psalm123

My hospice patients can be very giving.  We share a lot of things in a typical day. Their sharing of the flu-bug was more generous than what I need.

ugh.

I have the perfect job to help keep me in check and put things in perspective.  I started the day tired, behind in my work, numb from studying, and generally worn out from a long and stressful week. I couldn't wait for the day to be over.

Then on my way in to work I got a call. One of my patients had just died.

I started my day at work by pronouncing the death of one of  my patients. My patients family started their day by saying goodbye to their loved one.  They had been up all night at the bedside providing ministry of presence. They were all tired, emotionally drained, and generally worn out from a long stressful week.

perspective......

I was with one of my patients when he died today.  His family was at the bedside holding his hand as he took his last few breaths.  It's always such a powerful experience. He died peacefully and with dignity. His life had value until the very end. That's what hospice care is all about. 

Valuing all human life from conception until natural death....that's part of what Gods plan for us is all about. 



God bless

Dave 

Ugh.  I had previously mentioned that I was going to try and post some insights as to what a typical day is like for me as a hospice nurse. Well, I just spent a decent amount of time doing just that. I wanted to share some of the lighter moments that occur while caring for my patients and their families. Anyway, after I finished the post and clicked to post the entry, the screen freezes up and I need to reboot. Then my computer takes nearly 15 minutes to load and .....no post! I'm already falling asleep while typing this so I'll have to call it quits tonight and try again some other time.

 Hospice work isn't and doesn't need to be depressing. I am often asked "how can you do hospice work? It must be so depressing" .  Well, I have some pretty funny stories about things that happen quite frequently while on the job. From funny things my patients say, to their unfiltered honesty, to ....well some of the dirtier parts of the job that  can sometimes create some funny scenarios. 


I'm just about ready to use my keyboard as a pillow.



God Bless

Dave

I knew that the life of my 84 year old patient was soon to come to an end.  I had been caring for him for the better part of two weeks. My original expectation of life expectancy for this particular patient was somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks. He came aboard hospice after a long battle with multiple heart problems. He also had prostate cancer that had likely spread to his spine. I will call this patient Jack for this entry. Jack and I immediately made a good connection at our first meeting. Sometimes in this line of work it takes time to establish a good patient/ nurse relationship.  In the short time I cared for this patient, I watched him progress rapidly towards actively dying. He was only eating bites of food and maybe 4-8 ounces of fluid a day. He was becoming weaker and he was also showing signs of advanced heart failure. For the most part Jack stayed lucid during our visits. The last day or two he became more confused and at times forgot who I was. So, taking this into consideration it would be easy to dismiss his claims that his dead father was in the room watching him. Yeah, I know..I know..... Crazy talk right?  or is it?  In the six years I have been involved in hospice care, I would guess that .....oh...probably 75% of the patients I take care of who can communicate verbally claim to see dead relatives or even angels in the few days prior to their death. I should also add that many of these patients do not suffer from any neurological dysfunction.

So, when my patient told me to "shhhhh... my dad is here", I should have taken him more seriously. I figured based on my assesment of his current symptoms that he would pass away in a few days.  I proceded to gather supplies for a dressing change.  Jack had come aboard hospice with a pretty deep pressure sore to his backside which required daily irrigation and dressing changes. I followed our usual routine and started some small talk about the Red Wings and Tigers. I then positioned Jack on his side facing away from me so we could proceed with the dressing change. About a minute or two into the procedure, I asked Jack if he was ok. I got a reassuring "I'm ok" so I finished up with the dressing change that took about another three or four minutes. I continued to make small talk as I worked.  As soon as I was done with the task, I turned Jack back towards me.  He was dead................. Pupils fixed and dilated, no respirations, no pulse. 

Wow, I was really caught off guard.  In my line of work, death of our patients is the expected outcome. This time though, I didn't see it coming!!! So, even for an experienced hospice nurse, death can sometimes come as a surprise. Next time someone mentions seeing dead people, I'm going to pay more attention!

One of the more enjoyable aspects of my job as a hospice nurse is getting to know about the lives of the people I am caring for. Today was a notable example of the many memorable times I have spent learning about life and death by assisting my patients through their final transition towards the end of life.  Reminiscing with family members about the life of my 101 year old patient is something I feel privileged to be able to do. 101 years old! Until very recently, this gem of a woman had quite a bit of gusto to get her through the day. She was alert and able to engage in conversations. She loved a good joke! Even at 101 years old, she had more good cheer and warmness to share with others than many of us can muster up on any particular day. 

Something interesting happens very often with many of the people I deal with who are on hospice care. Actually, by the time hospice arrives on the scene, many of the patients I deal with have been sick a long time. These patients are often ready to make the transition to death. They have already began to focus on the things in this very short life that actually mean something in the grand scheme of things. Damaged relationships are mended and lifelong steady relationships are remembered and celebrated.  Relationships with God are either mended, continued and strengthened, or established for the first time. I see it on a daily basis. Nobody faces death without taking into account either by words or by thought their standing with the Lord. 

After ones financial affairs are in order and the legal issues are done and forgotten, the importance a dying person places on material things is absolutely zero. Of course this sounds like a no brainer. Why when facing death would anyone be concerned with such trivial matters as material things?  That's exactly the point. Aren't we all facing death?  We can learn a lot from a dying person in regards to what is truly important in this world and the next.

God bless.