That one patient that haunts you.

[FancypantsRN]

Do you guys have one of those? I do. I took care of them pretty recently (about 1 month ago), but they creep into my head every day that I work now. They died way too young. It's one of those things where I feel I should have done more, should have recognized something sooner. There was nothing I could do really. Their s/sx were so seemingly benign and no one even suspected they would die.

This was not my first pt death btw, just the most strange one. Not just for me, but for all my coworkers as well. I am not sure how I am dealing with it, I guess I just am.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

our nursing supervisor's husband had leukemia and was a frequent flier in our unit. he was a sweetheart, and one of my primary patients. the supervisor was a sweetheart as well. she happened to be on the unit talking to the charge about staffing when he arrested. she slipped into the back of the room and stood there watching everything . . . .

i think we must have broken every rib in that poor man's body, but it was july and the resident was brand new. he was going to save this man's life no matter what. i was doing compressions, and when i went to switch out, his chest was concave. the supervisor stepped up and said "no more. stop now." the resident wasn't having any of it -- he told her he was the doctor and he was deciding when it was over, not the nursing supervisor.

"when you get to the part about notifying the next of kin," she said, "i'm right here." i'll never forget the expression on that resident's face!

[mamaxmaria]

wow... that's all I can say.... I;m in tears after reading this thread!

I'm a tech in the ICU of a trauma center and have seen alot and have gotten close to many families.....

it's reading stories like these that makes me scared to death to become a nurse, but at the same time even more motivated to finish

I keep thinking of one pt who was with us for 9 months in ICU, I believe it was complications of crohns disease...it was a constant roller coaster with her getting better then taking a turn for the worse. And all threw it her fiance was there every day. They were highschool sweethearts that lost touch and eventually found each other again many many years later....

All the staff got very close to the family... so much so we attended the service for her after she passed....

I still talk to her fiance from time to time on facebook!