My friend brought me a book today titled Motherless Daughters, one that had been shared with she and her sisters when their mother died years ago. The author was young when her mother passed and went through all the bittersweet times without a mom. Her dad was left with kids he knew nothing about raising because he was a typical Cleaver type wage earner where the lady of the house took care of all that. What little I've read convinced me how lucky I am to have had my mother in my life during things like college, weddings and birth of the babygirl. What an empty spot that would be in a girl's heart.
I have long been an advocate for end of life care improvements, especially when further intervention and treatment is futile. When I first started studying it was almost impossible to get a doctor to have that conversation with a patient until all options were exhausted. My years in an acute care setting along with office experience in POLs, particularly with cancer patients, has been a study in the hamster wheel of modern medicine. At least fifteen years ago I sent a proposal to the oncologist for whom I worked that included formation of a support group for patients and families. That never happened under his watch because his was a "traveling" clinic on a mission from Shelby county. Looking at it ethically, a physician who has a financial stake in prolonging life is probably a conflict of interest for those kind of patient care decisions. Family members want the patient to "keep trying and praying" when in fact they are almost always sick. Miss Ann is a prime example and KK still says she wishes she had urged no chemo and let her mama play bridge the last three months of her life. It is extremely hard to have the courage to say "no more" especially on someone else's behalf. Been there, done that.
A couple of conservative trolls took to bitch fighting with my liberal friend after he defended my post about EW and Colbert. Another friend jumped in to stand up for Warren so there was that. Remind me to block the cut and paste idiots and send sparkly karma to John and Jim. Geez man. ISIS is hanging out with Belgian nuclear guys and you're trashing a non-presidential candidate? Get over yourself. Sometimes I wish I didn't take such a broad view of the world, constantly seeking information to form opinions. It would be a lot more fun to watch Wheel of Fortune and forget about the world but umm......
Today is not only April Fool's Day but the first of the month which means it's time to say "Rabbit Rabbit!" which is a Vicki and Hoss thing from wayyyyyyyyy back. I've seen quite a few and spared their lives on early morning trips to the sawmill this week. Everybody is beyond tired and the sick people just keep on coming. I suppose it's the nature of the beast which is all the more reason to shift healthcare money toward prevention and wellness with a side of mental health. Diagnostics are fine in moderation. As a money maker they are a definite non/patient satisfier when the staff is overworked. Go ahead. Dooce me y'all. Stress related disease is a thing and we treat it 24/7.
With that being said, I'm still not a charge nurse nor do I want to be. I am not a nurse as all my many nurse friends will testify though I have helped them wipe butts and catch call lights. We know each others' initials by heart for documentation and we take care of each other and our village. That's what teamwork is about in my book and it is a tribute to a lot of fine healthcare providers locally. I'm proud to be one of them.
I'm working this weekend so stay away from the ER if at all possible. If you can't? We will hook you up.
Well ~
I think anyone who ends up in your care is lucky!
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