An Unforgettable Lesson

that was beautiful

She does know. i had a similar situation with a young man in his thirties. He was on our Med/Surg unit and had severe pancreatitis, history of heavy drinking. He was engaged to be married and also was from Croatia or somewhere around there. Very nice man. I was working my 7a - 7p shift and he called me into his room in a panic. He wasn't sure why, but was very anxious. I sat with him, but soon enough his breathing became distressed. His pO2 was low and other vs not so hot. I had the resident up to see him and we ended up coding him. Right before he went out he begged me not to let him die. He looked right into my eyes and grasped my hand. I told him we wouldn't let him die. He was intubated and sent to ICU. The next day I asked his attending how he was doing and he told me he died. I had to leave the nurses station. I felt horrible and at fault for some reason. His attending said his liver was so far gone from drinking there was no way he could have made it. I remembered his name for the longest time, but now I forget. I'll never forget his face and what he said though. I will never forget him.

I think these patients are sent into our lives for a purpose and they are the ones who make us better than we were before we met them! Thanks for sharing your experience

Wow...I had a patient tell me not to bother giving her her meds because she is going away. She died that night.

Quote from orthonurse55I think these patients are sent into our lives for a purpose and they are the ones who make us better than we were before we met them! Thanks for sharing your experience

I have been a nurse for 9yrs and I have been known to diagnosis PE (pulmonary embolisms) with out a d-dimmer, or a CTA. I had a pt once who also was all of a sudden scaired and not just your tipical "Scared". It was more like panic attack . Well he was just fine for the last 4 days i was taking carre of him, he was 21 y/o and was addmitted for a ankle fx, s/p external fixator. Well getting back to the story he was fine the days I took care of him just as long as he had his percocet q4hrs for the pain and yes I think his type of fx is probably the most painful from my experience. I was a new nurse and I was also scared of the was he was acting and I call the MD, told my nurse in charge and so fourth. By the time the ortho md consulted medicine it was too late my pt coded and died. i will always remember THAT LOOK on his face. So from then on if anyone all of a sudden changed from calm and collective and started to panic I would do everything STAT or from my jugdement call a code. I could tell 80 Percent of the time if the pt had a PE just by taking off his o2 and if the o2 dropps quickly (for example 100percent wth o2 and 30 sec later 85 percent also you can see the HR go from 90 one min to 125-150the next min. Pts with PE can be fine and also be on the floor but iff they are anxious just use your best judgement. if your not sure make sure you report you findings to your charge nurse and always document who you spoke to and so fourth to cover yourself. All pts in the hospital who dont move well should be on antiq, and like my 21y/old age doesnt matter. PE's are the number one cause of death of pts in the hospital and could be prevented most of the time.

Hi, I am seriously going to make this advice stay with me also. Thank you

It is moments like this that shape us, and make us better human beings. also helps us to gauge our own mortality. and appriciate our loved ones. thank you.

wow! That is crazy!

Chills and a lump in my throat after reading your story. Thank you for sharing. You may never know how your story will live on in the back of many minds, but it will stay with me. Whether it be that one patient that just needs someone to be there or even a friend that is reaching out. Sometimes we can be that bit of peace they need, even though we don't know it.

Quote from fantwiHi, I am seriously going to make this advice stay with me also. Thank you

Quote from Diane in OhioChills and a lump in my throat after reading your story. Thank you for sharing. You may never know how your story will live on in the back of many minds, but it will stay with me. Whether it be that one patient that just needs someone to be there or even a friend that is reaching out. Sometimes we can be that bit of peace they need, even though we don't know it.