Well, it's 2:20 in the morning. We have two patients going out on the air evac tomorrow. Currently, everything is set and ready to go except the meds and Fitz is already on top of that down in pharmacy chatting with his buddy. It's nights like tonight where were are at 50%, 2 staff members have already gone home, and call bells are silent that I think, "gosh... I'm done until 6am, what am I going to do?" Right now, I'm sitting here typing. It didn't used to be like this. But, every night that it stays like this is one more night that our soldiers aren't getting hurt downrange.
Currently, we are the German Hospice ward. We have the sweetest old lady (80's) who's here with renal failure and she wants to die so she can see her husband again. She's very excited. She talks to him at night in her sleep (in German, of course) We thought it would be about a week, but since she's been here, she's livened up a lot. She is French/German and her husband was an Army NCO. She grew up not knowing when her next meal was. So, when he took her to a snack bar on their first date and let her get what she wanted to eat, she fell in love.
Now, when i decided to wear a uniform, I didn't think I'd be dealing with geriatrics (especially in Germany)... wrong. I thoroughly enjoy the stories of Mrs. M, but the bodily functions that go along with getting really old are not my thing. Now, it's only a matter of time until her body's toxins take away her mental clarity. Some of the staff on this unit just doesn't even care. My day shift came on from the opposite day/night shift (the team I'm moving to against my will is the night team from this group) and she was laying in her bed, wet, crumbs everywhere, a cookie stuck to her butt (literally), she has stage 2 pressure sores, and hadn't been bathed since we last worked (two days) because she was "sleeping". Her oncoming nurse was so upset he was nearly in tears about what he'd discovered as he was telling us this in report that night. I may not want to work geriatrics, but that's just outright neglect. People left her totally alone. If you actually go in there, she'll talk your ear off.
Now, I have another patient, well, not mine-I'm charge. Special forces-very weird. 1. he keeps asking for female nurses to give him a backrub (umm... no) 2. he hits the call button every two hours for 2mg of dilauded, 2 percocet, and benadryl. He also already has a dilauded PCA. He's up walking, talking, relaxed in bed... pain's a tough subject. It's what the patient says it is. But 2mg of dilauded every 2 hours for someone who's relaxed in bed or walking halls and joking with staff in a "7/10" pain... that's a tough call. I'm about to go start an experiment....
4 DAYS!! I get picked up here at LRMC at 0630 on Tuesday morning for the shuttle to the airport. I can't wait! 11 days of bliss!
Currently, we are the German Hospice ward. We have the sweetest old lady (80's) who's here with renal failure and she wants to die so she can see her husband again. She's very excited. She talks to him at night in her sleep (in German, of course) We thought it would be about a week, but since she's been here, she's livened up a lot. She is French/German and her husband was an Army NCO. She grew up not knowing when her next meal was. So, when he took her to a snack bar on their first date and let her get what she wanted to eat, she fell in love.
Now, when i decided to wear a uniform, I didn't think I'd be dealing with geriatrics (especially in Germany)... wrong. I thoroughly enjoy the stories of Mrs. M, but the bodily functions that go along with getting really old are not my thing. Now, it's only a matter of time until her body's toxins take away her mental clarity. Some of the staff on this unit just doesn't even care. My day shift came on from the opposite day/night shift (the team I'm moving to against my will is the night team from this group) and she was laying in her bed, wet, crumbs everywhere, a cookie stuck to her butt (literally), she has stage 2 pressure sores, and hadn't been bathed since we last worked (two days) because she was "sleeping". Her oncoming nurse was so upset he was nearly in tears about what he'd discovered as he was telling us this in report that night. I may not want to work geriatrics, but that's just outright neglect. People left her totally alone. If you actually go in there, she'll talk your ear off.
Now, I have another patient, well, not mine-I'm charge. Special forces-very weird. 1. he keeps asking for female nurses to give him a backrub (umm... no) 2. he hits the call button every two hours for 2mg of dilauded, 2 percocet, and benadryl. He also already has a dilauded PCA. He's up walking, talking, relaxed in bed... pain's a tough subject. It's what the patient says it is. But 2mg of dilauded every 2 hours for someone who's relaxed in bed or walking halls and joking with staff in a "7/10" pain... that's a tough call. I'm about to go start an experiment....
4 DAYS!! I get picked up here at LRMC at 0630 on Tuesday morning for the shuttle to the airport. I can't wait! 11 days of bliss!
If you can't see the text above:
"Why is a young vet like you on the street?"
"I have a place to stay. I nearly got into a car accident on the way back from my shrink. I got out to walk off my frustration. This driver was on the phone, watching a DVD, weaving in and out of traffic in a HUGE vehicle! I didn't survive 3 tours in Iraq to get killed by a Hummer here at home!!"
"word."
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