Bravo NW. thats the ticket. In a world of hurt and pain you make a difference.....one person at a time.
Thank God you are standing yer post. It is all we can do.
Some days are sooooo overwhelming. Others---the very universe calls and cheers you on. The highs and lows are quite the roller coaster ride.
D/T moving every year X 4 when I was growing up (that is a story in itself) I never did well in school, took me until the age of 45 to go to college and get straight A's. My very first memory of wanting a career (when they had those career days in junior H S) was to be a marine biologist. They used to just laugh at me with my D's and F's. Then in HS I wanted to be an RN and join the army--but there again my grades were poor. And now I realize that if God would have put that in front of me I most likely would have gone to Vietnam. Can you imagine?
Saw a show on the educational chnl about a mash unit sent to kuwait. They wanted so badly to tx the populace but could not under their strictures/protocol. Hard to watch them emotionally deal with the fact that there they were with all the technology, expertise, good will....and then not able to help.
I often think of how Jesus felt...so many to heal, help, give solace to. How draining our profession sometimes is. Reminds me of the story of the starfish...."Yeah, but it made a difference to this one"
We must live in the moment
One day at a time
One person at a time
God bless yer effort and excellence.
Don't remember how I found yer site, glad I did.
I'm glad you found me, Mamabear. Thanks for your encouragement. You are a blessing!
Stuff like this is a reality check for me. On my worst day at the office, people don't die. Pretty tough stuff.
The question I would ask is who the hell would let someone sit in that condition for eight days? Unless she lived alone or no one visited her I don't see how someone could let someone else suffer like that.
After reading this it reminded me when I had my carpal tunnel surgery and trigger finger/thumb relase a few years ago. I was "admitted" in the hospital(quote the ")for other "reasons" other than my carpal tunnel. I was hospitalized because of a complication I had from another disorder I have. While I was hospitalized the staff noticed the trouble i was having with my right hand and decided to have the carpal tunnel condition treated while I was there. I am very sensitive to latex and none of the nurses would listen to me until I went into anaphylactic shock from the allergy.
Kevin, thanks for visiting!
I have the luxury of being very close to stuff like this. I say it is a "luxury" because I am in the unique place where I can marvel at how resilient the human body is, and at the same time be constantly reminded of how easily a life can be cut short. Nursing is like that. It's exciting, but it's sobering, too.
Pennsylvania Progressive, welcome!
Believe it or not, these things happen fairly often. But you asked a question that requires more than just a simple answer- and you deserve to have a complete answer. In fact, I was so impressed by your demand for an answer (and glad you did, too!) that I have decided to post the complete answer on my main blog.
There is a logical and reasonable explanation for things like this, and when you read it, it will click, just like it clicked with me- a real "Aha!" moment. I know that may seem a bit odd to say, but once you see the answer, you will understand.
I only ask one thing: after you understand the answer, take a good look around your neighborhood. There are people like that lady all around us who seem just fine on their own. Get to know them so when you don't see them for a day or two, you may knock on their door when they need someone just like you to help them. Everyone can be a hero- that means you!
More on the main page this evening. Promise!
Pennsylvania, on your personal experience: I wish I had an explanation for you on that, but really there is no defense for ignoring a patient's safety concerns. I have had many patients who were allergic to latex, and my hospital has become as latex-free as possible. It's a very scary thing, because we use latex in so many everyday things- even stocking gauze that we use on burn dressings. There is latex-free alternative for things like that. So we just use a gauze wrap instead. I don't know what the policies are at the hospital where you were a patient, but I can tell you that the nurse is supposed to advocate for his/her patient on issues of patient care, including listening to the patient's concerns.
If a patient says he is allergic to something, it is the nurse's duty to document it as absolute truth for the sake of the patient's safety, and to keep that thing away from the patient.
I bothers me that this did not happen in your case. There is no excuse for disregarding a patient's concerns, even if the patient is in an inpatient psych facility. The nurse is ethically obligated to uphold the dignity and safety of the patient in any setting.
Commenting by HaloScan
