Wow!  It's almost Halloween (and thanks to my DD for the super-scary photo...hahahahaha!)!The busy season for respiratory therapists is here!  I have been working 5 or 6 12 hour shifts a week lately, and if it were possible, I am sure I could work more!  (Well, it IS possible, but I don't want to work everyday!)

I had an interesting rapid response situation last night.  An inadvertant coumadin overdose by an elderly person who lives alone.  The PT was 89!  The PTT was "unmeasurable"!  Probably should've intubated but ended up doing BiPap out of a fear of causing a fatal upper airway bleed...fortunately, the family came in and requested comfort care and chemical code only. 

I have to say that a family member of that patient said one of the most beautiful things to the patient...."you have had a wonderful life...remember all of it" complete with hugs and kisses and soothing the patient that made it very clear that it was an extremely close family.  I am usually emotionally immovable in code-type situations, but I have to tell you I was very teary-eyed!  I had to go tell that family member how I thought it was so moving to hear a comment like that in a time like that.  Well, you see a lot of very raw emotion in times like those, and it is not always so peaceful and loving.

Remember me mentioning that sometimes I have a hard time going to sleep?  This is one of those days.  We actually had two rapid responses last night and we only had 38 patients in our part of the hospital, so that is statistically a high percentage, I think!

OK....maybe a shower will help.  maybe milk.  maybe listening to the local school district's public access channel....but I gotta go try to get to sleep.  It's too late for tylenol pm, that is for sure!

TTYL,

laffenstamper