I also had this to say on another forum - some of it is sad reading but it's my life!
Was able to have my weekly prayer session with my prayer partner. I ended up giving thanks for the way I 'fell into' nursing and remembered a whole pile of patients who've stuck in my mind over the years. Hope you don't mind if I repeat it here
1959; Mrs Geery, a truly beautiful woman, so elegant and gracious. Had ovarian cancer and died whilst I was at her beside
1960; Terence Murphy, 17 years old, motorbike accident. Had a ruptured gut where the handle bar struck his abdomen and got peritonitis which was easily fatal in those days. He had a rocky ride but recovered. 3 years later I met him again in the orthopeadic theatre having his leg put in a cast. Seems he had started developing bone abscesses from his past abdominal infection.
1961; man in his sixties, had a heart attack and was nearing his discharge. When I took the evening drinks round, he was reading a book. He told me it was a good book and he couldn't wait to read the end. Some minutes later I found him, still restfully lying with the book as if reading but he'd had another massive heart attack and died. My first thoughts were 'what a shame - he'll never know what the end of the book was'!
1964; the man who had the very first ever knee replacement; he got an infection and had to have the prosthesis removed after about 6 weeks, then had his leg amputated and after 6 months of pain and suffering, he died. Antibiotics then were, by comparison, rudimentary. He was well aware this was totally experimental and he was the first. He said he blamed no-one and that somebody had to be first. What a hero! Was on the sacrifices of such as him that people can regain their quality of life when hit by arthritis.
1966; another teenager, 15, another motor bike accident. Had head injuries and we had to do burr holes to remove the clot om his brain. He ended up in the ward in a vegetative state with a tracheostomy (breathing tube in his neck). Nowadays he'd have had all sorts of technology on him but then, all he had was his mother who sat by his bed every night and prayed. I was on night duty at the time and used to go to the ward and sit with her. He died, of course, and when his silver tracheostomy tube came to theatre from the ward, I kept it and still have it.
1973; Margaret Mullane; 60 yr old Irish lady. Had one hip replaced and was so pleased she talked the surgeon into doing the other. It got infected. After several surgeries she ended up being in hospital for a whole YEAR and had about 6 more surgeries during it. We got to know her so well that when she was discharged, she used to come the theatre for a cup of coffee while she waited on her clinic appointment! When I left in Feb 73, she gave to my leaving present, signed the card and came to my leaving do!
There are many, many more but I think you get the idea!
United States
