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I have known for 15yrs I was going to be a nurse- burnt myself out between highschool/colleges (but I am an LPN). My friend Travis died of hodgkins lymphoma 2yrs ago- in the local hospital in incredible pain on the floor. He was diagnosed less than a year before, he was 29yo. I was very sad to hear this as he had home hospice set up- his family reptd the woman (and bless her for trying) did not know how to work his pump. So I have decided I want to be a part of a hospice team- I also want to do massage therapy for the families as well as the patients- no one seemed to take care of his family- am I biting off more than whats chewable?

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Hi Misty -

Already you show you know that hospice nursing is for more than the pt. In my opinion - it is one of the most holistic fields of nursing you can be in. A good hospice nurse knows it's body, mind and soul - and touch, and listening, and just being there in addition to hopefully knowing how to handle the pain pump.

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. Perhaps the gift he left you...is that of your knowing the direction you must travel for a while. Find another Travis and make it his ending better. You will receive far more than you ever give in this area of nursing.

Using touch - massage - is a wonderful addition to your nursing skills.

And no, it's not too much to chew. Just do it one bite at a time...

Go for it! You will be wonderful!

Ash

CHPLN

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Ash- that just gave me chills. Everyone that knew Travis hangs a snowflake on the tree because that was the ornament he wanted (he died a couple few weeks before christmas). He did a documentary of his time between after he was diagnosed and died- played 'ALONE I BREAK' by Korn. His mom spearheaded legalizing the use of medicinal marijuanna here- and now its to where do I start? Which course first.

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Where to start? Well, why don't you post this question under the Hospice and Paliative Care specialty forum here. Let everyone know where you live and perhaps someone will come up with ideas for you.

Also, you need to find local hospices in your area - which I could not determine where you live - but a site with good links would be:

http://www.hpna.org/links.asp. Also do a Google search for Hospices in your area or state. Perhaps you can get advice from local hospices.

I wish you much luck! Let me know what you find out and where you go.

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