ou are a newly graduated lvn working at a neurology unit in an acute care hospital. You see many different kinds of pati

[answerhappygod]

ou are a newly graduated lvn working at a neurology unit in
an acute care hospital. You see many different kinds of patients
with diagnoses that range from cerebrovascular accidents to drug
withdrawal to seizure disorders. Today, you've been assigned a
patient who has been on the unit for an unusually long amount of
time. His name is Giovani and he is a 68 year old man
diagnosed with a stage IV glioblastoma. Upon assessment, you find
that Giovani is awake but un-alert. He is unresponsive to
voice and stares blankly at you. His eyes are a bright, light blue
an icy blue almost even white. His silver hair is slicked
back, so far back it looks as though it is the only thing holding
his head up. You notice the toll disease has taken on him - a man
reduced to skin and bones. Regardless, you can tell that Giovani
must have been a very handsome young man. There's very little to do
with Giovani during your shift but you find yourself coming and
sitting with him periodically throughout the day. There's a
calmness to his icy blue eyes even though his pain pierces though
his pupils. Close to the end of your shift you stop by his room
again to say goodbye for the day. Upon entering, you find that
Giovani's heart and respiratory rate is steadily declining. Giovani
is DNR and you can feel death's footsteps coming closer. You sit
next to him, hold his cold hands, and feel his body slowly wave
goodbye to life. His vitals continue to drop. You look into his
bright, light, icy blue eyes and a chill sweeps down your body. You
are frozen. Time is still. Giovani stops moving and gently shuts
his eyes....It is 7:00PM. You exit the room, you give report, you
pack your things, you clock out, and you make your way out of the
building. You take a deep breath and time starts to move again,
unfrozen, at the very least until tomorrow at 8:00AM.
What are your thoughts on death? What do you think happens when
you die AND What toll do you think grief and dying have on nurses
and other healthcare professionals AND If you were the nurse
in the story, what do you think you would do once you got home?
Would you carry this incident home with you?