You just keep me hangin' on...

Mr. F passed away yesterday. He had a soft-tissue infection just over his left hip bone, the result of an infected bone marrow biopsy site. After a couple of I & Ds in the OR and many many surgeons poking, debriding, cauterizing, stitching...and many many RNs packing, re-dressing, lavaging, infusing platelets, cursing surgeons...anyway, the infection was about the size of a melon. Well, the amount of flesh missing was would have been the size of a melon. It was horrible but fascinating. Poor fellow.

Anyway, the topic of this post was my musing that despite the fact that about 95% of my patients die within a few weeks of their time with me, and although I've been an RN for nearly two years, and although I've wrapped countless post-mortem bodies and handed countless boxes of tissue to family members and silently hugged grieving spouses/children/siblings/friends, never has MY patient expired on MY shift. Ok, wait, one did...a young women who we withdrew care on during my orientation in the ICU. They always wait till I go home...at least a few hours, sometimes a whole shift, then they go. Weird.

Tomorrow I'm off to my favorite little city, Portland. I've got some new CDs for the car ride (the new Beck and Portland's own, The Decemberists), a list of "needs" from Powell's, and my fleece. Really, I don't need anything more.

Of course I will miss this little face:







But he will be in good hands, getting lots of little doggie snacks and belly rubs and play time with his stinky duck. Now, I must be off to bed, I have to get through my biography of Elizabeth I before I move onto the story of Mary Stuart and the "mysterious" murder of her asshole husband, Lord Darnley. This stuff is better than soap operas!

Oh, no word from my new boss on the possibility of changing my start date. Looks like Europe may have to wait....