So, today for the first time in a week and a half we were fully staffed. Sadly, today we also had 3 sick patients. Four actually, since I randomly discovered that one of my patients far from feeling ‘a little tired today’ as she said, in fact had attrociously poor blood pressure (52/38, for those who are interested). This lead to me going ‘hrm, manual BP. No, really is that low… Mrs X, I’m just going to tip the bed a bit’ (feet yoinked to being level with head), followed by me bleeping the doctor and saying to Helen ‘Um, could you put up this Gelofusin….’
Still, she seemed to be doing a bit better when I left.
More sadly, one of the patients died today. This, being a care of the elderly ward (which, I now learn is also second in line for CVA (stroke) patients), is not a wildly uncommon experience. But it was a real surprise, in-so-far as a few days ago it really looked like we’d got him better. Not well, but well enough that he could go off to a specialist ward who could deal with the underlying problems…
So we were quite positive, then on Saturday he became unwell, and had battled on until today… I don’t think I’ve seen a ward quite so affected by one individual’s death, but he was so nice, and so were his family… A cloud just descended. Often when people die on our ward it’s expected and we cope better. This was really kind of a shock. And it was so quick. One minute he was being seen by drs, a few minutes later…
So yeah, something about the fleetingness of existence…
I don’t know, it’s all a bit weird. I can be sat at home and listening to new music, and pondering my plan of action for doing the bathroom, and yet earlier today I was dealing with death…
Sometimes I am struck by the dichotomous nature of my life, and i find it odd.
