All in a days work

You know going back work is always such a reality check for me. Here I was enjoying the pleasures of family and good health. I went back to work on the 27th and man was it crazy. Very sick patients. Some were a result of over indulgence over the Christmas holidays others were just the body telling them it had had enough.

Yesterday was no exception. I arrived at work and the night nurse gives me a hug and tells me she is giving it to me now as I am going to need it to carry me through my day. Great! Thanks for the hug. Long and short of it was we were short staffed and the unit was full. We listen to report and I being the charge nurse for the day had to decide the patient assignment and just get on with it.

My colleague had an extremely ill young ventilated patient. This patient had a significant medical history, and had gone septic from an arthroscopic knee procedure. By 1000 am we had her on medications to help maintain her pressure, her temperature was climbing 39.6 Celsius. We were losing ground. She wasn't ventilating well we made many different adjustments to the ventilator we eventually had to paralyze her and knock out her kick to breath and let the machine do it for her. We were losing her. A variety of drugs were on board but having little effect. The husband had left to get the son from the ferry this was a 2 1/2 hour return trip. We were trying to keep her alive until the family could be at the bedside. We lost her only about 10 mins before the husband had returned. I had arranged to have a hospice worker available and at the bedside and a minister. It was an extremely emotional time. I found my eyes watering up. I was thinking, here she was less than 24 hrs ago, feeling unwell, presenting to ER and now is gone. Why? Why now? With all that this woman had dealt with, why couldn't she survive this time? It is tragic to lose a loved one at any time, but it has always bothered me when someone passes during the holiday season. What a memory for the ones left behind. Life is so fragile. That poor family.

I sometimes wonder why I do what I do. The situation above is common and while that was going on we were dealing with patients in diabetic crisis, drug overdoses, drunken family members, heart attacks and TIA's. All in a 12 hour shift. No wonder I come home some days and feel like I have nothing left to give. But I will go back there this evening for my 12 hour night shift and deal with whatever is put on my plate, and I will be thankful for my health.