BellaBlackwell

Have any of you ever smelled the "smell of death" on a patient and had them survive? I first smelled that smell on my grandpa about 2 weeks before he died. He had been slowly declining for a while, but those last few weeks, the smell grew stronger and stronger- like a sweet but still nasty odor. Ive smelled it a few times since at the LTC where I work (same facility where he died- not a usual scent for the facility) and it always hits me like a ton of bricks. Im concerned because I smell it on my grandma now. (She is at home) I stay overnight with her because she is 87 and wheelchair bound. She developed a cold earlier this week that has progressed into at least bronchitis if not pneumonia judging by her constant hacking cough and even difficulty forming sentences at times due to the respiratory difficulties. (I tried to get her to go to the ER. So did my dad. She refused.) I'm just wondering, is that scent for sure death at the door, or simply nasty respiratory secretions? And have any of you ever smelled that telltale scent on a person and seen them live to overcome it?

I work in an LTC. Ironically it's the LTC where my grandfather died. (I know, nice, right? Working every day in the building where my grandfather died.) I had recently lost a job and applied there when he was on hospice. His last 2 weeks or so before he died I smelled that sickly sweet smell. At first I thought he wasn't clean, which was odd because this facility is really top notch and he had never not been clean. When he died I realized it was the smell of death. I have noticed that same smell emanating from other patients rooms too, and whenever I did, not only did it alert me to watch for that Chart on my desk (I'm a receptionist right now.), but it brought back the grief of losing Pappap. The many mentions of the smell being hard to get rid of are accurate as well. Pappap's blanket still smelled a few months after his death despite multiple washes, and has a twinge of the scent to this day (he passed day after Easter) what concerns me now is I smell it quite strongly on my grandma. she is using the blanket from Pappap, but the blanket doesn't smell that strong so I know it's not that. I'm just creeped out since I'm the only one watching her right now. She is pretty sick with at least bronchitis, quite possibly pneumonia so that scares me even more.

I'm not an RN, though someday I aspire to be one. I was terminated from a facility where I was an aide, but through no fault of my own, rather I was lied about. Yes there were days I had to stay late to complete resident care (was a personal care home and I was helping multiple residents on my own that should have been in a higher acuity facility) Staying late was frowned upon by management because they had to pay me, but I genuinely cared for my residents and gave them the best care possible, essentially making the other aides that were there look bad so they lied and had me canned. Since my termination I've just had minimum wage jobs at an amusement park and now retail. How would I go about getting back in as an aide?

I know this is not a religious board, and this is not a religious post so hear me out. This is written from a purely historical perspective. The Bible says to give alcohol as pain relief, and the Bible is the most enduring literary work in history, so even if that isn't your view, you've got to give it some credit that the most enduring literary work of all time recommends alcohol for pain/suffering disclaimer: this is not saying to become an alcoholic, because that clearly only leads to other problems

-this story made me cry.

@TuggaWar You mentioned hearing what sounded like your mom or your mom hearing what sounded like you. A similar thing happened to me. I was home sick with a bad cold while my parents when out to visit my grandparents (to pick up my birthday presents, ironically.) i woke up facing the big mirror on the wall of my room. The mirror was opposite my doorway that opened into the hallway. I saw in the reflection that the decorative lights in the hallway were on and it appeared my dad was bending over putting something in my room. I assumed they had just got home and he was delivering my gift. My dog was staring straight at this too and I know for sure I was awake. i went back to sleep. later on I woke up to them actually coming home. That's when I realized what I saw was not my dad.

I've been wanting to get into the medical field. I have a little bit of experience as an aide and I loved it but unfortunately I lost that job, so I've been bouncing between minimum wage gigs for now. I'm thinking NP would be a good choice because it's more autonomous than RN but not quite the amount of schooling (and therefore financial burden) of MD. I was wondering what the schooling process was like for all of you NP's. What did you major in in undergrad (Nursing, biology, etc.)? What did you do form there and how many years of school total?

Thats awesome that your daughter decided to become a nurse despite her health challenges. That's kind of like me. I do have my share of health issues, and they will make nursing challenging, but definitely not impossible. And these health issues actually are what sparked my interest in nursing. My family struggles with health as well. I do advanced wound care for my grandpa in between wound center appointments and home health nurse visits, and I'm currently writing this post from the recliner in the corner of my mom's PCU room where she battles cardiomyopathy and I visit her and battle a headache, IBS, and chronic fatigue flare. I was in this same wing of this hospital a few years ago when I heard the code blue called for my grandma and had to keep calm in front of my dad and grandpa who had no idea what was going on. I want to use what I've been through to help other people get through the challenges they face and provide good compassionate care no matter how hard to figure out the patient is or how much of a frequent flyer they are. After all, everyone that walks through the doors of a healthcare facility, unless they're there for a checkup, is hurting in one way or another, and needs our help!

I have chronic fatigue and getting it was one of my biggest reasons to pursue nursing, as all of you CFS'ers know, this disease is one that no one understands and most people will call you a hypochondriac. I am spurred on by the lack of support and understanding both within my family and friends and also from the various professionals that have taken part in my care, and I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I'm an aide right now but aspire to be an RN and be that compassionate listening ear, and even get some answers for someone else. As far as coping with the CFS, I know when I have to go to work that I need to pre plan and get adequate rest. I also find that my symptoms aren't as prominent at work as they are other places. It's a good distraction, and if you love this profession, it'll be a release of endorphins as well.

So I don't have a colostomy yet, but due to functional bowel disease, my doctor has mentioned it. Nursing is my dream. Right now I'm an aide. I can't imagine myself doing anything else but helping other people get through their health challenges. This is my calling, especially since I've "been there done (or doing) that" in terms of health issues. I'm just wondering, if I do end up getting the surgery, will I be able to fill the physical demands of being a nurse?

I was offered a caregiver job at a personal care home. They require the typical 2-step TB, drug screen, and lifting test, but at this place it seems they're a little more intense with a physical exam too. I have my share of health issues, and when I list them all out like I'm afraid I'm going to have to do, it really seems overwhelming (as does my medication list which includes a few prescribed controlled substances), but none of these should really affect my ability to perform. I have been discriminated against in the past regarding my health and I dont want it to happen again. Do I have to share literally everything? my experiences with my health issues is what made me want to become a nurse in the first place. I want to fight back, and I fear that this physical is going to ruin this opportunity for me. Advice? Insight? And how involved can these physicals get?

I have a pre employment physical this week and I have scoliosis. Will that disqualify me for the job? (Caregiver at personal care home)

Sorry I haven't been around lately. I did end up getting canned, so I've been applying for other jobs and whatnot. I ended up for now going back to the water park job I had a few summers back. It's not as good pay, but I'm happy there with good coworkers who don't lie and cause drama. It's funny that the high schoolers I work with act more mature than the middle aged women that were my coworkers at that LTC. At least this will give me time to look for the right option for getting back into the medical field, whether that be taking another job or pursuing education. What do you guys think?

The other morning at the end of my shift I saw the director. I asked her how she thought it was going. After she told me it probably wasn't going to work out (despite the fact that my supervisors has signed off on my action plan) I expressed to her that I believe I had not been adequately trained (that's when she and my supervisor went all berserk and were looking at me and talking to me like I had 2 heads) after a few minutes of heated conversation with the director I had listed some instances in which I had been improperly trained. She told me I had to document it, to get to her in writing all the instances that my preceptor didn't train me right. I wrote the letter tonight but I feel bad that I had to rat her out so to be fair I included what everyone else was doing that is against policy as well. Do you think I should keep all that in the letter or stay focused on my preceptor?

@Psychcns, my perceptor was the one who didn't train me properly, and when I told my supervisor about it (she is friends with the preceptor and I'm the low woman on the totem pole) my supervisor literally told me to get out.