I am not religious but every so often I come across a patient whom I know needs more help than mortal hands can give but you just do not know which way to pray.
You know the patient - they are usually young and would have had everything going for them. What has struck them down has been a catastophe - whether it is a severe head injury or maybe Meningococcus or something that takes a fit young person and leaves a train wreck that will never have a full or even partially normal life again. They have young families and you find yourself thinking "Please survive for them" and then you think through the daily cost of survival from this point on and you don't know whether you are doing them a favour.
In other words the patient for whom you do not know whether you should be hoping for survival for praying for release.
We have one now and it is sooo sad. What he originally presented with was so minor no-one would have thought twice of the problem - this sent on to full blown sepsis - and now- I am sorry but cannot give more details out of respect for the family just let me say he is now one of those whom I do not know how I should be praying/appealing to the powers that be...
Sometimes this is the price we pay for saving the ones we do. We have those who can never truly be thankful that we did intervene. Whose lives will not just "never be the same" but will continue only at a daily cost and struggle.
We do our best and we worry whether it IS for the best.
kc ccurn
243 Posts
Welcome mtnmom. We definitely need more nurses with such compassion and caring. Glad you're here.