Guilt

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I am experiencing unbearable guilt for not noticing chf/pe/mi symptoms on my neighbor. Instead of calling 911, I told him to lay down, elevate feet and sip on some ginger ale. His symptoms were masked by having status post hip replacement one week prior. Now that I look back in hindsight he was, sweaty, weak thready pulse (which at the time, I brushed off as me unable to feel it right so I listened to his heart with my stethoscope to take pulse), bp was good, edema bilateral lower ext (which I attributed to him not elevating his legs since surgery). He had a Doppler done 2 days prior with neg results for dvt, so I wasn't thinking PE. I checked on him by phone an hour later and he said he feels fine, better. No c/o cp, sob. The next call 2 hrs later, was his wife saying he is dying come quick. At that point Cpr was initiated by me until paramedics came, but pt died. Would like to know if any others had a similar experience at work or personally? Or any suggestions of how to heal or kind words. I feel horrible.

Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

Big hug.

As others said, don't give medical advice, family or otherwise beyond what an advice nurse would say. My cousin shows me a weird skin mole. I say, "see your doc for a referral to dermatology."

My brother, "I think I have sleep apnea." "Call your doc to get tested."

they are all annoyed and asked if I'm capable of anything, I respond with "I'm very capable of starting an IV in any of you, and when I give meds I know the risks and benefits, my specialty is if you drop, I will do amazing CPR and get you to a hospital quickly. you should respect all these other medical professionals to consult them for your specific needs." They at least have learned to stop asking me for advice.....the reality is, we have none of our usual tools beyond a stethoscope and our eyes, and 9/10 they need to see their doctor for it.

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