Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Feeling the need for Change.....




One of my duties at work is to watch the heart monitors. We monitor them from Intensive Care. We have to change the batteries every couple of days. Monday night I went out to the med/surg floor to change a patient's battery. While I was at the nurses desk, a family member of a patient came up to the desk. He said his family member had quit breathing. The nurses went down to the room and a couple of minutes later, they came back crying. I asked what patient it was that had passed away. It was a patient we had taken care of in ICU and PCU(Progressive Care Unit). PCU is a step down unit from ICU. We had taken care of that particular patient for about three months. I went down to her room and offered my condolescences to the family. This patient had wanted to die for a really long time. She really had no quality of life. She had been paralyzed for about 23 years. But, I wasn't any less sad when I heard the news. I know that she's better off and is no longer in pain. But, my heart hurts for her family. She was only a couple of years younger than myself. When I went back to the units, I told everyone that she had passed away. Only two out of the five even acted like they cared. Five days a week for three whole months, we all took care of her. I cried all night long. I'm tearing up now as I'm writing this.

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