Last night I cared for a lady who came to our ICU after ORIF of a hip fracture. I have taken care of her for the past four nights, and found her to be a wonderful, kind lady. Both of her children and her husband had died long ago, and she had only a neice who lives in another state. She had a rather extensive past medical history, and an ejection fraction of only 12%, so was very high risk. She did well through the surgery however, and seemed to be stable. She was supposed to be transferred to our ortho floor this morning. Several times last night she talked about her mother coming to see her, and about the man that was with her mother. I thought at first she was confused, but she was able to answer other questions appropriately. Then she told me that the man was standing behind me, and telling her it was time to go. She asked him if it was OK to stay a little longer, she just wanted to wait until after I went home in the morning. She didn't sleep all night, and we talked about our families, and the things she had done in her life. When I left this morning, I told her I would be off for a few days, and I would come see her on her new floor on Monday. She told me not to worry, that she would not be there. She thanked me for the care I had given her, and asked me to kiss her cheek. I called in a little while ago, and they told me she had died at about eight this morning. I have had this same kind of experience in the past with other patients, but this lady was very special. I am glad I was there to spend her last night with her, and to say goodbye.
