Patient Death Experience.

[2k15NurseExtern4u]

I love to hear stories of memorable patient deaths. Sometimes it's just eerily cool to watch the process unfold (not to be a creep about it). Im still a nursing student so I only have 1 experience so far. Patient had stage 4 cancer with mets to the liver, brain, and a completely occluded left lung. Patient was a super goner, but family was in complete denial and believed she would "pull through." Patient finally expired during one of my clinical rotation and I felt SO relieved for her. Such a crappy way to leave this world. Thats all I got so far..

Please, share a memorable patient death experience that you have had.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

In response to all of the upset about the poster using "super goner..."

I see people say things like, "circling the drain," or, "heading to the ECU (eternal care unit)," and nobody seems to get upset.

I'm not saying that anybody is wrong for feeling like that's an insensitive way to talk about a patient, but nursing/medical culture does seem to be okay with speaking this way (remember the dark humor thread?).

Dark humor is understandable coming from severely stressed healthcare workers, but what has been written here is not acceptable language for a nursing student.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

To anyone offended, disturbed, or otherwise upset with the topic and content of thread, I apologize. I take full responsibility for the recklessness of my words and how they may have impacted you all. I do believe I was misunderstood, but as an adult, it is my responsibility to present myself in a way that is acceptable. After reading some of your comments, I have had time to realize some of the mistakes I have made on this forum. I AM SORRY.

To OrganizedChaos:

It seems that you specifically have taken this thread to heart. Not only have you been thorough in discovering that I am in a nursing program in Houston and seek employment in the area, but you have also replied to my responses on other posts that have nothing to do with this post. I have deeply offended you and I do apologize.

I am by no means a negative person. I did not intend for this thread to be negative or to "Troll," but apparently it has done just that. I merely meant to convey my interest in the transition into the afterlife from a nurses perspective.

I know a large portion of the comments on this thread were meant to encourage me to see the error of my ways and will focus on the positivity I can absorb from those comments. Thank you all for your thoughts, Positive and Negative. However, please refrain from insulting me personally as I am not "stupid" or "thoughtless". I am a person that made a mistake and had a lapse in judgement. I am owning it. Even over the anonymity of the internet (which apparently isn't all that anonymous). Once again, I apologize to anyone I have offended. I love and have loved AllNurses for quite some time now, that won't change.

If I had not just now read your response to the cheating thread, I would be very happy for you that you have engaged in some introspection here. However, now I have my doubts. I encourage you to think long and hard about the potential outcome of words, and more importantly, actions and attitudes.

We are human beings, and as such are born with tendencies to be selfish, self-serving, dishonest, etc. But there SHOULD be an inner voice which, even in the absence of other people's criticisms, calls us out on our bad actions. When that little voice is absent, it puts us on a potentially unalterable course, because it becomes ingrained as character, not just random behavior.

The importance of the ability to ponder our actions, thoughts, etc. and find them unacceptable and requiring change cannot be understated. I say that as an incredibly flawed human who has had to have a major come to Jesus talk with myself on more than one occasion; not necessarily proud of it, but have fortunately learned from my mistakes and have not repeated them since.

[SubSippi]

Dark humor is understandable coming from severely stressed healthcare workers, but what has been written here is not acceptable language for a nursing student.

You're right, I forgot that the poster was a student by the time I was done with the thread.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Yes AN is anonymous, we are highly supportive of each other, and can be equally as critical.

We ARE all nurses here. I suspect many of them feel the same way that I do... death is my enemy, and it is ugly.

Perhaps, after you have witnessed many of these ugly deaths, you will treat it, as well as any dying patient ... with respect .

I watched my father and my best friend ( a border collie) die. I pulled the plug on both of them... far from eerily cool, just profoundly heartbreaking.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Closed for review.