... done it before and no matter how many times I've had to do it, it never gets easier.
I've been taking care of this patient on and off for the past 2 weeks now. Sweet little girl (whom I kinda know out of the hospital too. Small town, everyone knows everyone else).. all of 16 years of age.
Extensive history of cancer (ovarian). In fact, the direct cause of her admission to the hospital was that the cancer had spread to her gut and she needed a bowel resection.
Her post-op status has been shitty all along. High fevers, anemia, an incision site that refused to seal and heal and kept oozing and seeping fluid, bad lungs, non stop nausea...
She put up a terrific fight. Refused to quit. Tried very hard to be positive. Was inquisitive and was very involved with her treatments.
By the time we managed to stabilise her temps, bring up her heme count with transfussions, clear her lungs and stabilise her wound - more bad news.
Spiral CT showed a mass on lower lung - she had calcification.
Suspicion is that her cancer has moved to her lungs.
She did not take the news well at all.
She just wept and wept and wept till it sounded her like her little heart would break. We knew she's just recently lost her ****** to a car crash and that her dog had to be put down last year.
I've had to tell many people over the years that their loved one did not make it. I've had to tell some personally that the won't live to see the next month.
But it never gets easier....
I couldn't tell the ****** myself. I couldn't bring myself too. I've done it before but somehow this time... I just could not do it.
Somedays, life just fucking SUCKS. :******:
Sorry for the long post. Thanks for letting me get that off the chest and rant.
I've been taking care of this patient on and off for the past 2 weeks now. Sweet little girl (whom I kinda know out of the hospital too. Small town, everyone knows everyone else).. all of 16 years of age.
Extensive history of cancer (ovarian). In fact, the direct cause of her admission to the hospital was that the cancer had spread to her gut and she needed a bowel resection.
Her post-op status has been shitty all along. High fevers, anemia, an incision site that refused to seal and heal and kept oozing and seeping fluid, bad lungs, non stop nausea...
She put up a terrific fight. Refused to quit. Tried very hard to be positive. Was inquisitive and was very involved with her treatments.
By the time we managed to stabilise her temps, bring up her heme count with transfussions, clear her lungs and stabilise her wound - more bad news.
Spiral CT showed a mass on lower lung - she had calcification.
Suspicion is that her cancer has moved to her lungs.
She did not take the news well at all.
She just wept and wept and wept till it sounded her like her little heart would break. We knew she's just recently lost her ****** to a car crash and that her dog had to be put down last year.
I've had to tell many people over the years that their loved one did not make it. I've had to tell some personally that the won't live to see the next month.
But it never gets easier....
I couldn't tell the ****** myself. I couldn't bring myself too. I've done it before but somehow this time... I just could not do it.
Somedays, life just fucking SUCKS. :******:
Sorry for the long post. Thanks for letting me get that off the chest and rant.