Sunday, March 22, 2015

Life the panoramic view



This week a new adventure began as I started working in the ICU.
Of the many scenes from my first week, one in particular comes to mind.

Wednesday as we were all working late after shift change one of the patients coded.  The patient came back  to life  and we left the patient alive and stabilizing.

       Thursday Morning I walked past the patient's room on my way to my own patients. The room had an eastern facing window and I could see by the gray of the coming dawn that he was still alive.

We conducted the 6 and 7 am assessments. As we were charting, the emergency alarms in a room sounded and the monitor tech asked "Hey! what is going on with this room? IS THE PATIENT A DNR!?"
My preceptor and I quickly went to the patient's room from the previous night and  I do not think  I will forget that sight.
....The ICU is circular with glass windows for the sake of visibility... In one room I could see a nurse who had just spiked a bag and was reaching up on her tip-toes to hang the bag of IV fluids; in another room the nurse was repositioning a patient on a ventilator; in a third room the nurse and a security
were holding down and trying to restrain a combative patient going through withdraws.
And in the middle room the lights from the rising dawn showed a sobbing family huddled together hugging each other and the nurse as they absorbed the fact that the end was now a reality.

We returned to our station. I turned to the monitor tech. "Yes he is a DNR"
I wanted to stop and just take in the thoughts about death and the ongoing cycle of life... To appreciate the fact that the man had just greeted the sun alone for the first and last time.

I do not understand everything about the vastness of death nor the reality of living. It is both mysterious and beautiful.

We spend all of our time here on earth, just trying to "live" but really are we just trying to prepare for death? One day we will all greet the Sun or the Son for the first and last time.

There was not time to stop Thursday and reflect, because there was still life to live and lives to keep living. The life cycle persists.

My question to you good reader. Are we learning how to live or how to die?

Saturday, March 21, 2015

A Proper Russian Shout Out

спасибо

One of the cool aspects of blogging is the little icon that shows me where you readers are.

So tonight I want to give a shout out to all my russian readers. You all made the highest hits of the month stats!

Excited to see that mark!



About Me

My photo
I started "Annalogies" as an outlet of creativity for an overly scientific, logically minded life. I love people. I enjoy the simple things in life. My aspiration is that this outlet can allow me to grow in expression. So go with me and grow with me, if you like. I am just a sculpture still in the making. annegirl46@gmail.com