospice or continuing treatment. The poor social worker had whiplash and the doctor's were getting frustrated. On the fourth day, I had a long conversation with the patient and his wife and explained the reality of the situation, the options, and asked what their wishes were. There was a lot that they didn't understand, but after talking to them, they were able to make a decision and be at peace with it.
-I was walking back on the unit after my dinner break and found a patient's wife sobbing in the hallway. It wasn't my patient, but I knew that her husband was very sick. I stood next to her and held her hand and got her some tissues and water. Neither of us hardly said anything except "thank you". I don't know what she thought, but it was a significant moment for me.
- I was discharging a patient that I had for a few days. It was right at shift change and I wanted to get him discharged so the next nurse wouldn't have to worry about it. I quickly got everything ready for him and went over his paperwork with him (thoroughly- even though I was in a hurry). I'm getting ready to go give report and the patient says "wait, I need one more thing." Then he comes over and gives me a big hug.
-I had two patients recently who would clean out our kitchen on a daily basis. One of them would ask for a list of items, and when you turned to go, she would snap her fingers at you to make another request. The other patient would tell you to go to another floor if you were out of a certain item because she wanted it right now!
-There was an old, small man who was very sweet and very confused. He didn't say words, but would deliberately say letters of the alphabet in no particular order. At first, I thought he was spelling something, but it sure wasn't in a language I could understand. He loved to grab your hand and just hold it. We put a roll belt on him so that he wouldn't roll off the bed. I happened to walk by his room and saw him flat on his back, eyes closed, with his legs straight up in the air. As I watched, he made a noble attempt to sit up, got stuck by the roll belt, gave up and fell back into the bed. I went in to make sure he was ok. He grabbed my hand, rolled over, and went to sleep.
- A lady with metastatic cancer and continual problems with pain and nausea tells me that she is grateful every day because God has blessed her with family support and some good days. She tells me that she doesn't know how anyone can deal with cancer if they don't have faith. We pray together.
-A young mother with cancer goes through aggressive surgery and chemo to give her every hope that they can. After weeks of pain and misery, she starts to feel better. On the days that I don't get to take care of her, I go in and talk to her. Finally, she is well enough to be discharged and I give her a big hug as she leaves.
-I got yelled at by a family member because the confused patient got out of bed while her other family member fell asleep right next to her. I received a thorough lecture on my shortcomings as a nurse and irresponsibility. By the way, the patient was fine.
-In the last few weeks, I have celebrated poop on multiple occasions. Yes, you read that right. I have cheered and danced for poop. I'm not going into any further detail.
-A patient comes to our floor. She really doesn't belong there- no cancer- but she ended up there anyway. She sleeps for a lot of the morning, but as the day goes on, she starts to show me her true self. She has a long psychiatric history, and I was surprised everything that came out of her mouth. Nothing she said had to do with the last sentence. She was talking about her breathing and then she was talking about yogurt. She asked about her medicines and then it switched to a cruise. If I asked her to do something like squeeze my hand, she suddenly wouldn't be able to. According to her, she couldn't eat or drink, swallow, walk, or sleep for the last 4 months. I would walk out of her room and have to reorient myself to the real world.
-Old men who make cutesy comments about the young, pretty girls who take care of them. So. Many. Most are innocent and sweet, but some make me raise my eyebrows, go "ehehe", and walk away.
-I take care of a woman who comes in to the hospital frequently for pain control. Her doctor is upset because she'll rate her pain as a 10/10 as she sits there on the phone, painting her nails. (There are protocols for people who abuse the system, but it's hard to implement them.) I get orders to only give her pain medication pills versus the IV stuff. She starts yelling and crying. I talk to the doctor again and he tells me to discharge her. I get everything ready, but she won't leave. She talks to me and the charge nurse, and finally agrees to go. Maybe two hours later, she pops up on my list again. I am very confused until I realize that she is in the ER. Again. And they gave her the medication.
-Some of our more frequent patients have passed away recently. Some are easier than others. Some are really hard. Some will stick with me forever.
-I might take this all back someday, but as of right now, I never want to work with pediatrics. I love love love children, but I don't deal with sick children very well. My heart couldn't take it on a daily basis. Also, pediatrics is very competitive, so I'll leave it to the people who really want it. That being said, I absolutely love it when kids come to visit my patients. I played with a little boy who was visiting family and threw a ball around with him. I fawn over and compliment the little babies. If the kids are a little older, I'll let them listen to the stethoscope and show them how to get vital signs. Snacks are a definite must. It switches things up a bit, and I like making the hospital experience a positive one.
-One time a family tried to sneak in a puppy onto the floor. It didn't work. We caught them. But darn it was cute.
-There is a doctor that if he calls, you need to have every question ready and be ready to spit out the words as quickly as you can because as soon as you stop to breathe, he'll give you an order and hang up.
-I talked to a family for a long time about the condition of their dying loved one. At the end of the conversation, the quiet, sullen man in the back corner looked at me and said, "You're a heck (sort of) of a nurse, you know that?"
I just passed my 6 month mark! I am still loving my job. Working the holidays is not my favorite, but it can't all be rainbows and sparkles. Thanks for sticking with me. Happy 2016!
-C-
