Coding Mr. S

I've been in a couple of codes during my short nursing career but this week was the first time I coded my own patient. It was incredible to see the amount of teamwork that went into trying to revive him. Doctors and nurses work really hard to get your loved ones back.

Sadly, after nearly 45 minutes of CPR, defibrillation, fluid boluses, and meds, Mr. S didn't make it. He was still breathing when the doctor running the code asked everyone in the room if there were any objections to ending the code and providing the patient with comfort care until he passed. This can be "disturbing" to the family someone in the room noted, "when the code is ended and the patient is still breathing. Respiration is the last thing to go." But Mr. S had no blood pressure, no pulse. His body hadn't been profusing for nearly an hour ...And so there were no objections and the code was ended. Mr. S stopped breathing. We washed his body and "bagged" him, tying a tag to his toe with his name and time of death on it. I had only known him for a couple of hours.

Alone

I had some time last night to spend a few minutes holding one of my patients' hands and I thought of this picture, she was so weak and small. I'm not sure if she understood what was happening or that I was there but I hope she felt something. I did.

Top O' the Morning!

Who knew there were bars that opened at 8:30am catering to medical professionals and professional alcoholics? I had my first experience at such an establishment the other morning, and while there were definitely other nurses bellying up to the bar, there were also a few old and not-so-old men coming in for a good ol' shot and a pint to start the day out right. I never thought I could stomach a drink that early in the morning but really, when you're working nights, your world is upside down and inside out and your morning suddenly becomes the right time for a night cap.

"This Side Back"

It's hard enough not accidentally showing your crack when you've got your gown on the right way and you're behaving yourself, let alone when your a large female wearing it backwards, ranting and raving at the top of your lungs at 3 o'clock in the morning outside your hospital room. If you find yourself in this situation, take a 15-second break from abusing the nurses and doctors who are (trying to) take care of you and take a look down your front side (and maybe just say screw it and put a shirt on).

Night of the Living Nurse

It's been far too long since I've been awake during the day. Today, coming off almost two weeks of nights I feel like my skin just might set fire from the light of the sun.

Sometimes I can't believe how hard this job is and I catch myself wondering, "Why in the world did I sign up for this?" But the good usually outweighs the bad from day to day. Looking into someone's eyes in the middle of the night, knowing they probably won't be around much longer (not that most of my patients are that acute), and trying to give them a little comfort from their physical pain and the pain and loneliness that comes from being in the hospital is heart wrenching. It's weird to share such intimate moments with "strangers."

Love hurts ...but not THAT much

I'm not sure that getting sliced by a lady friend qualifies as an act of love but your mind starts to invent elaborate stories when your patient's been attacked with a butterfly knife by a member of the opposite sex. 

I don't know about you, but back in my day, if a love interest double crossed me or a friend, our first instinct was not to go on a stabbing rampage. Kids these days...

Night Shift

I took care of a patient last night who reminded me of the character "Petunia" from Futurama. I imagine her as leading a similar lifestyle out in the non-hospital world but who knows...

This morning as I was helping her get cleaned up for the day I asked if we'd gotten her...., her...
"Coochie?" She replied.
"Yeah, coochie."