Hola everyone! Let’s see...work last night from 7-11 went well! I didn’t think I’d have to go in for the extra hours I signed up for, but the floor blew up with patients the nights I had off. I’m ok with the over time! I had a patient who was 84 years old that was in the hospital for normal pressure hydrocephalus. She was at home dizzy and falling and knew she needed to come in for a spinal tap to get the fluid out of the brain. Well, she had it done and is “better than ever” according to her. She was the epitome of the 84 year old I want to be. She still gets out and about every single day and “does her exercises and errands”. She seems to see the good in every situation (including being in the hospital) and was be thankful for anything and everything you do. Just giving in every way. I just wanted to stay and talk to her about her life for the whole night. Unfortunately that was not possible. Understandable though, there were other patients. Which were wonderful as well. Busy busy, but I was able to get home by 1230, watch glee and 16&Pregnant (don’t judge my tv addictions), and read a bit. Oh speaking of reading here’s a quote I wanted to share with everyone from my newest book I’m reading....
“I was a success story-for the moment. I was still as scared and anxious as a patient. Each time I visited the hospital I had an uneasy reaction. The first thing that stuck me was the smell. If I did a smell test I could find a hospital with my eyes closed: disinfectant, medicine, bad cafeteria food, and recycled air through old vents, stale and artificial. And the lighting: it made everyone look pale, like they didn’t have quite enough blood in their bodies. The squeak of the nurses’ rubber-soled shoes, the sound of the plastic hospital mattress: every time I moved crackle crackle wrinkle wrinkle. These are the odors and sensations and images all cancer patients carry with them no matter how far removed they are from the disease. There was a story in the New England Journal of Medicine: a woman was treated for breast cancer with very arduous chemo, and suffered violent bouts of nausea. Five years later she ran into her oncologist in the mall. She instantly threw up. So that’s how cancer stays with you. And it has stayed with me” -Lance Armstrong Every Second Counts
I was at the library the other day and came across this book by Lance Armstrong. It was like it was calling my name. The quote above is exactly what I was talking about the other day when saying that this race is not for me. This race is for the patients who have to be in the hospital day in and day out, who are fighting the haunting memories of the hospital that I try to make comfortable for them in any way. For the lady who cannot see her oncologist without the reminder of the chemo that made her so nauseated day in and day out.
I will have to finish this book and let you all know how it goes. I’m sure I’ll be happy with my random find in the library...
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