Stubborn as a mule and sleeping standing like a horse.

I have been a nurse for almost ten years and I have learned there are some days that are miserable during your shift, but you can only laugh about afterwards. This account is not to desecrate the demeanor of the gentleman I am talking about. But I have to write about my accounts for the day because it must have been funny, because my coworkers could only laugh and mock me ALL day.

One of the main things I love about this area is the diversity of people from all over the world. Well, I got my spoon full of diversity this day at work for sure. I arrived at work 5-10 minutes early, as I always do, (To my TCH coworkers, I turned over a new leaf and arrive earlier.) only to hear a gentleman smacking his son around and yelling at the nurse practitioner that is removing his chest tubes. I refused to look at the dry erase board to see my assignment and tried to ignore the room that the yells were coming from, because I only knew my name was written all over it. So after charge report was over, the huddle broke and as I suspected Mr. Combative Pakistan man was all mine for the day!

So I decided he should probably get my first bit of attention. As I walked in and introduced myself the son says hello to me and states, "My father is a little upset and wants to go home." I concurred that he is a little upset. This gentleman is around 82 years old, as his age was estimated when he came from Pakistan to the US, and he had heart surgery the day before. This gentleman understood a fair amount of English but speaks very little. So I really wanted to call my awesome SW from dialysis at TCH, Jewel Porter, and have her make the situation all better. That is really what she does. From best I could tell, the situation became explosive when the language barrier essentially clouded the reality of what heart surgery meant for this gentleman. He did not realize that it meant being in the hospital for 3-5 days and that he would have to be attached to monitors and have chest tubes and a foley catheter attached to him. He is an extremely independent man. This gentleman is also disoriented to everything but person as he believes we are in Pakistan and still very clouded from anesthesia from the day before. All very normal activity for an elderly individual that goes under anesthesia. This reminds me of when my grandma would get anesthesia, she would always hallucinate and see a little girl standing in the corner with a pail of water and would often dump the pail on my grandma. I stayed the night with my grandma after a surgery and as sincerely as she could say it she asked that I go get a cup of water and douse the little girl standing in the corner. I still laugh about that. Interesting that should had this same reaction each time with anesthesia.

So enough introduction, I spent a lot of time walking with this gentleman as that is really the only thing that kept him from throwing punches at everyone around him and calmed the yelling. Did I mention that he was a retired boxer in Pakistan? Dude had a mean right hook. The first two hours of my day I spent walking this gentleman around the unit and to any window with a view. We returned to his room and he was sitting in a chair, finally. As I was preparing his medication, I was turned from him about 45 degrees and he was yelling at me in Ehrdu. Speaking to him really only made it worse. So I just listened. Then silence. My thought: he finally took a breath and is exhausted. Reality, he is back in the hallway. I literally took my eyes off of him for 10 seconds. So about 3 rooms down, I caught up with him and tried to coax him back to his room. Again, a lot of yelling. Two sons were there and trying to translate only for the sons to get really mad and they left. Here I was again, trying to rationalize with a man that is only yelling Ehrdu at me. He wouldn't walk back to his room, nor would he sit in a wheelchair. He merely just stood there yelling. Best case scenario for Shannon! And if I tried to steady him as he was swaying looking like he would fall, punches are being thrown. My manager, whom is really nice and sweet and petite, walks out and states the obvious. "He can't stay in the hallway yelling like this. Here let's try to walk him back to his room." My suggestion "Duck and weave to the left." She attempts and quickly understands what I mean. Eventually, he sat down on the floor in the hallway with just a gown on. Not my first option of choice, but he really just went limp like a two year old throwing a temper tantrum. (For the nurses out there, no incident report if your patient willingly lowers himself to the floor.) Eventually security was called and a after 35-40 minutes of really nothing he stood up and at least looked towards his room. He was thinking of walking back and our Hispanic housekeeper who is awesome yells, "Poppa come to me. Come on, Poppa!" That is really what got him moving. He was a bit more compliant from the IV Ativan I gave him too. Now he really looks drunk. It's finally 10:45 or so and we are back in the room again. Another dose of IV Ativan was given per my suggestion because I was not going to do this all day, just my first half. The next two hours we stood just inside the door near the wall and fought sleep like an infant and tried to remain standing. Any attempt to make him sit or walk was like making a mule walk where he didn't want to go. So my job was to watch him stand and sway sleeping standing up like a hourse, because his fall is on my name. Not cool. I really didn't think my day could get worse until the Lasix that I gave him kicked in and the yelling started again only to end when he peed on the wall. My response, "You have got to be kidding me!" Thirty more minutes pass and we have walked 4 ft at least closer to the bed and completely unannounced this time he pees on the floor and now we are both standing in a pool of urine. All my coworkers could  hear was, "NO NO NO NO, what are you doing?" It's all fun and games until you are the nurse standing in the pool of urine, that is not your own. Eventually around 12:30 my Ativan was taking full effect and I got him to lie down in the bed with the coaxing of yet another son. A very long 5 hours!!! Thank goodness someone else was taking care of my other patients.

Long story short, I have never met a more stubborn human being. I not only should learn some Spanglish but maybe I should learn some Ehrdu. I am sure he is a very nice gentleman but man is he stubborn.

Oh a day in the life of a nurse! Happy Nurses Week everyone!