This would be the most devastating thing.

cappuccino · Dec 6, 2008

Had a co-worker whose teenage son was murdered while out with friends. He was out with his girlfriend when another guy started pushing her around. The son tried to intervene, and the aggressor pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times in the stomach. They never caught the guy.
He was taken to the SICU where my co-worker was working and died a few days later. She described to me seeing the new admit come in and realizing in shock that it was her baby boy. I don't know how she continued in critical care after that. The other nurses let her "help" them as his nurse, and go with him everywhere. She deperately needed to be close to him until he died. Truly heartbreaking.

Wow that is really sad!! :sniff:

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Dec 6, 2008

I dont know if this is an urban legend or not---but one of my nursing instructors told the story of an ER nurse tending to a young child, the child had some sort of accident, dont recall exactly, but the child was unable to be saved..the nurse went with the Dr out to the family and the patients mom was the nurses daughter--that in the adreneline rush of trying to save this young injured pt she did not even realize it was her on grandchild---
Could be urban legend--but could be true--you know how swollen /mangled and bruised some pts can be----

Certainly smacks of urban legend to me: I don't care HOW busy I am, working on a child, I think I'd recognize my own grandchild as being the one I'm working on!

allnurses Guide · Dec 6, 2008

I still don't like taking patients into the ICU room my husband died in.

zenman · Dec 6, 2008

As a paramedic years ago, I picked up a friend and RN from our ER who shot herself in the heart...over a married doctor. She was dead on the scene but we tried.

Another fellow ICU nurse responded to a trauma call in the ER at a small hospital and and only realized that the man with a shotgun wound was her grown son. She recognized his shoes. He didn't make it.

Was working ER one evening when the DON's 13-14 year old son came in gut shot from a shotgun wound. Luckily he made it.

TCRNCOB61 · Dec 6, 2008

I work Mother/Baby and was called to the ER trauma bay when my son was brought in after a MVA (I was working that night). I am VERY greatful for the ER nurses down in the ER as I was a basket case on the inside. I have been a RN for years but in a sec. I became a MOM and just wanted to fix him. Fix him right now!! He lived thank God. We spent 3 weeks in the hospital, had 3 major hip surgeries to rebuild his hips, his was bedridden for 6 months, but he is back walking now.

I hope I NEVER get that call again. He is my only child. He may be now 28 years old but he will always be my only child. He came so close to dieing. The EMS did a great job in the field and the ER did great.

tookalongtime · Dec 6, 2008

These personal accounts of your loved ones and friends that you have had come through the ER is just so sad. I really don't know what I would do in that instance. My heart goes out to the ones that have went through this.

In the case of the possible urban legend, I believe that something like this could happen. Remember the case of the Taylor University students?? The two girl's identities were mixed up and the one set of parents buried the wrong girl. It took 5 weeks for the other set of parents to realize the girl they had been caring for and seeing in the hospital was not their daughter. This was another devastating incident that happened.

flightnurse2b, LPN · Dec 6, 2008

This happened to someone I knew. I have a friend who is in paramedic classes and her instructor said the first trauma he ever got called to was a car accident and it was his little brother, he didn't make it.
He knew that was the moment that would decide whether or not he was going to make it as a medic. He has been a medic for 15 years now.

i am sorry for your friend.

james's death that night had alot to do with me leaving the fire dept shortly after and going full time in the ED. i saw his face on every MVA i picked up. although i was soo thankful that i was not the one that responded, and he died on impact of a c3/c4 injury, all i could think of was "there must have been something i could have done if i was there".

it is amazing how incredibly different it becomes when it is one of your own. i know that there was no hope of recovery for him. but the non-medical side of me, just the devastated girlfriend, totally forgot about that when i saw him lying there. i was irrational and hysterical.

cubangirl · Dec 6, 2008

I am one that loves to watch "ER" and on last night's show, Sam (the ER nurse) walked into the trauma room and it was her son on the gurney. To me this would be the hardest thing to have happen. I know this is only a TV show, but even the thought of having to revive my own child just makes me want to cry. This falls into the same category of Paramedics, Police or Firemen being called to an accident scene and it is a family member. This did happen to someone in my family, my cousin didn't make it after a bad car accident and was transported to the hospital where his mom was just coming into work for the day. She is the one that had to identify him.
I still just couldn't imagine going through a situation where it was your own child or another family member.

OMG! I thought I was being dramatic!! I love the show ( ER) and this last episode affected me deeply! I kept thinking how horrible feeling to get to work and find your child fighting for his/her life!! I just pray to god to keep my children safe! :redpinkhe

moonchild20002000 · Dec 6, 2008

I know a nurse that was working ER when a decapitated young man was brought in.

It was her son,I don't think she ever recovered from the trauma.She ended up

leaving nursing.Very sad.