This particular blog has been hard for me to write. Not because of anything in particular, but because I had the idea for what I wanted to express, but, getting the words to flow together was another story. My words, just like our lives sometimes do, just would not meld together with any rhythmic flow. … Continue reading The Certain Uncertainty
Tag: humanity
When Did You Go?
Where you there when you could no longer speak? Was your soul still present? Could you hear us all around your bed.. talking with you… sometimes happy.. sometimes sad? When was the moment that you let go? A lot of times, when people are passing, they fall into states where they are no longer responsive. … Continue reading When Did You Go?
A Mixed Bag
As I often do, I found myself thinking about things I could blog about tonight… Should I talk about the lady with dementia who responds to basically no one and nothing but responded to a chocolate doughnut I brought her? Or would it be better to blog about the man, whose wife is clearly passing,… Continue reading A Mixed Bag
Rituals
People often ask often how I cope with seeing so much death… After all, the purpose of my job is to prepare people so that they have a peaceful and pain free passage. For the vast majority of the patients, death is almost a welcomed event. While leaving loved ones behind is not always the… Continue reading Rituals
A gut is not always a bad thing
Intuition. A sense. A feeling. Gut instinct. God’s way of talking to you. The Universe trying to point you in the right direction. Nurses are particularly keen to this sort of thing. For the most part, we can probably eye a patient up and get a sense of things to come. That’s part of the… Continue reading A gut is not always a bad thing
The Lucky Ones
When we are born, there is typically an army of people gathered to help. The doctor, the nurses, the pediatrician and let’s not forget the excited family members. Surrounded by love and kindess, a newborn transitions into this world knowing on some level that they are not alone. If no one has noticed, hospice has… Continue reading The Lucky Ones
Week Two or Weak, Too?
I have to admit that I was super apprehensive about making this career change. Death is something that scares the bejeezus out of me. As a critical care nurse for many years, death was often times an answer to endless suffering. That doesn’t ever mean that I got comfortable with it. But, because I never… Continue reading Week Two or Weak, Too?
Titanium Doesn’t Stand A Chance
“The human spirit is tougher than anything that can happen to it” C.C. Scott There are so many medical mysteries that the brightest of minds have pondered and come up with no explanation. How does a patient who has failing kidneys and called it quits on dialysis continue to survive? The kidneys filter out all… Continue reading Titanium Doesn’t Stand A Chance
From Saving to Sending 